史蒂文·斯隆、埃里克·韦尔杜斯科 南卡罗来纳州福尔米尔讯——安妮·安德鲁斯对南卡罗来纳州选民有一个请求：该州近三十年未曾向美国参议院输送过一名民主党人，她希望选民能给她一个机会。
STEVEN SLOAN, ERIK VERDUZCO FORT MILL, S.C. — Annie Andrews has a request for voters in South Carolina who haven’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly three decades: Just give me a chance.
“让我们试一次新鲜事物吧，”安德鲁斯周三在此地——上州地区快速发展的地区——表示，“如果她不按承诺行事，六年后你们可以解雇我。我保证不会让你们失望，我会赢得你们所有人的支持。”参议院选举在这个共和党大本营中往往不被重视。但安德鲁斯是一名儿科医生，此前曾竞选国会未能成功，她却意外地与共和党候选人达琳·格雷厄姆展开了一场竞争激烈的竞选。
“Let’s try something new for once,” Andrews said Wednesday in this rapidly growing part of the Upstate. “If she doesn’t do what she says she’s going to do, you can fire me in six years. I promise that I won’t let you down, that I’m going to win you all over.”Senate races are often an afterthought in this Republican stronghold. But Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress , has mounted an unexpectedly competitive race against Republican Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham .
达琳·格雷厄姆是已故参议员林赛·格雷厄姆的妹妹，去年七月由共和党州长亨利·麦克马斯特任命，填补其兄长猝逝后剩余的任期。八月，她成为共和党提名的候选人，将竞逐一个完整的六年任期。
She was appointed in July by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to fill the remaining months of her brother’s term after his sudden death. In August, she became the GOP nominee to succeed him for a full six-year term.
若要保住参议院多数席位，保住这个席位对共和党至关重要。作为该党焦虑的迹象，曾在初选中支持达琳·格雷厄姆的总统唐纳德·特朗普将于周四前往附近的罗克希尔，敦促党内支持者参加下周的选举。这是他本月第二次访问南卡罗来纳州，他在2024年大选中以近18个百分点的优势赢得了该州。
Holding the seat is essential if Republicans have any hope of keeping their Senate majority. In a sign of the party’s anxiety, President Donald Trump , who backed Darline Graham in her primary, will travel to nearby Rock Hill on Thursday to press the party faithful to show up in next week’s election. The trip marks the second time this month that he has been to South Carolina, a state he won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
“今天在南卡罗来纳州为出色的达琳·格雷厄姆举行大型集会，”特朗普周四早上在社交媒体上发帖称，“她太棒了。林赛在看着，为她感到非常自豪！!!”
“Big Rally in South Carolina for the wonderful Darline Graham, today,” Trump posted on social media Thursday morning. “She is fantastic. Lindsey is watching, and very proud of her!!!”
在这个保守州，安德鲁斯能否成功，很可能取决于能否赢得不满的共和党选民，如布伦特·查普林的支持。这位37岁的金融会计从业者表示自己是注册共和党人，“但现在很难这么说。”他说他投了安德鲁斯一票，并鼓励选民超越党派政治来思考。
In this conservative state, Andrews’ success will likely hinge on winning support from disaffected Republicans like Brent Chaplin. The 37-year-old who works in finance and accounting said he’s a registered Republican, “but it’s hard to be that right now.”He said he voted for Andrews and encouraged voters to think beyond partisan politics.
“光说‘我是共和党人，我就投共和党’是不行的，”2016年投了特朗普一票的查普林说，“你得动动脑子好好想想。所以希望这能给当权者传个信：醒醒吧，提名更好的人选。”32岁的软件工程师本杰明·厄普德格拉夫对参议员席位可能继续留在格雷厄姆家族手中表示不满。
“You just can’t go and say I’m a Republican, I’m just going to vote Republican,” said Chaplin, who voted for Trump in 2016. “You’ve got to put some brainpower into it and think about it. So hopefully it is a message to the powers that be to wake up, pick better candidates.”Benjamin Updegraft, a 32-year-old software engineer, expressed frustration that the Senate seat might stay in the Graham family.
“参议员不是世袭职位，”他说，“这不是个贵族头衔在家族间传来传去的国家。”斯隆在华盛顿发回报道。
“The Senate is not an inherited position,” he said. “This is not a country where these noble titles are passed down between families.”Sloan reported from Washington.