Project 2025 architect Paul Dans to challenge Lindsey Graham

Paul Dans Challenges Lindsey Graham in South Carolina Senate Primary

On Monday, Paul Dans, a key architect of Project 2025, officially announced his intention to challenge Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in the upcoming South Carolina primary, adding another contender to an already crowded field.

“Our aim with Project 2025 is to fundamentally reshape the political landscape by closing the door on the progressive era,” Dans stated in an interview with the Associated Press. “The United States Senate serves as the pivotal chokepoint for this transformation; it’s the epicenter of the so-called swamp.”

In a tweet, Dans shared the AP’s announcement about his Senate bid, cheekily remarking, “Have some news this morning.”

Having served in the White House during Donald Trump’s first term, Dans’s candidacy poses a unique challenge for Graham, who, despite securing Trump’s endorsement, has occasionally found himself at odds with the former president. Notably, in 2024, Graham suggested Trump should focus more on policy issues during his reelection campaign, to which Trump retorted that he doesn’t “care what [Graham] says.”

“Lindsey wouldn’t be elected if I didn’t endorse him,” Trump commented, leaving no doubt about the tenuous nature of Graham’s support.

As a prominent figure in Project 2025, Dans expressed his belief that he would garner support not only from the project’s allies but also from a segment of Trump’s base. Graham seeks his fifth term as Republicans strive to maintain their slim 53-47 Senate majority in the 2026 midterms. Dans has boldly declared, “It’s time to show him the door.”

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Graham’s campaign, dismissed Dans’s challenge, accusing him of “parachuting himself” into South Carolina after being “unceremoniously dumped in 2024” while attempting to undermine Trump’s candidacy. “Like everything Paul Dans starts, this too will end prematurely,” LaCivita quipped.

Dans is set to formally kick off his campaign at an event in Charleston on Wednesday.

Project 2025, a substantial 900-page manifesto of conservative policy proposals, significantly influenced discussions during the 2024 presidential race. While Trump claimed the plan—developed by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation—was unrelated to his campaign, many of its architects, including Dans, have had prior ties to the Trump administration.