Annie Andrews, a pediatrician at MUSC and Mount Pleasant resident, announced on Monday she will file to run as a Democrat in the 1st Congressional District. Andrews is the first Democrat to announce a run in the November 2022 election.
“As a pediatrician, families trust me to be honest with them about the challenges they face and the solutions to overcome them,” Andrews said in a press release. “I will be just as honest and forthright with the people of the Lowcountry.”
An associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, Andrews has practiced medicine in Charleston for over a decade, according to her campaign.
Andrews has not run for political office before, but has been vocal on some issues over the past year. In August, Andrews joined other South Carolina physicians in calling for universal masking in schools as the fall semester started. She has also spoken on gun reform as a volunteer with Moms Demand Action to quell gun crime in the Lowcountry.
Andrews is married to Charlie Andrews, who is also an MUSC physician, and they have three children.
Mace was elected to serve the 1st District in 2020, unseating Democratic former Congressman Joe Cunningham. She is expected to face a stiff Republican primary, with three challengers from her own party so far, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings: Keith Blandford, Ingrid Centurion and Lynz Piper-Loomis.
Through a spokesperson, Mace told the City Paper she was focused on continuing to serve the district.
“Serving in Congress is the honor of my lifetime,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the 1st District.”
One other Democrat, Rebecca Cingolani, has filed paperwork with the FEC, but has not announced her campaign. Reached by phone Monday, Cingolani told the City Paper she plans to announce her campaign in early 2022. Cingolani previously ran unsuccessfully against District 110 S.C. Rep. William Cogswell in 2020.
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