United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026 (June 9 Democratic primary)
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| U.S. Senate, South Carolina |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 30, 2026 |
| Primary: June 9, 2026 Primary runoff: June 23, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th South Carolina elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
A Democratic Party primary takes place on June 9, 2026, in South Carolina to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
Heading into the election, the incumbent is Lindsey Graham (Republican), who was first elected in 2002.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. South Carolina utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Voters must take an oath affirming that they have not voted in another party's primary.[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Thirty-three of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election, and another two seats are up for special election. Democrats hold 13 of the seats up for election, and Republicans hold 22. As of January 2026, 11 members of the U.S. Senate announced they are not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. Senate elections taking place this year, click here.
This page focuses on South Carolina's United States Senate Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the state's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026 (June 9 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Carolina
Annie Andrews (D), Brandon Brown (D), Catherine Fleming Bruce (D), Kyle Freeman (D), and Christopher Giracello (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Carolina on June 9, 2026.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Lee Johnson (D)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Kyle Freeman (born September 13, 1989) is a logistics specialist and political candidate running for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina in 2026. Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Freeman comes from a proud military family. His grandfather, Dewitt Freeman, was a Rear Admiral in the Navy, his mother a Lieutenant Commander, and his father a Master Chief. Before he had aspirations as a public servant, Freeman pursued his education at La Fémis Film School in Paris, France, before moving to South Carolina with his family following the housing market collapse in the late 2000s. He later attended Midlands Technical University and built a career in logistics, where he has worked for over 13 years, specializing in problem-solving and innovative solutions. A former essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic, Freeman is running on a platform of honesty, integrity, and accountability. He aims to bring working-class values to Washington, fighting for fair wages, affordable healthcare, and corporate accountability."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in South Carolina
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Andrews | Democratic Party | $4,306,090 | $2,725,152 | $1,580,938 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Brandon Brown | Democratic Party | $8,490 | $0 | $0 | As of September 30, 2026 |
| Catherine Fleming Bruce | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $5,030 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Kyle Freeman | Democratic Party | $42,166 | $41,188 | $978 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Christopher Giracello | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in South Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| South Carolina | U.S. Senate | Ballot-qualified party | N/A | $3,480.00 | 3/30/2026 | Source |
| South Carolina | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 5% of the active, registered voters in the district | N/A | 7/15/2026 | Source |
See also
- United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026 (June 9 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States Senate elections, 2026
- U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2026
External links
Footnotes
