Annie Andrews Bio: Age, Height, Ex-Husband Charlie Andrews, Career, U.S. Senator 2026, Net Worth & Facts

Annie Andrews is a pediatrician who just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterms. On November 3, 2026, the South Carolina Democrat defeated Republican appointee Darline Graham to win a U.S. Senate seat in a state President Donald Trump carried by nearly 18 points two years earlier. When she takes office on January 3, 2027, she will become the first woman ever elected to the Senate from South Carolina and the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 1998.

Andrews is not a career politician. She spent 14 years as a pediatric hospitalist at the Medical University of South Carolina, treating children in Charleston and watching parents worry about the price of an inhaler before they worried about the diagnosis. That experience became the backbone of her campaign: health care costs, child care, wages, and gun violence prevention. This biography covers her age, family, husband Charlie Andrews, medical career, the 2022 House race, the 2026 Senate upset, her net worth, quotes, and the controversies that followed her into the national spotlight.

Quick Facts

Search traffic for Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham, Nancy Mace, Jaime Harrison, Fritz Hollings, Henry McMaster, Scott Colom, and Cindy Hyde-Smith often lands on Andrews after the 2026 election. Her win is usually grouped with other Democratic breakthroughs in red and purple states.

Early Life & Education

Annie Elizabeth Lintzenich was born on August 9, 1980, in Paducah, Kentucky, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She graduated from Cathedral High School, a private Catholic school in Indianapolis, and then headed to the University of Dayton in Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and joined the Chi Omega sorority. She has kept her parents and siblings out of the public eye, and she rarely talks about her childhood in interviews.

Her path into medicine ran through the University of Cincinnati, where she earned her Doctor of Medicine. She completed her pediatrics residency in Cincinnati before moving to South Carolina’s Lowcountry in 2009. Later, after starting work at MUSC, she added a master’s degree in clinical research — a credential that shaped the way she talks about gun violence as a public health problem rather than only a political one.

That combination — a clinician’s training and a researcher’s habits — is the key to understanding her politics. Andrews does not argue from slogans. She argues from patient stories, spreadsheets, and the cost of an inhaler.

Career Journey

Pediatric Hospitalist at MUSC

For 14 years, Andrews worked at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston as a pediatric hospitalist. She treated children with asthma, diabetes, infections, and complex chronic conditions, and she also taught as a professor of pediatric medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Her patients’ families kept asking the same question: how much will this cost? That question pushed her toward health policy. In a 2026 interview with NPR, she described diagnosing children with common chronic diseases and then watching parents calculate whether they could afford the treatment she had just recommended.

She announced in September 2022, while running for Congress, that she was taking an unpaid leave from MUSC “to protect myself and my colleagues” after receiving threats. She resigned from the hospital in June 2023. By mid-2025 she was working part-time as a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., while still living in Charleston.

Gun Violence Prevention and Moms Demand Action

The 2018 Parkland school shooting changed the direction of her career. Andrews joined Moms Demand Action, the gun safety advocacy group, and began doing clinical research on firearm injury prevention. She has described gun violence as a pediatric issue, not an abstract debate, because it is one of the leading causes of death among American children.

In April 2023, she founded a political action committee called “Their Future. Our Vote,” aimed at electing candidates who support gun safety and children’s health. The PAC became her bridge between medicine and electoral politics.

2022 Congressional Campaign

Andrews announced her candidacy for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district in November 2021. It was her first run for office. She won the Democratic nomination unopposed in June 2022 and faced incumbent Republican Nancy Mace in a district that had been redrawn to favor the GOP.

The race turned ugly. Mace ran ads accusing Andrews of “child abuse” over gender-affirming care. Andrews responded that she did not support gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 18 and that her hospital did not perform those procedures, while defending evidence-based, parent-consented care for teenagers. She also increased her security after threats against doctors nationally.

Andrews lost on November 8, 2022, taking 42.5 percent of the vote to Mace’s 56.5 percent. She conceded by phone and said afterward that she was unsure where her political career would go — but that her run had encouraged other medical professionals to consider elected office.

