Dr. Annie Andrews on running for Senate, raising three kids, and why every vote she’d cast is for America’s children

Dr. Annie Andrews was three days postpartum with her youngest daughter when the 2016 election results came in. Sitting with a newborn in the dark, watching the returns, something shifted. “I knew I was going to have to get off the sidelines,” she says. It took a few years, but she did exactly that.

In 2022, the Mount Pleasant pediatrician ran as the Democratic nominee in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, challenging incumbent Nancy Mace. Now she’s back — this time going bigger, running for the U.S. Senate against four-term incumbent Lindsey Graham. If elected, she would be the country’s first pediatrician senator. She’s also a mom to Gracie (14), Henry (11), and Evelyn (9), which means she has both professional and deeply personal skin in the game on every single issue she’s running on.

Her campaign has found its footing in part around South Carolina’s measles outbreak — the state became a national epicenter in early 2026 — which, for a pediatrician who has spent nearly two decades caring for kids, has been equal parts infuriating and galvanizing. She’s been vocal on social media, at town halls across the state, and anywhere else she can get in front of voters.

She is also, most days, eating a protein bar in a moving vehicle. We asked her what the rest of it looks like.

The quick stats:

• Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC,
• Office they’re running for: US Senate (SC)
• Kids’ ages: Gracie (14), Henry (11), Evelyn (9).
• First time running?: I was the Democratic Nominee for Congress in SC-01 in 2022. 
• Website

What does a typical campaign day look like for you — and where does your family fit into it?

I don’t think there is such a thing as a typical campaign day for me. Running for statewide office is a nonstop adventure. Every day brings its own form of chaos.

When I am lucky, I wake up in my own bed, get my three kids off to school, hop on my Peloton for 30 minutes, answer a few emails, text messages, DMs and review my calendar for the day. I will do fundraising phone calls for a couple of hours, maybe do a podcast interview, an internal meeting with the team, more fundraising phone calls, get picked up to drive to a political event like a town hall anywhere from an hour to four hours away from home. Work every moment of the car ride (more fundraising phone calls, Zoom meetings, emails). Speak at the town hall, take unfiltered, unscreened questions from voters, take pictures with supporters, head home (if I am lucky) or head to a hotel to sleep for the night. Wake up the next day and do it all over again!

I have noticed that on the campaign trail you either exist on a diet of protein bars and gas station snacks or you attend multiple events in a row where there is an expectation you will eat a big plate of food. I never know if it is going to be a protein bar kind of day or a fish fry kind of day!

What’s something about running for office that you didn’t expect — and that you wish someone had warned you about?

I remember being shocked, the first time I ran for office, about how much time candidates spend on the phone dialing for dollars. It is still crazy to me that this is how our political system works. But you have to put in the hours to get the job done. I never wanted to take Organic Chemistry, but I always wanted to be a doctor. So I sucked it up and took Organic Chemistry. The same applies to campaigns. I never wanted to be a fundraiser, but I want to get elected. So I sucked it up and learned how to be a good fundraiser.

Has being a mother shaped how you think about the issues you’re running on? If so, how?

Becoming a mother changed everything for me. My kids are my why. They are the reason I am brave enough to do this big brave thing I never imagined doing. My youngest daughter was born six days before the 2016 election. I had a visceral reaction watching those election returns come in and in the wee hours of that night, I knew I was going to have to get off the sidelines and work to create the world I know my three children and all 73 million children in this country deserve.

I am running for America’s children. I believe every child in this country deserves access to affordable healthcare, a high-quality public education regardless of their zip code, affordable childcare, safer schools, and action on climate change. We know what we need to do to build the brightest possible future for America’s children; we simply lack the leaders with the moral clarity to get the job done. That’s where I come in. When I am elected in November, I will be our country’s first pediatrician senator. And every single vote I take will be on the side that benefits America’s children. And the good news about that is what is good for children is good for families, and what is good for families is good for communities, and what is good for communities is good for our economy. When we put kids first, we all win.

What has been the hardest sacrifice your family has made for this campaign — and how have you handled that as a parent?

I never imagined how much time I would be spending away from my kids. I have missed the vast majority of their soccer and football games this year. I just missed my son’s orchestra performance. I often don’t get to have dinner with them or tuck them in. It is a huge sacrifice for all of us. But I am confident they know I am fighting for them and that our sacrifice is for the greater good. I know they are proud of me. And I am proud of them for handling this so well.

What would you want your kids to take away from watching you do this?

I want my kids to know they are capable of doing anything they put their minds to. That every fight is worth fighting no matter how difficult it seems. I want them to know I am doing this for them. That they give me the strength I need to keep going. I want them to know that we have to create the change we want to see in the world, and that every single person has the ability to make a positive impact, no matter how big or small.

Annie is endorsed by Vote Mama, an organization dedicated to breaking down the structural barriers that keep moms out of office — and building the kind of political power that actually reflects the realities of American family life. Learn more about Annie here.

source https://www.mother.ly/career-money/work-and-motherhood/dr-annie-andrews/