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4w ago

Project 2025 Architect Paul Dans Launches GOP Primary Challenge to Lindsey Graham

He held a Charleston kickoff to rally MAGA loyalists, directly confronting an incumbent empowered by Trump’s endorsement alongside top state Republicans.

FILE - Paul Dans, director of Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation, speaks at the National Religious Broadcasters convention, Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., listens to journalists at the end of his visit to Israel, in Jerusalem, Wednesday, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

Overview

  • He launched his bid this week at a Charleston prayer breakfast, formally entering the GOP primary for South Carolina’s 2026 Senate race.
  • Dans served as a White House liaison in Trump’s first term and led Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation before departing in July 2024.
  • He aims to extend many Project 2025 proposals—such as federal workforce cuts and agency overhauls—that Trump’s administration has already begun to enact.
  • Incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham counters with Trump’s endorsement, backing from Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, and a substantial campaign war chest.
  • The contest features other Republican challengers André Bauer and Mark Lynch as well as Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in a crowded primary field.