Senate Candidate Stands Before Shuttered Health Clinic, Calls Out Lindsey Graham’s Record and Lays Out Path Forward
LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. – This week, Dr. Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, delivered a forceful call to action outside the permanently closed Cooperative Health Little Mountain Family Practice, one of six clinics recently shuttered across rural South Carolina, leaving thousands without nearby medical care.
The Cooperative Health closures across Lexington, Newberry, Fairfield, and Richland counties have forced patients to travel up to 20 miles for basic medical care.
“For a parent with a sick child, for a woman in labor, for someone showing signs of a stroke—that distance can be the difference between life and death,” Andrews said. “This is what happens when politicians like Lindsey Graham slash Medicaid and block efforts to expand coverage in our state.”
Standing before the locked doors, Andrews outlined her plan to stabilize and strengthen South Carolina’s healthcare system. As a practicing pediatrician, she spoke with urgency born from lived experience: “I’ve seen what happens when kids can’t get care. Those hours matter. Those miles matter. And families shouldn’t have to fight for the basics.”
As South Carolina’s next U.S. Senator, Andrews pledged to:
- Protect and expand Medicaid coverage
- Boost funding for federally qualified health centers and rural hospitals
- Increase incentives to recruit and retain healthcare workers in rural areas
- Hold pharmaceutical and insurance companies accountable
“We need a patient-centered healthcare system, not a profit-motivated one,” Andrews said. “To get there, we need leaders willing to put people over special interests.”
Former State Representative Walton James McLeod, who previously represented the Little Mountain area for 20 years, introduced Andrews and offered sharp criticism of incumbent Senator Graham, calling him “one of the finest flip-flop artists I have ever observed.”
Andrews also warned of the looming healthcare showdown in Washington, where the failure to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies could send premiums skyrocketing.
“Hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians will see premiums double or triple. Some could lose coverage altogether,” she said. “Senator Graham has spent 22 years attacking the ACA without offering a single workable solution. South Carolinians deserve better.”
She added: “Washington is broken. I’m running to be part of the solution. People are tired of career politicians serving one man or one party. It’s time to elect leaders who serve the people who sent them there.”
The press conference underscored Andrews’ focus on healthcare access as a central issue in her campaign to unseat three-term incumbent Lindsey Graham in the 2026 election.