South Carolina’s 6th District House Race 2026

Republicans are targeting Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, both New York Democrats, for voting against a federal spending bill that included funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, despite both having previously touted their support for the program. The bill, HR 7148, passed the House 217-214 on Feb. 3 and was signed by President Trump, ending a four-day government shutdown. It provided funding for several federal departments and extended the WTC health program's funding formula through 2040 to address rising medical costs for 9/11 responders and survivors.

Most Democrats opposed the bill amid a standoff over ICE funding, though 21 Democrats, including Reps. Josh Gottheimer and James Clyburn, voted for it. The National Republican Congressional Committee accused Suozzi and Gillen of hypocrisy given their earlier statements backing the health program. Both campaigns pushed back, with Suozzi's team calling it a partisan attack and Gillen's spokesperson citing her personal ties to 9/11 and record of advocacy. Both Long Island Democrats face competitive re-election races in November.

South Carolina Republicans returned to the polls Tuesday to pick a nominee for the Senate seat long held by the late Lindsey Graham, who died in July after winning renomination in June. Sen. Darline Graham, appointed to fill her brother's term and backed by President Trump and Sen. Tim Scott, faced Rep. Ralph Norman in a runoff after neither cleared a majority in the Aug. 11 primary; third-place finisher Rep. Russell Fry endorsed Graham. The winner faces Democrat Annie Andrews in the fall.

In Georgia's 13th Congressional District near Atlanta, Democrats Everton Blair and Marcye Scott, daughter of late Rep. David Scott, competed in a runoff to serve the remainder of Scott's term after topping a five-candidate field in July. Neither is seeking the full term beginning in 2027; that contest will pit Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark against Republican Jonathan Chavez in November. Both races drew attention as tests of turnout and party strength ahead of the 2026 midterms, now 70 days off.

South Carolina schools Superintendent Ellen Weaver is running for reelection, facing Democrat Sylvia Wright in a race that is competitive in fundraising but has favored Republicans since 2011. Weaver touts gains in reading and math, a push for school safety, and expanded career pathways, while defending the state's three-year-old voucher program that provides over $7,600 per student for private school or homeschool expenses. Critics, including Wright, say the program lacks accountability and mostly benefits families who could already afford private schooling; a recent cyberattack froze vendor payments. Weaver's tenure has also drawn controversy over book bans, cutting AP African American Studies, and aligning with conservative groups like PragerU amid broader public-school enrollment decline.

Republican nominee Alan Wilson and Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson have agreed to face off in a live, one-hour debate on Oct. 6 in South Carolina's governor's race. The debate, moderated by WIS anchor Judi Gatson with questions from Gray Media political reporters and anchors across the state, will air from the WIS studios in Columbia and stream across Gray-owned stations and digital platforms in Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, Columbia, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Augusta-Aiken, Charlotte and Savannah.

The race marks South Carolina's first open gubernatorial contest in nearly a decade. Gov. Henry McMaster, who took office after Nikki Haley left to become U.N. Ambassador and won full terms in 2018 and 2022, is term-limited. The November election will determine his successor, making this debate a key early test for both candidates ahead of a race prediction markets are watching closely.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent a day campaigning across South Carolina, headlining the state NAACP's annual convention and stumping for Democratic candidates including Senate nominee Annie Andrews and gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson. Pritzker urged Democrats to be more combative toward President Trump and Republicans, saying the party has been "too dainty" and "too nice," and calling for a "team fight" posture ahead of the midterms.

Pritzker, who faces reelection in Illinois next month, declined to say whether he's running for president in 2028, framing the trip as support for down-ballot Democrats. Still, his appearance before Black voters in the first-in-the-nation primary state fueled speculation about his national ambitions. He also voiced concern that federal immigration enforcement could be used to intimidate voters in competitive states like South Carolina, and touted his financial support for Southern Democratic candidates, including a $1 million donation to Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa.

The three candidates vying for South Carolina's U.S. Senate seat met Tuesday night in Columbia for their only scheduled debate before Election Day, held at SCETV studios and broadcast statewide across television, radio and digital platforms. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews, and Libertarian Dr. Kasie Whitener each took part in the hour-long format, which allotted one minute for opening statements, one minute for responses, and 30-second rebuttals. Candidates did not see questions in advance and were barred from using notes or props.

The debate followed a contentious stretch of the campaign, including remarks from President Trump on Truth Social targeting Andrews over transgender-related issues. Recent polling has shown Graham leading Andrews by a narrow margin, within or close to the margin of error, while Whitener trails both.

With early voting set to begin within days and Election Day roughly three weeks away, the debate offered voters a rare direct comparison of the candidates' positions ahead of a race drawing national attention for its competitiveness.

Gray Media, South Carolina's largest television ownership group, is requiring candidates in this fall's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate debates to sign contracts barring them from joining rival broadcasters' debates without Gray's written consent. The clause, confirmed by multiple campaign sources, could limit other outlets' ability to host their own televised debates before the Nov. 3 general election.

Gubernatorial nominees Alan Wilson (R) and Jermaine Johnson (D) have tentatively set an Oct. 6 debate with Gray station WIS-TV, Gray's sixth debate broadcast since April. A Senate debate between Darline Graham and Annie Andrews remains under negotiation. Andrews' campaign said it signed Gray's pledge but has also accepted invitations from other stations, including SCETV and Nexstar- and Hearst-owned outlets, raising questions about how the exclusivity clause applies to debate clips and other coverage.

The dispute follows Gray's earlier partnership with the state GOP on primary debates and comes amid broader competition between Gray, Nexstar, and other networks for control of political debate coverage nationally.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock drew on his history as senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church during an Oct. 13 stop in Columbia, South Carolina, telling Democrats and clergy they could not afford to lose the "fight between hope and despair." He criticized Republican cuts to food stamps and Medicaid eligibility, invoked civil rights history, and urged support for Senate candidate Annie Andrews.

Warnock plans to return to South Carolina this weekend to campaign with Andrews and gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms and early voting. His visits to South Carolina, along with earlier stops in New Hampshire and Nevada — the early presidential primary states — have renewed speculation about a 2028 presidential bid. Warnock downplayed the talk, saying he is focused on 2026 and retaking a Senate majority. Other Democrats eyeing national profiles, including Rahm Emanuel, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, Ro Khanna, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg, have also recently visited the early-voting state.

Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman 52% to 48% in South Carolina's Republican runoff for the Senate seat held by her brother Lindsey Graham for 23 years before his death in July. Gov. Henry McMaster had appointed her to fill the seat temporarily, and President Trump endorsed her bid for a full term, holding a tele-rally and headlining a Myrtle Beach rally while directing more than $800,000 from his super PAC, MAGA Inc., toward her campaign. Norman, a five-term congressman who largely self-funded his campaign and drew roughly $700,000 in outside spending tied to Nikki Haley, conceded but noted lingering bitterness among his supporters over Trump's involvement. Graham had weathered criticism after admitting during an August debate she was "not that informed on national security," shifting her campaign's focus to domestic issues and her brother's legacy. She now advances to face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the November 3 general election for the seat, considered a safe Republican hold.

The result, alongside a narrow Trump-backed win in Oklahoma's gubernatorial runoff, reinforces the president's continued sway in GOP primaries despite recent Trump-endorsed losses elsewhere, including Wyoming and Florida.