NEW POLLING: I’m Ahead!

Happy Halloween! I’m about to head to some events and festivities in Rapid City, but before I hit the road again, I wanted to share some new polling that just came out.

I am two points ahead of Mike Rounds, 43 percent to 41.

Mike Rounds remains unfavorable. Only 41 percent said they had a favorable opinion of him, while 47 percent said unfavorable.

We have to look at the bigger picture here. A few polls have me ahead, a few polls have me tied, and a few polls have me down a bit. That means this race is essentially a toss-up, which means we need to work as hard as possible over the next three days to push the odds in my favor.

Help us keep up the momentum!

Going on four weeks now, I’ve been increasingly recognized by voters in public. Last week, my opponent hopped on the campaign trail for the first time anyone can remember (appearing at invitation-only meetings), and he’s getting his Big Money backers to spend millions of dollars against me.

They are clearly spooked, and I don’t think it’s just because today is Halloween.

This is a unique race. Throughout the campaign, I’ve had the support of Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and Democrats alike. The best-performing Libertarian in South Dakota history endorsed me, as did a South Dakota Republican farmer who had supported Mike Rounds back when he was running for governor. A former Republican governor of New Jersey, Massachusetts’ Lieutenant Governor under Mitt Romney, and a former Republican governor of Montana have all endorsed me.

The takeaway I’m hearing on the ground is that regular folks are tired of the same-old career politicians who serve party bosses and corporate donors. We are fed up with a letter next to a politician’s name taking precedence over the ideas that politician shares (or refuses to share).

We’re still going to run ads through November 3rd, because we need to get my name and message in front of as many South Dakotans as possible. You can help play a role in that by chipping into the campaign in these critical final days.

Help support the campaign here!

For those Americans living outside of South Dakota, I don’t think anyone thought South Dakota would be in play this year. Regardless, it is. We have the opportunity of a lifetime to deliver a real voice for South Dakotans, and for nearly half of Americans who are now registered Independents.

Let’s seize this chance, and start the work of putting the American Dream back together. Carpe Diem!

Thank you for reading.

Brian L. Bengs, Lt Col (Ret)

Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate