Annie Andrews (physician)

Annie Andrews
Andrews in 2026
Personal details
BornAnne Elizabeth Lintzenich
1981 (age 45)
Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Charlie Andrews
​
(m. 2011)​
Children3
Education
WebsiteCampaign website

Anne Lintzenich Andrews (born 1981)[1][2] is an American pediatrician who is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in South Carolina. Andrews will face Republican nominee Darline Graham. If Andrews wins, she will be the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

She was running against Lindsey Graham, the incumbent Republican senator, until his death on July 11.[3]

Andrews was the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's 1st congressional district in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections and lost to Representative Nancy Mace.

Andrews was a professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.

Early life and education

Andrews was born Anne Elizabeth Lintzenich in Paducah, Kentucky, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, her master's degree in clinical research from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and her M.D. from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also completed a master's degree in clinical research after starting work at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.[4]

Career

Andrews completed her medical residency in pediatrics in Cincinnati before moving to South Carolina's Lowcountry in 2009. She worked for 14 years at M.U.S.C. Children's Hospital in Charleston,[5] as a pediatric hospitalist.[6] She announced in September 2022, while running for Congress, that she was taking an unpaid leave "to protect myself and my colleagues".[4] She resigned in June 2023.[7]

In April 2023, Andrews founded Their Future PAC, a political organization intended to advocate for measures addressing issues that included climate change, gun violence, childhood poverty and voting rights.[8]

As of mid-2025, Andrews worked part-time as a pediatrician in Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., but lived in Charleston.[9]

Campaigns

2022 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

Andrews became interested in political activism after the Parkland high school shooting in 2018, which convinced her to join the gun safety advocacy group Moms Demand Action.[10] She began doing clinical research into gun violence prevention to reduce the number of pediatric injuries from firearms. She described gun violence prevention as being directly related to her job as a pediatrician providing medical care to children.[2] She announced her candidacy for South Carolina's 1st district in November 2021, making her the first Democrat to do so. It was her first time running for political office.[11][12] She won the Democratic nomination in June 2022 after running unopposed.[13]

In September, Mace began running campaign ads accusing Andrews of engaging in "child abuse" by providing gender-affirming care to minors. Andrews responded in a statement, saying, "I knew politics would be ugly but I never thought I'd see the day when my own congresswoman would accuse me—a pediatrician for over a decade—of 'child abuse'...I do not support gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 18—nor does my hospital perform those procedures. What I support is evidence-based medical care, with parental consent, for teens struggling with gender identity issues." Andrews also said that because of the ads, as a "precautionary step" she began taking unpaid leave from her job as a pediatrician at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital and that she would increase security while she considered taking legal action, citing threats made against doctors, including a bomb threat against the Boston Children’s Hospital, earlier that year.[14] In October, Andrews was endorsed by the editorial board of the Charleston City Paper.[15]

Andrews lost the general election on November 8, receiving 42.5% of the vote to Mace's 56.5%. She called Mace to concede soon afterward, and Mace responded by thanking her for "stepping into the arena". Andrews said she was unsure where her political career would go next, but that her candidacy had encouraged more medical professionals to follow in her footsteps by running for elected office.[16][17]

In April 2023, she announced the creation of a PAC called "Their Future. Our Vote".[18]

Andrews' field office in Columbia, South Carolina

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

On May 29, 2025, Andrews announced her candidacy for the United States Senate in 2026, aiming to unseat incumbent Republican senator Lindsey Graham.[19][20] She said she decided to run for Senate after President Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health.[21]

Andrews is endorsed by former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, who ran against Graham in 2020.[22] She is also endorsed by the 314 Action Fund,[23] EMILYs List,[24] the JAC, and Vote Mama.[25]

On June 9, 2026, Andrews won the Democratic nomination, and was expected to face Graham.[26][27] On July 11 Graham died, and on August 25 his sister, Darline, was elected as his replacement in a run-off.[28]

Personal life

In 2011, Andrews married Charlie Andrews, a neurological critical care doctor at MUSC. They have three children.[2] The two have since divorced.[29]

References

  1. ↑ Byrd, Caitlin (June 3, 2026). "Meet the Republican and Democratic candidates challenging Lindsey Graham for US Senate". Post and Courier.
  2. 1 2 3 Brack, Andy (July 13, 2022). "Andrews embraces the science of decision-making". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Reagan, Nick (September 26, 2025). "Meet the candidate: Dr. Annie Andrews (for US Senate)". www.live5news.com. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Batey, Eve (July 12, 2026). "Who is Annie Andrews, the Democratic Contender for Lindsey Graham's Former Senate Seat?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  5. ↑ Agrawal, Nina (April 18, 2026). "The Doctor Will Seek Your Vote Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Annie Andrews, MD". alumni.cincinnatichildrens.org. Winter 2023. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Dr. Annie Andrews announces departure from MUSC". WCBD News 2. June 4, 2023. Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ Altimari, Daniela (April 17, 2023). "Pediatrician launches new PAC focused on children". Roll Call. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (May 29, 2025). "This SC pediatrician ran for Congress in 2022. Now she wants to oust Sen. Graham". The State. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  10. ↑ Janssen, Emma (July 14, 2026). "She Wants to Win Lindsey Graham's Senate Seat—and Impeach RFK Jr". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Local pediatrician, Dr. Annie Andrews, to run for South Carolina's First Congressional District". WCBD News 2. November 8, 2021. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  12. ↑ Spence, Sam (November 8, 2021). "Mace gets Democratic challenger from MUSC pediatrician Annie Andrews". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ "SC Primary: Who is on the ballot?". WYFF. June 13, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ Dress, Brad (September 28, 2022). "Democratic candidate slams GOP's Nancy Mace for 'bigoted attacks'". The Hill. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Our View: Elect Dr. Annie Andrews to Congress". Charleston City Paper. October 19, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ "South Carolina First Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  17. ↑ Byrd, Caitlin (November 8, 2022). "Republican US Rep. Nancy Mace defeats Democrat Annie Andrews". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ Byrd, Caitlin (April 17, 2023). "SC Democrat Annie Andrews launches PAC to elect candidates who will advocate for children". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ Chornobroff, Shaun (May 29, 2025). "Former MUSC pediatrician announces campaign to oust Lindsey Graham". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ Kinnard, Meg (May 29, 2025). "Sen. Lindsey Graham gets a 2026 challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews, who ran against Nancy Mace". AP News. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  21. ↑ Mazzei, Patricia (July 13, 2026). "Lindsey Graham's Death Transforms the Race for His Democratic Challenger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Jaime Harrison Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews For U.S. Senate". The MinorityEye. June 4, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  23. ↑ "314 Action Fund Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate, as a Guardian of Public Health". 3.14 Action. June 18, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  24. ↑ "EMILYs List Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina's U.S. Senate Race". EMILYs List. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Vote Mama PAC | Candidates". Vote Mama PAC. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Dr. Annie Andrews wins Democratic nomination for U.S Senate". WCIV - ABC News 4. June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Democrat Annie Andrews to face off against Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, CBS News projects". CBS News. June 9, 2026. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  28. ↑ Davis, Maya; McWhirter, Cameron; LeVine, Marianne (August 26, 2026). "Trump Senate Pick Darline Graham Wins GOP Runoff in South Carolina". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Dr. Annie Andrew Facebook post".
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.