Retired Air Force officer, former college prof Brian Bengs will run for U.S. Senate again — this time, as an independent
Brian Bengs will try once again to unseat a veteran Republican senator. This time, he will not run as a Democrat.
Bengs, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and former college professor, announced Tuesday that he would run as an independent in 2026. In 2022, he was the Democratic candidate against Sen. John Thune, losing 69.6 percent to 26.1 percent, with Libertarian candidate Tamara Lesnar collecting 4.2 percent.
He issued a release to state his case:
A husband, father, dual-service military veteran, attorney, former criminal justice professor at Northern State University and recent Wind Cave National Park ranger, Bengs pledged to be an outspoken advocate for improving the daily lives of regular South Dakotans routinely ignored by the political establishment.
“South Dakotans deserve a senator who isn’t a gutless robot for some political party and Big Money,” he said. “I’m running because the system needs to hear from someone who understands the reality of most South Dakotans, lives like they do, does his own thinking, and isn’t indebted to anyone but them.”
As an Air Force judge advocate general (JAG) officer, Bengs ensured that military and civilian personnel avoided even an appearance of impropriety — standards that are sorely lacking among lifetime politicians in Washington. In addition to his military and academic background, Bengs has been active in South Dakota civic activities.
As an independent candidate, Bengs said he expects to unite voters across the political spectrum who are unhappy with the dysfunctional status quo and instead want pragmatic, principled leadership pursuing solutions that will actually improve the lives of regular folks working hard to make ends meet.
Brian Bengs is an enlisted U.S. Navy veteran and retired U.S. Air Force officer. Bengs has lived and worked all over the U.S. and the world. He previously taught an array of law and policy topics at the U.S. Air Force Academy, International Institute of Humanitarian Law, NATO School Oberammergau, and Northern State University. Bengs was the 2022 Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Photo: Brian Bengs For South Dakota, Facebook
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