# Mark Lynch **Mark Lynch** is a South Carolina businessman who mounted an anti-establishment, anti-interventionist 2026 Republican primary challenge to incumbent U.S. Senator [[Lindsey Graham]]. He **lost** the June 9, 2026 primary: Graham won renomination outright (~59%), with Lynch finishing second (~27%). ## 2026 Senate race See [[SC-Sen-2026]] for full race context. The seat is rated Solid Republican. - **Result**: Graham cleared a five-candidate field without a runoff; Lynch was the strongest challenger but fell well short. - **Pre-primary strength**: Lynch raised ~$5.5M and consolidated the anti-Graham MAGA lane after [[Paul Dans]] — the [[Project 2025]] architect — withdrew on April 10, 2026 and endorsed him. A mid-March Pulse Opinion "informed ballot" had even shown Lynch leading, a soft-support warning sign for Graham. - **The wedge**: The challenge centered on Graham's hawkish Iran/Israel foreign policy amid MAGA backlash. Notably, [[Donald Trump]] endorsed Graham and never attacked Lynch or Dans — "transactional, not enthusiastic." ## Background A businessman and first-time statewide candidate who ran as an outsider against Graham's interventionist record and long Washington tenure. ## Why he matters for the KB Lynch is the vehicle through which the [[Project 2025]] / [[Paul Dans]] faction tried — and failed — to unseat Graham over foreign policy. His ~27% marks the measurable size of the anti-Graham, anti-interventionist MAGA bloc in South Carolina, even when Trump declines to back the insurgency. ## Related - [[SC-Sen-2026]] - [[Lindsey Graham]] - [[Paul Dans]] - [[Project 2025]]