Paul Edouard Dans (born 1968/1969) is an attorney and political operative best known as the chief architect of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's comprehensive conservative blueprint for Trump's second term. A lifelong conservative and fluent French speaker, Dans previously served as Chief of Staff to the Office of Personnel Management in Trump's first administration. He holds a B.S. in Economics and Master's in City Planning from MIT, where he was a Division I lacrosse player. Dans and his wife, Mary Helen Bowers (founder of Ballet Beautiful and former NYC Ballet dancer), reside in Charleston, South Carolina. In July 2025, Dans announced his challenge to Graham in the Republican primary, positioning himself as the true Trump advocate and demanding Graham either support Trump fully or step aside.
Paul Edouard Dans was born in 1968/1969 and grew up in Maryland, north of Baltimore, attending Dulaney High School where he was involved in sports and debate. He attended MIT on a scholarship, where he was a Division I lacrosse player and CoSIDA Academic All-American. His MIT thesis focused on industrial park redevelopment, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He worked at architecture and planning firms before attending the University of Virginia Law School, where he was president of the Federalist Society and spent a year in Paris studying French law. Dans is a fluent French speaker. He worked as a lawyer before joining Trump's first administration as Chief of Staff to the Office of Personnel Management. He then moved to Charleston and joined the Heritage Foundation, where he served as the chief architect of Project 2025 from 2022 through 2024. In July 2025, he announced his challenge to Graham in the GOP primary. He is married to Mary Helen Bowers, founder of Ballet Beautiful and former NYC Ballet dancer who was appointed to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees by Trump.
Graham is a RINO who has betrayed Trump and MAGA by compromising on key issues
Dans repeatedly criticizes Graham for his past criticism of Trump in 2016, his support for Ukraine aid, and his 'warmongering' on Iran. Dans frames these as evidence Graham cannot be trusted to advance Trump's true agenda.
Voting History: In Project 2025 role, advocated for federal workforce cuts and government restructuring that Trump administration has begun implementing
Federal government needs radical restructuring and downsizing
As Project 2025 architect, Dans designed a comprehensive conservative plan to downsize federal government, reduce regulations, implement socially conservative policies, defund DEI programs, restrict LGBTQ+ rights, limit abortion access, and replace career civil servants with Trump loyalists.
Voting History: Praised Trump administration's federal workforce reductions and program cuts as exactly what Project 2025 envisioned
End unnecessary wars and reduce U.S. military commitments abroad
Dans criticizes Graham's hawkish foreign policy as costly and unnecessary. Vows to end what he calls American involvement in conflicts like the Ukraine war and U.S. military presence in Syria.
Voting History: Project 2025 includes more isolationist foreign policy stance than current Republican mainstream
Questions Graham's personal integrity and authenticity
Dans has made increasingly aggressive personal attacks on Graham, with late-2025/early-2026 reports indicating Dans questioned Graham's bachelorhood status, making allusions to rumors about Graham's personal life.
Voting History: Escalating personal attacks rather than policy critiques as campaign cash reserves depleted
Dans has no voting record as he has never held elected office. His government service was in the executive branch (Chief of Staff to OPM) and at the Heritage Foundation. His political influence comes from his role designing Project 2025.
Dans' social media has evolved from policy-focused conservative messaging to increasingly aggressive personal attacks. Early messaging emphasized Project 2025 and Trump loyalty; later messaging became more personal in tone, particularly regarding Graham's personal life and authenticity.
Spoke at USC College Republicans event criticizing Graham for supporting wars and lacking support for the President
Campus appearance attacking Graham's foreign policy record
After André Bauer's withdrawal, issued statement calling for Mark Lynch to also step aside and unite against Graham, appealing to anti-Graham vote consolidation
Campaign strategy shift acknowledging weakness in crowded primary field
Made personal attacks questioning Graham's bachelorhood status and suggesting Graham 'needs to come clean about who he is'
Late-stage shift to increasingly personal attacks as policy arguments failed to gain traction
Dans is 'unceremoniously dumped' Trump operative trying to 'torpedo' Trump by running a divisive primary, and any campaign he starts will 'end prematurely'
Graham's campaign manager Chris LaCivita issued sharp criticism of Dans as a Trump insider who fell out of favor
Trump endorsed Graham over Dans, providing 'gold-plated endorsement' to the incumbent despite Dans' claims to be the true MAGA candidate
Trump's March 2026 endorsement of Graham was a major blow to Dans' campaign strategy