Brian Bengs
October 28, 2026 · Newsletter
A Tale of Two Races
The U.S. Senate race here in South Dakota has turned out to be very interesting. While I spent months traveling the state to meet with thousands of voters, my opponent sat on his hands in Washington. While I visited every single county and reservation in the whole state, my opponent hardly went anywhere that wasn’t his home or his Senate offices in the biggest cities.
An ad blitz is underway in South Dakota. I’m running ads talking about issues, letting voters know where I stand. My opponent is running ads calling me names and making me out to be something I’m not.
In a very real way, there are two parallel races happening for the U.S. Senate in South Dakota. From the beginning, I’ve focused on issues, the duties of a U.S. Senator, the value of an Independent voice, and solutions to the real problems South Dakotans face. This campaign is about the corruption of our system by Big Money interests, and how it’s eroding every other aspect of our daily lives.
From my opponent’s perspective, this race isn’t about issues at all. It’s just about whatever names he can call me, whatever caricature he can paint me as, all while he refuses to participate in political traditions like town halls and public debates. You know, the basic stuff that informs voters about a candidate’s plan when elected.
We have an opportunity here. My opponent wants to paint a distorted picture of reality to South Dakotans. Using his millions from corporate PACs, out-of-state special interests, and ultra-wealthy donors, he is trying to control the narrative. We cannot let him.
There are only FIVE days left until the election! We need to keep my message airing so that South Dakotans know they’ll have an Independent option on Tuesday. If you can chip in $35 today it will make sure we can finish strong. Thank you.
Chip in here to support the campaign!
They hear “Brian Bengs is X, Brian Bengs is Y,” before hearing from me speaking honestly and earnestly about issues I care about. The thousands of miles I’ve spent on the campaign trail tell me that South Dakotans care about those issues too. If they think twice, even for a fleeting moment, then that’s enough to get them thinking and voting Independently.
That’s why we need to keep these ads running. If we cannot meet Big Money’s attempts to distract voters, then we’ll be giving up the meaning of truth itself.
He wishes he was running against the fantasy version of me concocted by the attack ads. He wishes he wasn’t running against me, a career military veteran who has dedicated my life to public service. Throughout his years as a U.S. Senator and South Dakota’s governor before that, he’s expected to coast to re-election. Now that he can’t, he doesn’t know what to do.
Mike Rounds’ experience in Washington has been doing whatever party bosses and corporate donors tell him to do. He keeps his head down, toes the party line, and expects to coast to re-election on nothing more than the letter next to his name. He is panicking, because this year he has to do something different.
My opponent is campaigning in la-la land. This is real life. If he won’t bother to come to the discussion because he’s too afraid to talk with me, or more importantly, to talk with voters, then he has no business claiming to be South Dakota’s voice in the U.S. Senate.
With your help, South Dakota will choose a different option in just a few days. We will have an Independent voice fighting for regular folks each and every day.
Thank you for reading.
Brian L. Bengs, Lt Col (Ret)
Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate
We are sprinting through the finish line. This race is winnable, and polling has this race at a coin toss. We need your help to ensure that we’re not leaving anything to chance. Gas isn’t cheap right now, but TV ads are! If you can chip in $35 today, it will make sure we get my message out to South Dakotans all over the state. Thank you.