New poll gives Graham a 1-point lead over Andrews in U.S. Senate race

MORNING HEADLINES | A newly released poll shows a tightening U.S. Senate race between newcomer U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews.

The Trafalgar Group, an Atlanta-based firm, released a new poll Sept. 26 that showed Graham with 43.4% of the vote – just 1.2% more than Andrews, a Lowcountry pediatrician. Though the polling firm leans slightly Republican, other recent polls also show a closer-than-expected race.

“I think what’s significant about this poll is it’s a Republican poll,” said Jay Parmley, executive director of the S.C. Democratic Party. “They have a history of being fairly accurate, as in terms of polling. A lot of polls I don’t put much faith in, but this one is really interesting just because of their accuracy, particularly in South Carolina of late.”

Out of the 1,087 likely voters who responded in the poll with a 2.9% margin of error, more than two thirds were over the age of 50, according to WCIV-TV. Graham was more favored by the older demographic with just over 50% support from the 50-64 and 65+ age groups while Andrews was around 36% and 38.5% with both respectively. Meanwhile, the three younger age brackets – 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49 all broke for Andrews in the Trafalgar poll. About 8% said they were undecided and 6% said they would vote for someone else.

“It is somewhat of a surprise, but I think we also need to recognize six years ago when Jaime Harrison ran against Lindsey Graham, Harrison was leading in several polls and had raised a record amount of money, only to lose in the end by 10 points,” said Kirk Randazzo, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina.

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