R Magic Brow

Darline Graham has lost the U.S. Senate seat long held by her brother in South Carolina.Graham had been the Republican candidate for only a couple of months after winning a Republican primary runoff following a fast-tracked special election.'For the Good of our Nation ... I hope Darline does this.'Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Kentucky, ran a tough race against Graham, where the two were neck and neck in polling to the end.RealClearPolling showed Graham with a +2.7-point advantage just a couple of weeks out from the election. Meanwhile, Blaze News' Poll Watch has Graham at just +1.9 in the last days before midterms.In the end, Andrews overcame the deficit and won the seat 50.6% to 47.2% with 93% of the votes counted, according to NBC News.RELATED: South Carolina Senate poll tracker Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Graham was supported by President Donald Trump before she even decided to run for office, promising to endorse her if she did. Her brother won his primary in June with nearly 57% of the vote.At the same time, Andrews defeated two Democratic primary competitors with 61.5% of the vote."During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026," Trump said at the time, per The Hill."I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey," the president added.RELATED: Conservatives demand competition — except in their own primaries Joe Raedle/Getty Images In October, Trump and Graham appeared face-to-face at a rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, where he gave her his full support.Andrews had previously run in South Carolina for the House of Representatives in 2022, but lost to Rep. Nancy Mace (R).Andrews has called for the restoration of Roe v. Wade, the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare, and to keep "families together" and ensure "due process" in regard to immigration.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In a stunning upset, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson Tuesday to become the first black female governor in American history and Georgia's first Democrat governor since 1998.Bottoms led Jackson 54.2% to 45.8% with about 85% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News. Though Jackson ran toward the middle, his moderate disposition did nothing to stem the tide against Bottoms. 'I'm not running to be his favorite governor.'The last Democrat to win was Roy Barnes, who secured the seat in 1998. Barnes lost his 2002 re-election bid to Sonny Perdue, Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction ended. Republicans have held the office ever since — until now. Jackson spent more than $200 million of his own fortune, according to AP. On the campaign trail, Jackson promised to govern like "Trump with a Southern tone" and become the president's "favorite governor."Bottoms turned that line against him.RELATED: North Carolina extends voting hours in mostly liberal areas, denies extension to some pro-Trump counties Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images "I'm not running to be his favorite governor," Bottoms said during the candidates' only debate. "I'm running to work on behalf of people like you."Bottoms has called for Medicaid expansion, an increase of the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, a pause on data center development, and an end to Flock camera expansion, according to AP.She also wants to repeal Georgia's abortion ban, which made abortions after six weeks illegal. She called it "a life and death issue." It certainly is, though perhaps not in the way she intended. Bottoms will succeed the term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R). She may not have a free hand once in office. Republicans are heavily favored to keep the state Senate, according to AP.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Roy Cooper has never lost an election, and his winning streak continued Tuesday. Cooper flipped the seat of outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who declined to run for another term in office. Tillis frequently clashed with President Donald Trump and has struck a defiant tone in his last days in office. 'We have more in common than divides us.'Cooper led Whatley 64.6% to 33.7% with roughly 62% of the vote in on Tuesday, according to NBC News.Though most of the tabulated ballots so far come from early voting, Whatley won't be able to bridge the gap with the remaining Election Day ballots. So far, Cooper has secured 66% of the early in-person vote, while Whatley has received 59% of the Election Day vote.It's the first time a Democrat has won a Senate seat in North Carolina since 2008, according to NBC News.Cooper's Election Night watch party, held at a hotel in state capital Raleigh, was jubilant. Music was blaring and attendees were celebrating with CNN playing in the background, according to an AP description.Republicans turned their attention elsewhere since polling began to indicate a wipeout in the Southern state. RELATED: Last-minute dirty tricks: Michigan voters reportedly being told they can't split their ticket as Democrats defect for Rogers Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images The national GOP began shifting North Carolina campaign cash elsewhere in October, signaling pessimism regarding Whatley's odds, according to the AP. A top Republican super PAC canceled its ad spending in the race to protect more viable seats elsewhere in the country, according to NBC News.President Trump slammed Cooper in his North Carolina rallies.“He’s going to become your senator,” Trump said of Cooper at an October rally in North Carolina. “And it’s crazy.” Whatley was aligned with Trump’s agenda, campaigning on his tax cuts and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Republican candidate also hit Cooper as soft on violent crime. Trump called North Carolina’s cities “blood-soaked killing fields."Whatley, 58, is a former state GOP and RNC chairman but has never held elected office. He trailed Cooper in fundraising.Cooper previously won four terms as attorney general and two as governor. He ran toward the middle, focusing on affordability and promising to “make stuff cost less.”"North Carolina — I’m grateful for your trust," Cooper said in an X post after media outlets called his race. "We have more in common than divides us. Here’s to building better days ahead!"Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Socialism is increasingly a political liability, but Democrats appear to have found a way around the label: Sell the same socialist ideas, but leave the label behind.And Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) are doing just that.“Obviously, Democrats are very good at recruiting these particular candidates with a certain aura that they are confident have the potential to win, and they all have radical left socialist policy positions,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey explains, noting that “El-Sayed has been very careful not to publicly associate with DSA” while running.“So, something in him understands that socialism, just blatant socialism, saying that I’m a democratic socialist, the way that Bernie Sanders did, is still not popular enough,” she says. “They think they can sell the ideas without selling the packaging of socialism. They might be right about that. The truth is, the DSA doesn’t care,” she adds.Stuckey explains that in July of this year, “DSA officials said that they were mobilizing organizers, volunteers, and resources to support El-Sayed’s campaign.”“So, he might not openly say, ‘I’m a socialist.’ The socialists are saying, ‘We openly support El-Sayed.’ And that tells you what you need to know,” she says.And while AOC was talking about “the means of production using socialist terminology” just a couple of years ago, she now “won’t call herself a socialist.”“The truth is that the Democrats are playing it well. Socialism scares a lot of people off, just the word itself,” Stuckey says.And because of this, the Republicans have “got some work to do.”“What happens with the Republicans,” Stuckey explains, “unfortunately, is that they run a very conservative campaign, and then they end up moderating once they get in office. What happens with progressives is that they run a moderate campaign, and they end up going to the left once they get in office.”“So, just understand that if you’re voting, you think you’re voting for a moderate Democrat, you’re actually voting for a radical progressive,” she continues. “If you think that you’re voting, in many cases, for a hardline conservative Republican, you’re probably voting for ultimately a moderate Republican.”“Not always, but a lot of times,” she adds.Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.