In Democrats’ second Senate flip of the night, South Carolina rejects the senator Trump hand-picked

South Carolina voters appear to be selecting a Republican governor and a Democratic senator on Tuesday night. The Senate contest was called first, giving Democrats another flip and delivering a setback to President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate.

Senate contest decided first

The result is notable because the Democratic candidate defeated the senator Trump had hand-picked. It was described as the Democrats’ second Senate flip of the night.

The governor’s race had not yet been called, leaving South Carolina’s final split-ticket outcome unresolved. Based on the results available, voters were leaning toward choosing candidates from different parties for the two statewide contests.

What the result shows

The Senate call establishes the clearest result from South Carolina’s voting. It also highlights the difficulty of translating a presidential endorsement into a victory in a Senate race, although the available information does not provide details about the margin or the issues that shaped the contest.

Further clarity on the state’s overall political outcome depends on the governor’s race. For now, the Democratic Senate victory stands as the central development from South Carolina.