Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) drew criticism following her victory speech on Tuesday night after she criticized "government-run health care" while sharing a personal story about her parents' health.

During the speech, Graham attacked Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, for her policy positions. "Gun control, government-run health care, abortion until the moment of birth—bad idea after bad idea. Annie Andrews backs them all," Graham said.

Graham then described her childhood, noting that her parents worked long hours to make ends meet and continued working even when ill. She stated, "If they were sick, they had to get up and go to work because if the doors weren’t open, we weren’t making money." Graham added that her mother passed away when she was 11, and her father died just over a year later.

The remarks drew mockery from Democrats and online commenters. Hemant Mehta, a Jeopardy! champion, wrote on X that Graham was complaining about health care access while explaining how her parents died young because they could not see doctors. Former Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath and Democratic strategist Leslie Marshall also criticized the message on X.

In a CNN interview on Wednesday, Andrews responded to the remarks. Andrews, who supports a public option and has criticized Medicaid cuts, said:

"So what she said there was that her health care plan is, ‘You should work hard until you die.’...I believe that we deserve better. I believe that Darline’s parents deserved better. I believe that health care is a human right."