Andrews has outraised Graham 11 to 1 in South Carolina. Republican outside groups are making up the difference.

By Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to rally on Wednesday evening at Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Arena in Pendleton, S.C., for Sen. Darline Graham, according to FOX Carolina. It will be his second South Carolina rally for her, after one in Myrtle Beach in August. Graham, who had never held elected office, was appointed to finish the term of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and is now running for a full six-year term against Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician. Recent polls have shown a close race in a state Trump carried by more than 17 points in 2024.

Federal Election Commission records show a large gap in campaign money between the two candidates, and Republican outside groups have been working to make up for it.

Two campaigns, very different bank accounts

Andrews’ campaign committee reported raising $20.2 million for the cycle through Sept. 30. That includes $9.4 million in the third quarter alone, of which it spent $11.2 million, leaving $2.3 million in the bank and $231,000 in debts.

Graham’s committee, Darline for Senate, registered with the FEC on July 23. It reported $1.8 million in total receipts through Sept. 30, including $1.5 million from Aug. 6 to Sept. 30, and had $610,000 on hand. That means Andrews has raised about 11 times as much. Both campaigns have filed 48-hour notices of large contributions this month. Their pre-general reports, covering Oct. 1 to 14, are due Thursday.

Outside money runs the other way

Groups working to elect Graham or defeat Andrews have reported $11.4 million in independent expenditures since Sept. 1, about twice the $5.4 million reported by groups on the Democratic side, according to an Inquisitor tally of FEC filings. About $10.6 million of the Republican total was reported in October.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is the largest spender. Its $4 million has all come in October, nearly all of it on ads against Andrews. Security Is Strength PAC is a Columbia-based super PAC that has filed with the FEC since 2015. Its most recent report shows $4.5 million raised from Aug. 6 to Sept. 30. The largest donor was American Jobs and Security, of West Chester, Ohio, which gave $3.6 million in total, according to the filing. Securing American Greatness Inc. gave $1 million and Elliott Investment Management founder Paul Singer gave $250,000.

American Mission is part of the Leading the Future super PAC network, which is backed by OpenAI, The Christian Science Monitor reported this week. FEC records show Leading the Future has given it $22.5 million this cycle. Building the Future is a Reno, Nev., super PAC that registered on Aug. 30 and has the same treasurer as American Mission. It reported no receipts through Sept. 30, and then reported $1.3 million in October ads supporting Graham. Its donors will not be public until its next report.

On the Democratic side, Fresh Start SC PAC, based in Dallas, took in $2.7 million on Sept. 14 from an entity listed as Better World Civic Trust, of Fallbrook, Calif. New Deal for All, Inc., a Jacksonville, Fla., super PAC that registered on Oct. 1, reported a single donor in its first report: Stephen Pajcic of Jacksonville, who listed his employer as Pajcic & Pajcic and gave $5.6 million on Oct. 13. By Oct. 14 it had spent $5.5 million against four Republican senators, including Graham, Ashley Moody of Florida, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, its filings show.

In a statement provided through Robyn Sieron, who works in marketing at Pajcic & Pajcic, Steve Pajcic said: “Every state deserves accountability from Washington politicians. The focus of New Deal for All PAC is on accountability, calling out corruption and changing the direction of our country.”

How we counted

The Inquisitor totaled independent expenditures that name Graham or Andrews in the FEC’s electronic filings, using only the most recent version of each filing. For September, it used the larger of each group’s monthly-report total or its 24- and 48-hour notices. For October, it used the notices alone, de-duplicated by filing and transaction. Spending that supports one candidate is counted with spending against the opponent. Figures may change as groups amend their filings. They do not include party coordinated spending or issue ads that never name a candidate.

The Inquisitor sent requests for comment to the Darline Graham and Annie Andrews campaigns, American Mission/Building the Future, New Deal for All, Fresh Start SC PAC and Security Is Strength PAC on Wednesday afternoon, before publication. Responses received are included above; this story will be updated with any others.

Update, Oct. 21, 2026: This story has been updated with a statement from Steve Pajcic, the sole reported donor to New Deal for All.

Photo: The South Carolina State House in Columbia. Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.