South Carolina Democrat Annie Andrews trailed in polls heading into the midterms. But she is now projected to beat Trump-backed Darline Graham

Annie Andrews, a Democrat, is projected to win South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, according to Decision Desk HQ. She defeated Darline Graham in a state that has voted Republican for years. The outcome surprised many who followed the race.

Oddsmakers favored Andrews as results started coming in on election night. The New York Times Needle gave Graham less than a 10 percent chance of winning.

Mediaite points out that most polls tracked by The New York Times had shown Graham with a lead of up to 4 points before Tuesday. Andrews held a lead in two of those polls. The final NYT/Siena poll released last week described the race as “effectively tied,” noting that 57 percent of independents were leaning toward Andrews.

The contest followed the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham and an appointment to the seat

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, died in July at the age of 71. His death opened the Senate seat. Days afterward, his sister Darline Graham was appointed to finish the remainder of his term.

President Donald Trump endorsed Darline Graham with his “complete and total endorsement” for the South Carolina Republican primary. She won that primary in August. Trump said at the time, “Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina.” National polls had already left Republicans on the back foot heading into the midterms.

Trump later criticized Andrews, who is 45, on several occasions. He referred to her as “Trannie Annie.” Andrews is not transgender. He also defended Graham after a primary debate in which she stated she was “not that informed on national security” when asked about Taiwan.

Graham continued by saying, “But I do support the military.” She explained, “My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the Army. I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I support the military.” Progressive and conservative commentators criticized the exchange after the debate.

Trump campaigned for the 62-year-old Graham at a rally in South Carolina last weekend. He asked voters to “pretend” that he was the one on the ballot. He made a similar pitch when he told an Ohio crowd polls are wrong about the midterms.

Andrews becomes the first Democrat to represent South Carolina in the Senate since Fritz Hollings, who held the seat from 1966 to 2005.