Former GOP South Carolina Governor Breaks Ranks To Endorse Democrat Against Darline Graham After ‘Abhorrent’ Trump Comments

A former Republican governor of South Carolina, David Beasley, says he will support the Democratic nominee in this year’s U.S. Senate race, Dr. Annie Andrews, after President Trump made “abhorrent” comments about the candidate. Mr. Beasley quit his party last week, arguing Mr. Trump is incapable of bringing the nation together. Mr. Beasley served as a Democrat in the state legislature for more than a decade, rising from majority whip to majority leader and finally to speaker pro tempore while still in his thirties. Mr. Beasley switched parties in 1991 and became a Republican, choosing to retire from the legislature in 1992. He was elected governor of South Carolina in 1994. Mr. Beasley was defeated in his re-election bid in 1998 by Jim Hodges, a Democrat who would also go on to serve just one term. On Monday, Messrs. Beasley and Hodges appeared together in an ad for Dr. Andrews while acknowledging their past rivalry. “You might recognize this guy sittin’ beside me,” Mr. Beasley said with a smile. “Well, that’s because I’m Jim Hodges, the former Democratic governor of South Carolina,” Mr. Hodges said as he put a hand on Mr. Beasley’s shoulder. “Now, over the years, the two of us haven’t always agreed on everything…”“But one thing we do agree on right now is this country is too divided and the political rhetoric has gotten way, way out of hand,” Mr. Beasley said. “That is why we’re coming together today to support Annie Andrews,” Mr. Hodges chimed in.“Annie understands that leadership isn’t about making people angry. Well, it’s about making things better,” Mr. Beasley said. Mr. Beasley has largely stayed out of state politics in recent years after being nominated by UN ambassador — and another former Palmetto State governor — Nikki Haley to lead the World Food Programme during the first Trump administration. Mr. Beasley led the agency from 2017 until 2023. The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize under Mr. Beasley’s leadership in 2020. In recent weeks, however, he has become more outspoken, saying recently that he had had enough with Mr. Trump and that he would leave the GOP after more than three decades of being a registered Republican. After Mr. Trump attacked Dr. Andrews as “Annie Trannie,” referring to her past opposition to a bill in the state legislature banning transgender surgeries and hormone therapies for minors, Mr. Beasley called the president’s comments “abhorrent.” “This is abhorrent,” Mr. Beasley wrote on X in response to Mr. Trump. “Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better. I urge voters to look at the merits of each candidate and cast their vote accordingly. We must reject politics based on division and hate.” In an op-ed for The Post and Courier last week, Mr. Beasley announced that he would leave the GOP, citing the vitriol he sees coming from members of the party. “I have tried to live by the teachings of Jesus, particularly ‘Love your neighbor,’ and I have yet to see President Donald Trump, as leader of the Republican Party, show compassion or even respect to someone or some group that he disagrees with,” Mr. Beasley wrote. “The vitriol is toxic, and it is undeniably feeding into the hearts, minds and souls of Americans.”According to polling, Dr. Andrews trails Ms. Graham by single digits in polling averages, giving Democrats hope that she can pull off an upset win. Republicans are nervous about that prospect, as well, with major GOP spending groups, including the Senate Leadership Fund — the Senate GOP’s main super PAC — pulling millions of dollars from Senate contests in North Carolina and Georgia to try to save Ms. Graham.

Former GOP South Carolina Governor Breaks Ranks To Endorse Democrat Against Darline Graham After ‘Abhorrent’ Trump Comments

Former GOP South Carolina Governor Breaks Ranks To Endorse Democrat Against Darline Graham After ‘Abhorrent’ Trump Comments

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