2026 Senate Campaign and Upset

On May 29, 2025, Andrews announced she would run for the U.S. Senate against four-term Republican Lindsey Graham. She said the deciding factor was Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services. She was endorsed by former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, who ran against Graham in 2020, along with 314 Action, EMILY’s List, the JAC, and Vote Mama.

She won the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026, with about 61.5 percent of the vote over former Paine College administrator Brandon Brown. Then the race changed completely. Lindsey Graham died suddenly on July 11, 2026, from an aortic dissection. Two days later, Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to the seat at Trump’s public urging. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination in an August 25 runoff against Representative Ralph Norman, 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent.

Most forecasters still rated the seat safe Republican. But the national environment shifted hard toward Democrats, questions about Darline Graham’s qualifications lingered, and voters in both parties bristled at what critics called Trump’s hand-picking of a senator. Andrews campaigned on affordability: ending tax breaks for the wealthy, raising wages, affordable child care, a public health insurance option, restoring the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, and protecting abortion rights.

On October 5, 2026, Trump posted an anti-LGBT slur about Andrews on Truth Social, calling her “Annie Trannie.” Andrews is not transgender. The post was widely condemned. Days later, she released an ad saying she opposed “biological men playing women’s sports” and would not allow “gender surgery for minors” — a move that angered some progressive allies and was widely read as an attempt to close the cultural gap in a red state.

On November 3, 2026, she won. The Associated Press called the race for Andrews, making her the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina and the first Democrat to win a Senate race in the state since Fritz Hollings in 1998. She will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

Career Stats

• 2009: Moved to Charleston and began work at MUSC
• 14 years: Served as a pediatric hospitalist at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital
• 2022 House race: 42.5% to Nancy Mace’s 56.5% in South Carolina’s 1st District
• 2026 Democratic primary: About 61.5% of the vote
• 2026 general election: Defeated Darline Graham in an upset rated safely Republican before the race
• Firsts: First woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina; first Democrat since 1998
• Swearing-in: January 3, 2027

Personal Life

Andrews married Charlie Andrews, a neurocritical care doctor at MUSC, in 2011. The couple had three children and built a life in Charleston around demanding medical schedules — two doctors, three kids, and very little free time. Andrews filed for divorce in August 2023, and the divorce was finalized in 2024.

• Ex-husband: Charlie Andrews, a neurological critical care doctor at MUSC
• Married: 2011; divorced in 2024
• Children: Three
• Residence: Charleston, South Carolina
• Parents and siblings: Kept out of the public eye

Dating History and Affairs

There is no public dating history attached to Annie Andrews beyond her marriage to Charlie Andrews. The pair met in medical circles in South Carolina, married in 2011, and raised three children together before separating. She has not discussed the divorce in detail, and she has not publicly commented on any relationship since.

Her campaign treated her family carefully. Her children appeared rarely, and she generally avoided the “mom candidate” framing that some consultants recommended, preferring to talk about patients instead. The result was a biography that felt unusually professional for a first-time Senate candidate — and unusually personal when she described parents who could not afford their child’s medicine.

Controversies

Trump’s “Annie Trannie” post. On October 5, 2026, President Trump used an anti-LGBT slur against Andrews on Truth Social. Andrews is not transgender, and the post drew condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans. The episode became a defining moment of the race and, in some ways, a test of how she would respond to national attention.

The gender-affirming care ad. Days after Trump’s post, Andrews released an ad saying she opposed “biological men playing women’s sports” and would not allow “gender surgery for minors.” The spot was designed to neutralize a Republican attack in a conservative state, but it frustrated LGBTQ advocates and progressive donors who had supported her. It also resurfaced her 2022 statement that she does not support gender-affirming surgery for anyone under 18.

The 2022 “child abuse” fight with Nancy Mace. During her House race, Mace accused Andrews of child abuse over gender-affirming care. Andrews called the ads “vicious and disgusting” and said they put LGBTQ kids at greater risk, while also clarifying that her hospital did not perform those procedures. The exchange made her a national name before she had ever won an election.

