South Carolina Democratic senator-elect Annie Andrews campaigned as a moderate willing to work with Republicans in a state President Trump carried by roughly 18 points. But a string of her past social media posts, now resurfacing after her upset win over Republican Sen. Darline Graham, shows a very different tone toward the GOP and toward transgender issues than the one she presented on the trail.
In 2023, Andrews wrote on social media: “The T in LGBTQ+ stands for TRANSGENDER. If you don’t support trans people, keep your cute pride post in your draft tweets, be better, and try again next year.” Around the same time she posted, “Periodic reminder that I support trans kids because I am not an a–hole.”
Her attacks on Republicans as a party were even sharper. In August 2024, after online critics mocked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s son, Andrews wrote that the Republican Party “needs to be lit on fire & thrown in the dumpster & plunged into the deepest depths of the ocean never to be seen again.”
She also took direct aim at GOP senators. Of Sen. JD Vance, she wrote, “Herpes is forever. JD Vance doesn’t have to be.” Reacting to Sen. Katie Britt discussing a White House visit, Andrews posted, “Wow they let you out of the kitchen. Congrats” — a jab referencing traditional homemaking roles for women.
Those posts stand apart from how Andrews ran her Senate campaign. At an October town hall billed as “Republicans and Independents for Annie,” she said her campaign was for voters focused on bills, rural hospitals and government integrity rather than party labels, and repeatedly pledged to work across the aisle. She also released a campaign ad distancing herself from earlier positions on biological men competing in women’s sports.
Andrews had also posted in support of abortion access, drag queen story hours and tighter restrictions on firearm ownership, at one point reposting a message describing semi-automatic rifles as “weapons of war.”
National Republican Senatorial Committee advisor Nathan Brand pointed to the gap between her record and her campaign messaging in October, writing on social media: “Annie Andrews launched her political career fighting for her trans agenda … dozens of comments and tweets advocating for dudes in girls’ sports, procedures on minors, and more. Now she is walking it ALL back.”
Republicans emphasized transgender-related issues heavily during the 2026 cycle, including bans on sex-change procedures for minors and on biological men in women’s sports. The strategy did not stop the GOP from losing several seats considered safe, including South Carolina’s, though related ballot measures rolling back transgender rights did pass in a number of liberal states.
Independent journalist Zaid Jilani noted that Republicans had focused their resources elsewhere, writing on social media: “Republicans spent all their money trying to defeat Abdul and hired zero opposition researchers on Annie.”
The Andrews campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
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