SC GOP Senate candidate drops out, endorses Mark Lynch in bid to unseat Lindsey Graham

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Paul Dans, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, announced he is ending his campaign and endorsing Mark Lynch in the GOP primary against incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham.

In a post on X addressed to President Donald Trump, Dans said he dropped out because it was the deadline to remove his name from the ballot. He said the decision was not tied to an endorsement he recently received from media personality Tucker Carlson.

Dans, who said he has supported Trump since 2015, criticized Graham and argued Republicans cannot “Make America Great Again” until Graham is defeated. Dans said Lynch “has the resources” to mount a successful challenge and pledged to do “everything in my power” to help elect him to the Senate.

Dans also pointed to what he described as South Carolina’s needs, citing poor rankings for the state’s roads and concerns about schools, and said voters should not trust Graham to help Trump “put America first.”

South Carolina’s Republican primary is June 9.

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