Leaving MUSC during the campaign. Andrews took unpaid leave from her hospital job in September 2022 and resigned in June 2023. Critics said she was stepping away from medicine to pursue politics; supporters said she had received threats and needed to protect herself, her colleagues, and her patients.

Graham’s appointment and the “rigged” framing. Republicans argued that Darline Graham’s appointment was constitutional and that voters should judge the candidates, not the process. Andrews and her allies argued that Trump had effectively installed a senator and that South Carolinians deserved a real choice. The dispute shaped the final month of the race.

Awards & Achievements

• First woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina (2026)
• First Democrat to win a South Carolina Senate race since 1998
• Won a Senate seat in a state Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024
• Endorsed by EMILY’s List, 314 Action, the JAC, and Vote Mama in 2026
• Won the 2026 Democratic primary with about 61.5 percent of the vote
• Founded the “Their Future. Our Vote” PAC in 2023
• Built a clinical research portfolio on firearm injury prevention

Physical Statistics

• Height: Not publicly disclosed
• Weight: Not publicly disclosed
• Hair Color: Blonde
• Eye Color: Blue
• Build: Average
• Style: Professional and practical — blazers, simple blouses, and comfortable shoes for hospital visits and long campaign days

Quotes

“I would diagnose kids with common chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes, and I found that while I would explain my treatment plan to the parents so often, they would say, ‘Well, how much is that inhaler going to cost?’ Or ‘How much is that insulin going to cost?’ No parent in America should have to be thinking about their pocketbook when they’re hearing news that their child has a chronic illness.”

Annie Andrews, interview with NPR, October 2026

“You have shown the nation what is possible… in a politics dominated by billionaires and special interest groups and insiders in Washington D.C., that we will not bow down.”

Annie Andrews, victory speech in South Carolina, November 3, 2026, as quoted by C-SPAN

Favorites

• Favorite cause: Gun violence prevention and children’s health
• Favorite place: Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry
• Favorite part of medicine: Talking with families and solving the problem in front of her
• Favorite campaign style: Town halls, roundtables, and hospital visits
• Favorite downtime: Time with her three children

Earnings

Annie Andrews’ net worth has not been publicly disclosed. Any specific figure online is a guess. Her income has come from academic medicine — a pediatric hospitalist salary and a professor’s pay at MUSC — along with part-time clinical work at Children’s National Hospital. Senate salaries are set by federal law and will begin after she is sworn in.

Her 2026 campaign raised money from individual donors, EMILY’s List, 314 Action, and other national groups. Campaign funds are not personal income, and she has not released a detailed personal financial statement beyond the disclosures required of federal candidates.

Interesting Facts

• She was inspired to enter politics by the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
• She worked at MUSC for 14 years before running for office full time.
• She has published clinical research on firearm injury prevention.
• She was the Democratic nominee against Nancy Mace in 2022, two years before her Senate run.
• She founded a PAC called “Their Future. Our Vote.”
• She won a Senate seat in a state Trump carried by nearly 18 points.
• She will be the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

Did You Know Already?

• South Carolina had not elected a Democratic senator since 1998.
• Lindsey Graham died in office in July 2026, upending the race.
• His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to the seat and then ran for the remainder of the term.
• Andrews won the Democratic primary with about 61.5 percent of the vote.
• She is a pediatrician, not a lawyer — a rare background in the Senate.
• She takes office on January 3, 2027.

Social Media Links

• Official campaign website: annieandrews.com
• Federal Election Commission profile: fec.gov candidate page
• Ballotpedia profile: ballotpedia.org/Annie_Andrews

Note: We only list verified official pages. Fan, parody, or unverified social accounts are intentionally left out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Annie Andrews went from the pediatric ward at MUSC to the United States Senate in four years. Her win over Darline Graham was built on affordability, health care, and a personal story that voters in a deeply Republican state found hard to dismiss. She arrives in Washington in January 2027 as a freshman with no legislative record and enormous symbolic weight — the first woman South Carolina has ever sent to the Senate.

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