Annie Andrews

Biography

Annie Andrews is a physician based in Charleston, South Carolina. She is the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina. The seat opened following Lindsey Graham’s death in July 2026.

Professional background

Physician

In this race

• Lindsey Graham (Republican)

Issue positions

Healthcare (Policy)

Andrews says healthcare is “a right” and is campaigning on a government-run healthcare option in addition to expanding Medicaid and Medicare. Despite claiming she wants to increase aid to rural hospitals, she opposed the Working Families Tax Cut bill, which set aside $200 million for rural health care for South Carolina — the largest investment in rural health care in American history. Andrews does not specify whether “expand Medicare” means lowering the eligibility age, adding benefits, or resisting reductions, nor how she would finance it. A government-run plan's impact depends on reimbursement rates and subsidy design. CBO projects a low-premium plan could induce some private insurers to leave and some employers to stop offering coverage. If Washington sets health care rates near Medicare levels, clinics, doctors' offices, and rural health care facilities could close. Andrews promises simultaneously to cut premiums and keep rural hospitals open without solving for the economics of it. Additionally, Andrews has voiced opposition to health experts at the Department of Health and Human Services, even going so far as to call for their impeachment. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Andrews’ government-run health care plan could threaten hospitals and private clinics. Despite her claims to support rural health care, she opposed the largest rural health care investment in American history. Her plan is not fully scoreable because it lacks details, specifically regarding eligibility, provider payments, drug-pricing authority, and taxes or spending offsets."

Taxes (Policy)

Andrews supports tax increases for an unspecified group of Americans. Andrews says she would “end tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” but doesn’t specify a rate, income threshold, or tax expenditure she would repeal. Her government-run health, child-care, leave, infrastructure, and education promises would require significant tax increases to pay for them. The phrase could mean closing narrow preferences or raising the corporate rate. The Tax Foundation modeled a rate increase from 21 to 28% and estimated long-run GDP taking a 0.8% hit, and wages falling 0.7%, all while 159,000 fewer full-time-equivalent jobs. Andrews has not promised that households below a stated income would avoid tax increases, nor explained whether paid leave would require a payroll tax. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: She supports tax increases, but lacks details, leaving her plan economically incomplete. South Carolinians cannot know who pays or whether promised spending balances until Andrews supplies actual rates, bases, and offsets for her proposals."

Environment & Energy (Policy)

Andrews supports taxpayer dollars for climate projects She credits Joe Biden’s federal laws and new regulations for helping South Carolina. These are the same Biden-era investments from the “Inflation Reduction Act” that set off the record inflation during 2021-2023. CBO’s January 2025 baseline placed the 2026–2035 deficit cost of federal wind and solar investment and production credits at about $300 billion. CBO also found the credits would stimulate investment while warning that wage, domestic-content, and location conditions can steer capital toward higher-cost projects. Andrews provides no guardrails for cost, grid reliability, permitting, nuclear power, or dependence on foreign supply chains. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Andrews offers climate and “green” energy priorities rather than a definite energy plan. She should define technology neutrality, reliability standards, permitting reform, and a subsidy ceiling. Her plan lacks details beyond her support of the Biden “Inflation Reduction Act” green energy programs."

Immigration (Policy)

Andrews supports amnesty for those in the United States illegally. She claims to support border security and humane treatment of those entering the United States, but fails to outline a plan to address the drugs, human trafficking, and violent crime spurred by illegal immigration. Andrews opposes President Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, and has even said the work of immigration officials and law enforcement is “bulls***” Under Biden, nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants attempted to cross the border in a single month, with millions in total entering the United States. CBO estimates the immigration surge under Biden’s watch imposed a direct $9.2 billion net cost on state and local governments in 2023, chiefly for schools, shelter, and border security. New reporting shows it also increased home prices in the United States. Andrews’ platform on immigration is considerably undefined. She does not specify asylum standards, E-Verify, detention capacity, local-police cooperation, treatment of criminal offenders, or whether legalization waits for enforcement benchmarks. “Follow the rules” is unclear for people whose first violation was unlawful entry or overstay. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Her border-plus-amnesty frame raises questions about her plan. Without enforceable triggers and eligibility rules, however, it risks becoming amnesty first and security later."

Public Safety (Policy)

Andrews’ current Senate platform calls for new gun control restrictions, limits on the Second Amendment, and new requirements for law-abiding gun owners. While she does not address police funding, she has spoken against federal efforts to crack down on violent criminals, drug smugglers, and human traffickers. Her gun control agenda centers on firearm background checks, safe-storage mandates, community violence-prevention and mental-health funding, and a ban on what she calls “weapons of war.” A RAND study found moderate evidence that background checks reduce firearm suicides and limited-to-moderate evidence on some homicide outcomes. It found the evidence on assault-weapon bans’ effect on homicide inconclusive in the reviewed literature, while evidence for some child-access prevention laws was stronger for reducing youth firearm injuries and suicides. Heritage argues that semi-automatic rifles are rarely used in ordinary gun crime and that “assault weapon” definitions often turn on cosmetic features. Andrews does not define covered weapons, grandfathering, storage standards, penalties, private-sale procedures, or enforcement against repeat violent offenders. She also says little about officer recruitment, or fentanyl trafficking. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Andrews is open about her support of new restrictions on the Second Amendment, while pushing for new mandates for law-abiding gun owners."

Economy & Labor (Policy)

Without details, Andrews promises higher wages, stronger worker rights, affordable child care, paid family leave, and trade policies that protect South Carolina jobs and farms. The goals may be lofty, but the platform has no details, names no wage floor, leave duration, payroll contribution, union legislation, tariff schedule, or child-care subsidy formula. CBO estimated that a federal $15 minimum wage similar to the 2021 Raise the Wage Act could lift 900,000 people from poverty, but would reduce employment by an average 1.4 million workers and increase the deficit by $54 billion before interest. “Strengthen workers’ rights,” as Andrews campaigns on, is equally ambiguous. If it means the PRO Act, Heritage notes that the bill would preempt state right-to-work protections and broaden employee classification, changes with particular significance in right-to-work South Carolina. If it means narrower protections against wage theft or unsafe workplaces, the consequences would differ. Paid leave and child care can increase labor-force participation, but benefits financed by employer mandates or payroll taxes still have costs that can reach wages and hiring. Her opposition to the Working Families Tax Law also means she opposes the cuts for those earning tips and overtime wages. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Andrews identifies real family pressures but has not offered a definite plan for how to resolve the issues. Her opposition to the 2025 tax bill gives insight about how she would approach overtime and tip wages. Ultimately, voters need numbers on wages, leave, child care, unions, trade, and small-business compliance costs."

Sources (Reference)

◆ Healthcare — Annie Andrews campaign healthcare page; Sen. Tim Scott’s South Carolina rural-health program summary; RNC Research video on X; CBO Publication 57125; Fox News report on Andrews and HHS.

◆ Taxes — Annie Andrews economy plan; Tax Foundation corporate income-tax analysis.

◆ Environment & Energy — Annie Andrews transportation and infrastructure plan; CBO Publication 61188.

◆ Immigration — Annie Andrews Instagram post; U.S. Customs and Border Protection border-release data; CBO Publication 60165; New York Post report on immigration and housing costs.

◆ Public Safety — Annie Andrews Instagram post; RAND Research Report RR2088 on gun policy; Heritage Foundation testimony on assault weapons.

◆ Economy & Labor — CBO Publication 56975; Heritage Foundation PRO Act analysis.