Top Republican super PAC pledges $5 million for South Carolina Senate race

NBC News and CBS News report that the Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican super PAC, is committing $5 million to South Carolina's Senate race, per sources who confirmed it Tuesday. The money signals GOP worry about Sen. Darline Graham's contest with Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews, in a state President Trump carried by 18 points in 2024, according to NBC News · CBS News.

NBC News adds that the fund, aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is shifting resources as the map tilts toward Democrats: it canceled North Carolina ad spending last week and began advertising in Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall faces Adam Hamilton. Graham spokesperson T.W. Arrighi said South Carolinians "are beginning to learn the truth" about Andrews's ads.

Trump, who has campaigned for Graham, attacked Andrews on Monday with an anti-transgender slur, both outlets say; NBC News notes she is not transgender. CBS News adds that Andrews opposes gender transition surgery for minors but once objected to a bill barring transgender athletes from sports. Graham was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died suddenly in July.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News · CBS News and CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News · CBS News → Also at CBS News →