Brandon Brown Isn’t Backing Down: The Democrat Taking on Lindsey Graham and Project 2025
- Javar Juarez
- Jul 13
- 3 min read
By Javar Juarez | Columbia Urban Broadcast Network (CUBNSC) Charlotte, NC
Brandon Brown is not afraid. Not of Lindsey Graham. Not of Donald Trump. Not of Project 2025. And certainly not of the kind of politics that sacrifices rural South Carolinians for campaign contributions and power plays. In an exclusive sit-down interview during the Vote to Live Black Political Leadership Institute in Charlotte, NC, Brown shared his heart with the Columbia Urban Broadcast Network and the New Progressive Journal, cutting through the political noise with a clarity rooted in faith, community, and lived experience.
"It’s time that we have a person that is serving people, not serving power," Brown said. "A person that really is committed to our seniors and making sure they have affordable healthcare, protecting Medicaid, and continuing to fund public schools."
Born and raised in Greenville, SC, Brown is not your typical Beltway-brushed Democrat. He’s a small business owner with a background in funeral services and education, and he speaks like someone who has actually sat at hospital bedsides and gravesides. He’s watched families choose between groceries and prescriptions. He’s buried people who couldn’t afford insulin. And now, he says, he’s ready to put compassion back into the role of U.S. Senator.
South Carolina ranks among the worst in the nation on multiple health and education outcomes, and Brown lays the blame squarely at the feet of those who have held power the longest. "For the last 30 years, South Carolina has been controlled by people who say they're conservative. But we’re last in almost every category," he said. "Highest rates among high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol. Nutrition has to be at the forefront."
Brown also didn’t shy away from naming names. Lindsey Graham, he says, has become a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s agenda, even when it directly harms South Carolina industries and families. Brown criticized Graham for his support of Trump’s so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," which guts clean energy incentives, cuts SNAP benefits, and threatens rural hospitals.
"Companies like BMW, Volvo, Lockheed Martin, and now Scout Motors are anchoring electric vehicle manufacturing in South Carolina," Brown said. "But this bill eliminates electric vehicle incentives. That’s jobs. That’s progress. And what did Lindsey Graham say? Nothing."
Brown argues that Graham's silence and complicity aren't new. He points to Graham's unwillingness to challenge Trump even after the former president publicly disrespected the late Senator John McCain, whom Graham once called his best friend. "If he wouldn't stand up for a man he said was his brother, he won't stand up for South Carolinians."
In contrast, Brown offers a vision rooted in equity and human dignity. He champions telehealth and rural healthcare infrastructure, pushing back against Republican-led refusals to expand Medicaid.
"We need somebody on the Senate floor saying, if you want to make a cut, go cut your salary. Don’t cut the people."
Brown is also unafraid to confront MAGA voters with love and truth. "People are poor. Sometimes they don't even know they're poor," he said. "People are being fed misinformation. We have to get into communities where people are and talk to them. We can't just campaign; we have to serve."
On foreign policy, Brown advocates for diplomacy over saber-rattling. On immigration, he defends the labor and humanity of undocumented workers who fuel South Carolina's agriculture and poultry industries. And on education, he calls for investing in public schools, vocational pathways, and HBCUs. "Historical Black Colleges and Universities have created the African American middle class," he noted. "We shouldn't be cutting funds to institutions that empower our communities."
As for the Democratic primary, Brown will face Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician with significant fundraising power but little demonstrated connection to the state’s Black and rural voters. Brown made clear: "You can't ask somebody for their vote if you don't go see them."
In a race that will test the soul of South Carolina, Brandon Brown is betting on a different kind of politics. One that isn’t polished for the cameras, but prepared to fight for everyday people. As he put it: "We need somebody in Washington, DC, whose sole purpose is fighting for South Carolinians. We have somebody serving power, not purpose. It’s time to change that."
To learn more or support Brandon Brown's campaign, visit BrownForSouthCarolina.com.
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Lindsey Graham gotta go! He is a monster and at the same time a big ole' pile of sugar! We do not need his kind representing South Carolina. I am not a big fan of Democrats but I know all too well that SC Repubs are trashier for sure!
Met him in Florence the other day. He’s the first candidate to come here even though he’s the last one to get in the race. He’s got my vote!