NBC News elections guru Steve Kornacki couldn't believe his eyes as the numbers came in for South Carolina's Senate race.
Pediatrician Annie Andrews narrowly defeated Republican Darline Graham, who was personally chosen by Trump and had sought to permanently fill the seat of her late brother Lindsey Graham.
Kornacki, NBC's resident polling expert, couldn't contain his surprise as the network projected the race leaned toward Graham: 'This is shocking!'
It had been before the race was called, but Kornacki still appeared to know what was coming.
'I don't want to say catastrophic because it's only declared a lean right now but if you're Graham, those are very scary numbers for you,' he said.
Andrews ended up winning by four points, as Kornacki guided viewers through the counties that fueled her win.
'Republicans, when they win in South Carolina, which is most of the time, they look at these two counties here — Greenville and Spartanburg. Big, high-population, growing, large evangelical populations. They were essentially vote banks for Republicans in statewide elections.'
He noted that in Spartenburg, the race moved '31 points in the Democrats' direction. That is way, way far beyond what Andrews needs to get.'
NBC News elections guru Steve Kornacki (pictured) couldn't believe his eyes when he saw South Carolina's Senate race won by Democrat Annie Andrews
Pediatrician Andrews (pictured) narrowly defeated Republican Darline Graham, who was personally chosen by Trump and had sought to permanently fill the seat of her late brother Lindsey Graham
Andrews is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Carolina in 28 years, a striking gain for a party that needed a net four seats to overturn Republicans' 53-47 majority.
Her win in a state that neither Democrats nor Republicans considered competitive until recent weeks embodies the broader rejection of Trump and his handling of the economy during the first two years of his term.
Trump's approval rating hit a record low over voter discontent with the Iran war, high diesel prices and the cost of living, which put once solidly Republican seats into play.
After the death of his ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump backed Graham's sister Darline to fill his seat.
Trump encouraged her to run for a full six-year term despite her low profile and political inexperience.
Graham won a special runoff election for the Republican nomination with Trump's backing, but she acknowledged during the primary that she's 'not that informed on national security.'
Andrews outraised Graham by $22 million. Republican outside groups poured $27 million into holding the seat, while Democratic groups invested $24 million to flip it.
Trump last week held a rally in the state as the race tightened, where Graham told supporters her opponent is 'bats*** crazy.' In response, Andrews asked Graham if it's crazy 'to want cheaper gas and groceries.'
After the death of his ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump backed Graham's sister Darline (pictured) to fill his seat
The President was staring down an election-night nightmare on Tuesday as Democrats surged toward taking control of the House of Representatives in a crushing blow that threatened to cripple the final two years of his presidency.
Republicans were bracing for a feared blowout as the Democrats also claimed the first major Senate battleground of the night, with former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper snatching a crucial seat from GOP hands.
The victory turned the Tar Heel state blue and delivered another ominous warning to Trump as his party fights to stave off a devastating midterm defeat.
In the Senate, Democrats must flip four Republican-held seats to gain control. In the House, they need to pick up just three seats.
Americans turned out in droves to make their voices heard on a slew of issues, including the cost of living and the war in Iran, while chaos erupted in several key battleground states.
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