Project 2025 Author Paul Dans Challenges Lindsey Graham in SC/ Newslooks/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Paul Dans, a key figure behind the controversial Project 2025 policy blueprint, has announced a Republican primary challenge to Senator Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Dans criticizes Graham as a Washington insider and vows to further the Trump-era agenda. The race sets up a clash within the GOP as Trump loyalists weigh their support.
Paul Dans Senate Challenge Quick Looks
- Paul Dans, author of Project 2025, to challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2026 GOP primary
- Criticizes Graham as part of the “swamp” and Washington establishment
- Dans says Project 2025 aims to “deconstruct the administrative state”
- Trump endorsed Graham, but base shows signs of frustration
- Dans: Senate is the “chokepoint” for conservative reform
- Other candidates include André Bauer (R) and Dr. Annie Andrews (D)
- Dans to launch campaign at Charleston prayer breakfast
- Project 2025 calls for downsizing federal workforce, dismantling agencies
- Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025 during reelection campaign
- Graham backed by Gov. McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott
- Heritage Foundation parted ways with Dans in 2024 after Project 2025 backlash
Deep Look: Paul Dans Challenges Lindsey Graham, Puts Project 2025 on the Ballot
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ideological battles within the Republican Party are escalating ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Paul Dans, one of the lead architects of the conservative Project 2025 blueprint, has announced he will challenge Senator Lindsey Graham in the South Carolina Republican primary, taking direct aim at the GOP establishment.
Dans, speaking with the Associated Press, said he is entering the race to carry the Project 2025 agenda beyond the Trump administration and into the legislative arena. His candidacy reflects a deeper schism between traditional Republicans and those loyal to Donald Trump’s populist-MAGA vision.
“Project 2025 changed the game,” Dans said. “If you look at where the chokepoint is, it’s the United States Senate. That’s the headwaters of the swamp.”
Targeting Graham’s Longevity
Lindsey Graham, a longtime senator and prominent national figure, has survived numerous primary challenges before. Backed early by Trump in this cycle, Graham also secured endorsements from Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Tim Scott, cementing establishment support.
But Dans insists it’s time for new leadership. “Graham’s spent decades in Washington. It’s time to show him the door,” he said.
The Project 2025 Legacy
Paul Dans is no political novice. He served in the Trump administration as liaison to the Office of Personnel Management and later helped author the nearly 1,000-page Project 2025 policy roadmap. The document outlines sweeping reforms: slashing federal programs, firing civil servants, dismantling regulatory agencies, and reorganizing executive power to favor the presidency.
Dans has framed his campaign as a mission to “deconstruct the administrative state”, echoing themes popular with Trump’s MAGA base. He attributes part of the project’s early drafting to nights spent working at his Charleston kitchen table while commuting to Washington during the Trump years.
“To be clear, I believe that there is a ‘deep state’ out there,” Dans said. “And I’m the single one who stepped forward at the end of the Trump term to start draining the swamp.”
Trump’s Role and a Divided MAGA Movement
Trump endorsed Graham early in the campaign season, praising their long friendship and even naming him as a frequent golfing partner. Yet Graham’s alignment with both Trump and more traditional Republican platforms has left some MAGA loyalists skeptical.
While Dans has ties to the Heritage Foundation, where he oversaw Project 2025, Trump has publicly distanced himself from the initiative. His campaign insists the president’s “Agenda 47” is distinct and unrelated to Dans’ policy manual.
Even so, Dans expects support from conservative organizations and grassroots activists who view Graham as an unreliable conservative voice and a symbol of the party’s old guard.
A Crowded Republican Field
Dans joins an already competitive Republican field. Former Lieutenant Governor André Bauer, a wealthy developer, is also running, alongside several lesser-known candidates. On the Democratic side, Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and 2022 congressional candidate, has already entered the race.
Though Graham is well-funded, with millions in his campaign coffers, the growing number of challengers may split the primary vote and force him into more direct engagement with his base. On Sunday’s NBC “Meet the Press,” Graham did not mention his campaign but focused instead on his call to declassify files related to Jeffrey Epstein—a topic resonating among Trump supporters.
Political Fallout from Project 2025
Dans left the Heritage Foundation in July 2024, following controversy over the extreme nature of Project 2025. The document became a lightning rod during the 2024 election, as Democrats warned it represented a blueprint for authoritarian overreach.
Although Trump and his team denied involvement, Democrats and watchdog groups seized on Project 2025 as evidence of the GOP’s hard-right ambitions.
Still, Dans maintains the proposals reflect the policy direction conservatives must take. “There’s more work to do. We’ve made gains, but the real test is in the Senate.”
Launching a High-Stakes Campaign
Dans will formally launch his campaign at a prayer breakfast and kickoff rally in Charleston, tapping into religious and cultural themes favored by South Carolina conservatives.
His campaign is expected to highlight a return to constitutional government, limits on federal agencies, and alignment with the Trump movement’s goals—even if Trump himself isn’t yet backing him directly.
As the 2026 midterm cycle heats up, the race between Dans and Graham could become a national bellwether of the Republican Party’s direction.
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