CHARLESTON, S.C. () – A Lowcountry doctor said the time to stay on the sidelines is over.

Now she is making a second run at a South Carolina political office.

Dr. Annie Andrews has officially announced her candidacy for South Carolina Senate.

She will run as a Democrat for the seat currently held by Lindsey Graham.

Andrews, a Charleston Pediatrician, made an unsuccessful run for the SC District 1 Congressional seat in 2022.

Since that race she has stayed active, gaining a strong presence as an advocate on social media. Because of the state of the nation it was time to get off the web and into the race.

“Everything that I’ve seen happen since the inauguration in 2020 helps me understand how necessary it is for voices like mine to step up and to take on these fights,” Andrews said. “As a physician, I’m watching this coordinated attack on our nation’s health care system and our nation’s public health infrastructure. With the elevation of a conspiracy theorist to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, we’re seeing this coordinated attack gutting our nation’s Medicaid program, which is the largest insurer for children in South Carolina.”

A dedicated pediatrician and public health expert, Andrews talks about her career career on the frontlines-treating kids with gunshot wounds, kids whose families can’t afford insulin or even their next meal, and kids in mental health crises with nowhere to turn.

She called what’s going on in Washington “corruption and BS”, hurting real families, and that our kids are paying the price.

“It is infuriating because I know that Lindsey Graham doesn’t really actually care about the Medicaid program or the SNAP program,” Andrews said. “But he’s willing to cut them for the sole purpose of delivering tax cuts to billionaires because he’s a corrupt career politician who has lost his way and lost touch with the people of South Carolina.”

It is the people of South Carolina that Andrews wants to hear from and serve if elected.

“He (Graham) boldly said into a microphone not that long ago that he doesn’t need a town hall because he’s in Washington, D.C. to do what Donald Trump tells him to do.” Andrews said. “Well, that’s not the job of a U.S. Senator. You know, I believe in the kids and families in South Carolina. I believe in South Carolina. And I’m not afraid to stand up to people like Lindsey Graham who are willing to sell them out.”

That “sell out” starts with the latest Trump budget proposal.

“This bill that he is so eager to vote yes on will kick 1.1 million South Carolinians off of the Medicaid program,” Andrews said. “Our hospitals cannot sustain a budget impact like that. This will impact every single person in the state, whether you are on the Medicaid program or not. And it is cruel and devastating. And I can’t sit on the sidelines while our elected senator is willing to go along with this plan.”

While Andrews knows it’s a tall task to take out Graham, an incumbent who has been in office since 2002, recent elections in the state, and the reaction of the people she has spoken to, give her hope.

“South Carolina, House District 50. That’s a district that Kamala carried by five points and the Democrat won it by 42 points,” Andrews details. “That’s a 37-point swing, which tells you that everything is in play. And we cannot count out Democrats just because we’re in a red state. Republicans and Democrats alike are fed up with the chaos from this administration because of career corrupt politicians like Lindsey Graham. I wouldn’t be in this race if I didn’t think it was winnable. He’s as vulnerable as he ever has been because he says he’s as corrupt as he ever has, he ever has been, and someone needs to run against him, and I am prepared to do that. And I will bring home a victory in November 2026 if people give this campaign a chance.”

Andrews is one of four Democratic candidates announced so far.

Graham has two challengers who have already signed on to run against him in the Republican primary.

Dr. Annie Andrews for Senate