CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Dr. Annie Andrews says she is ready for the uphill climb it will take to seriously challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham in next year’s U.S. Senate race.
The pediatrician is jumping back into politics after a double-digit defeat in 2022 when she attempted to unseat U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in South Carolina’s First Congressional District.
This year, she believes the Republican hold on the state can be broken.
“South Carolina is not a red state. I know we say that all the time, but it’s a non-voting state. There are so many unregistered voters, so many voters who don’t bother to get off the couch to show up and vote because they do that every cycle and they don’t see things getting better here in South Carolina. So, I don’t blame them,” Andrews said. “There’s a huge opportunity here for candidates like me who just want to solve problems, not make a career out of being in politics to win elections in places that Democrats don’t typically win elections.”
Styling herself as the “mom” candidate with a medical license, Andrews says tackling healthcare issues is a top concern. She is particularly focused on setting the record straight after President Donald Trump advised pregnant women to stop using Tylenol, saying it may cause autism.
“I would love to start by saying Tylenol, otherwise known as acetaminophen, is safe. It’s safe for pregnant women to take. It is the only medication pregnant women can take over the counter to address pain or fever in pregnancy. Untreated fever in pregnancy is known to be dangerous to the developing fetus,” Andrews said. “So, what we’re seeing from the highest levels of our nation’s health system is nothing more than a grift and a disinformation campaign.”
With Trump attacking Tylenol and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. casting doubt on things like vaccines and fluoride, Andrews says she understands why people may have some distrust for government health recommendations.
“I am a parent of three children, and I feel so deeply sad about the parents out there who don’t know where to turn for trusted health information. And we’re only a handful of months into this term, and the distrust that RFK Jr. has sown, enabled by senators like Lindsey Graham, who voted to confirm him, is doing so much damage to our nation’s public health system,” Andrews said. “Even if RFK Jr. were to resign today, the damage he has done will take pediatricians like me decades to recover from.”
However, Andrews’ support of transgender medicine will likely be a hard sell for voters in a conservative state. It landed her in hot water after her last election when Mace accused her of abusing children. When she attempted to return to work at the children’s hospital following the election, she was not offered a contract, something she believed was political retaliation. She says her views on transgender health care have not changed.
“As a pediatrician, it is my duty to care for every child. No matter what corner of the state they may come from, no matter their religious background, no matter their ethnic background, no matter their race, no matter their socioeconomic status, no matter the chronic conditions that they may or may not have,” Andrews said. “This is not a conversation that belongs in the public sphere in really any way. These are decisions that should be left between a doctor, a child, and their concerned parents. And I think we should leave it at that.”
“I’m quite certain that being a U.S. congresswoman or being a U.S. senator is not a job where it is ever necessary for you to think about or talk about children’s genitals,” Andrews said. “So, my question back to Rep. Nancy Mace and Sen. Lindsey Graham is, ‘Why in the world are you thinking and talking about children’s genitals?’”
While her expertise is in medicine, Andrews says she’s prepared to take on any issue in Washington.
“Beyond healthcare, the number one, two, and three issues are affordability. You know, Donald Trump ran on lowering prices and instead said he’s out there trying to fire comedians. And grocery prices continue to climb,” Andrews said. “We need to stop the on-again, off-again trade wars that are really devastating South Carolina’s economy. The root cause of this is people playing politics with our livelihood here in the State of South Carolina, and it’s a lack of adults in the room in Washington, D.C.”
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Andrews says she has seen her grocery bill continue to rise.
“While I’m also seeing very scary headlines about healthcare premiums rising. I’m seeing an entire generation of folks who are leaving high school, graduating college and never having any hope of breaking into the housing market,” she says.
Despite advocating for gun control, Andrews says she’s very supportive of the Second Amendment.
“I support the Second Amendment, and I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. I always have, and I always will. My position on gun violence prevention is in line with the vast majority of South Carolinians and the vast majority of Americans. My number one policy and priority in that area is universal background checks,” Andrews said. “I also support a federal secure storage law so that children cannot gain access to unsecured loaded weapons. I support a federal red flag law so that guns can be removed after due process from the hands of someone who is at imminent risk of harming themselves or someone else.”
In the wake of the killing of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, Andrews says she was horrified to hear the news but is also a strong defender of the rights of detractors to make their voices heard.
“This country was founded on the notion that we have a First Amendment, and we have free speech. And if we start infringing on that, then I don’t think that this is the same country that it used to be,” Andrews said. “I was deeply disturbed by the video I watched, and I am so sorry for his grieving family and loved ones. I also think it’s important for us to remember that that gruesome video, is what happens in classrooms when we have mass school shootings.”
The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is in June of next year.