July 17, 2025:
The Brian Bengs campaign for U.S. Senate released its first FEC report. In two months, the campaign raised over $78,000. In its initial report, the campaign revealed:
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Over 3,600 individual contributions from more than 3,300 unique donors
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Over 81% of contributions were less than $200, with an average of $21
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Zero dollars from corporate PACs
“This campaign is powered by everyday people, not corporate PACs and not political insiders,” said Bengs, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, former Northern State University professor, and former Wind Cave National Park ranger. “I’m running for the Senate because South Dakotans deserve a leader who puts regular folks first — not billionaires and large corporations. This early momentum is proof that South Dakotans are hungry for honest, courageous leadership.”
Bengs says the contrast with incumbent Senator Mike Rounds couldn’t be clearer. In his most recent filing, Rounds reported raising $517,658. Small-dollar donors provided a mere $2,555.13 for .5% of his total while 99% came from investments and roughly 200 Big Money donors and PACs. Democratic candidate Julian Beaudion’s filings were unavailable for direct comparison, but publicly available information shows that the Bengs campaign has more contributors than the Democratic and Republican candidates combined.
“If you follow the money it makes total sense why Rounds voted for the Big Beautiful Bill. His donors got a massive tax cut. He should actually wear a jacket with sponsorship patches so South Dakotans know who he really works for. I’m not running to represent the wealthy and powerful — I’m here to represent people who work for a living,” Bengs said. “While Mike Rounds relies on Big Money checks and backroom deals, we’re building a people powered movement $21 at a time.”
June 23, 2025:
Independent U.S. Senate candidate Brian Bengs, a retired U.S. Air Force JAG and former U.S. Air Force Academy and NATO School law of armed conflict instructor, issued a statement (June 23, 2025) in response to the recent Iran/US attacks:
“The President’s decision getting the U.S. involved in the “hot” war Israel recently started with Iran implicates a host of legal issues. The Constitution grants Congress sole authority over U.S. involvement in a war, but as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces the President has authority to execute military actions short of actual or anticipated war. The President believes the limited air strikes in Iran do not amount to war because it maximizes his own power, but the choice of war now belongs entirely to Iran rather than Congress.
The missile attacks upon Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region, indicates that Iran has decided we are at war. I deployed to Al Udeid in 2010 as a legal advisor in the Combined Air Operations Center. It is a huge hub for U.S. military aircraft with approximately 10,000 American personnel. Hopefully their defensive systems prevent any harm to our personnel.
The bottom line is that the Constitution clearly requires a war’s immense costs in blood and treasure be approved by Congress in advance, but that didn’t happen. Like it or not, we are now involved in Israel’s war and they are seemingly pursuing regime change. The President also suggested potential U.S. support for regime change. If the regime collapses, Iran is subject to the “if you break it you buy it” rule and the U.S. would have to address the necessity of occupying and rebuilding a country with twice the population of Iraq. If you wonder what our elected officials think about a repeat of Iraq, so do I.”
April 30, 2025:
Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Brian Bengs officially declared his candidacy as an Independent in the 2026 election for South Dakota’s U.S. Senate seat. A husband, father, dual service military veteran, attorney, former criminal justice professor at Northern State University, and recent Wind Cave National Park Ranger, Bengs pledges to be an outspoken advocate for improving the daily lives of regular South Dakotans routinely ignored by the political establishment.
In announcing his campaign Bengs said, “South Dakotans deserve a senator who isn’t a gutless robot for some political party and Big Money.”
“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 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.
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