Sen. Lindsey Graham Receives Another Primary Challenger

Paul Dans, a head architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, will challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) for his seat in the U.S. Senate.

Dans told the Associated Press there’s “more work to do” in the Senate.

“What we’ve done with Project 2025 is really change the game in terms of closing the door on the progressive era,” Dans told the outlet.

”If you look at where the chokepoint is, it’s the United States Senate. That’s the headwaters of the swamp,” he added.

Dans is set to formally announce his campaign at an event Wednesday in Charleston.

Have some news this morning:https://t.co/80rjWMyR65

— Paul Dans (@PaulDansUSA) July 28, 2025

More from the Associated Press:

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Graham’s campaign who co-managed Trump’s 2024 bid, predicted in a statement to the AP that Dans’ campaign would “end prematurely.”

“After being unceremoniously dumped in 2024 while trying to torpedo Donald Trump’s historic campaign, Paul Dans has parachuted himself into the state of South Carolina in direct opposition to President Trump’s longtime friend and ally in the Senate, Lindsey Graham,” LaCivita said.

Challenging the long-serving Graham, who has routinely batted back contenders over the years, is something of a political long shot in what is fast becoming a crowded field ahead of the November 2026 midterm election that will determine control of Congress.

Trump early on gave his endorsement of Graham, a political confidant and regular golfing partner of the president, despite their on-again-off-again relationship. Graham, in announcing he would seek a fifth term in the Senate, also secured the state’s leading Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, to chair his 2026 run. He has amassed millions of dollars in his campaign account.

Trump endorsed Graham in his re-election bid earlier this month.

Disappointing: President Trump Endorses Sen. Lindsey Graham For Re-Election

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM! He is always there when I need him, and I hope everyone in the Great State of South Carolina will help Lindsey have a BIG WIN in his Re-Election bid next year. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump said.

Dans is the latest contender in a growing field for the GOP primary in the 2026 U.S. Senate election for South Carolina.

Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer launched his campaign for U.S. Senate earlier this month.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Receives Primary Challenger

“Today, I am officially announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate,” Bauer said.

“As a proven conservative fighter, I will unapologetically stand with President Trump and the America First agenda and will fight to put South Carolina first — 100% guaranteed!” he added.

Watch Bauer’s campaign ad below:

Today, I am officially announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate.

As a proven conservative fighter, I will unapologetically stand with President Trump and the America First agenda and will fight to put South Carolina first — 100% guaranteed!

Join the fight: https://t.co/GWn9xW9i9g pic.twitter.com/jRS0l1kEGN

— André Bauer (@AndreBauerSC) July 2, 2025

Newsweek provided further info about Dans:

According to his Senate campaign site, Dans grew up in a family dedicated to public service and academia. His father, Peter Dans, was a respected professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, while his mother, Colette Lizotte, was a French teacher and former chemist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After excelling at Dulaney High School in debate and athletics, Dans earned degrees from MIT in economics and city planning before obtaining his law degree from the University of Virginia where he served as president of the campus Federalist Society chapter.

Dans spent two decades practicing commercial litigation in New York City at prestigious firms including Debevoise & Plimpton LLP before establishing his own practice in 2009. He gained recognition as the intellectual architect of the "Chevron outtakes" case, helping the oil company combat a $27 billion fraud allegation related to pollution in Ecuador through innovative legal tactics that earned him acclaim in legal circles.

His transition to government service began with Trump's 2016 campaign where he worked in Pennsylvania to help secure the state's electoral votes. Dans joined the Trump administration in 2019 at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) before advancing to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as White House liaison and later chief of staff. Trump appointed him to a six-year term as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in January 2021.

In his most prominent role, Dans served as director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project at The Heritage Foundation until July 2024. Under his leadership, the project developed a comprehensive "battle plan" for federal agencies, built a database of over 10,000 vetted conservative candidates, and conducted training seminars like "Deep State 101" to empower appointees. Dans expressed delight at the implementation of Project 2025's agenda under the second Trump administration, describing it as "beyond my wildest dreams."

Dans is married to Mary Helen Bowers, a former New York City Ballet dancer and founder of Ballet Beautiful fitness brand. They have four children and live in Charleston.