Look How Far We’ve Come!

It’s hard to understate how much momentum this campaign has right now. The past two months have been a rollercoaster. Fortunately, it’s the fun kind.

In just the last month, I’ve put over 5000 miles on the odometer. Folks all across the state are struggling. Gasoline and diesel prices keep climbing higher than ever, dragging up the price of everything else. Many people don’t have access to healthcare, and those who do are worried whether they’ll be able to afford the premiums. Small businesses are struggling. South Dakotans want to see some change for the better.

In Pierre, I met with Letter Carriers to hear about the concerns they have in doing a job that serves every American in the country. We even got philosophical, discussing what we should do to bring the American Dream back to life.

I met with folks in Deadwood (fantastic western town to visit, if you ever get the chance), my hometown of Hot Springs, and in Brookings. Every single person I met stood with me on the big issues our country is facing. A Trump supporter even came by to let me know that I had his support.

The media has also really picked up this month. I went on Meet the Press to discuss the potential of Independent candidates in states like South Dakota where regular people want to break free of the two-party system.

I got to speak with Steve Schmidt to discuss the race. We talked about the potential of the Independent Fulcrum, and how it might break the two-party gridlock we see in Congress by forcing parties to the negotiation table.

Chip in here to support the campaign!

I also spoke with Ben Meiselas on MeidasTouch. We talked about the newest polling in this race, and how it puts South Dakota on the map this year.

Speaking of polling, I’m sure you have already heard about the fantastic polling that shows the race is neck-and-neck. Special interest SuperPACs poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into negative ads lying about who I am, so we decided to run another poll to see if those messages were resonating. They weren’t.

Right now, we’re three points down, with my opponent at only 45%. There’s plenty of room for me to swoop in to cross that 50% line in November. From that data and what I’m hearing on the ground touring the state, this race is incredibly close.

My opponent, incumbent Senator Mike Rounds, is scared. I know it because his PAC buddies are dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into the state to try and portray me as something I’m not. I know it because his FEC reports show a whole lot of polling that his campaign won’t publish.

Sure, they throw out a result here and there, but the fact they won’t reveal the whole picture tells me that they don’t want anyone knowing how the sausage was made. They know that they’re up against an unstoppable force, the unified voice of thousands of South Dakotans who are tired of the status quo.

To fight the attacks, we’ve been mounting a response to make sure South Dakotans hear my name and message. There’s an upside and a downside.

The upside is that South Dakota has one of the cheapest media markets in the country, meaning that I can continue to rely on the support of small grassroots donors. The downside is that they still cost money, and we need your support to keep the ads running.

Help support my campaign

At an event in Hot Springs, South Dakota, something a supporter said really struck a chord. He said, “All my life, I’ve been voting for the candidate I dislike the least. This year, I can finally vote for a candidate that I actually like.” It was a very powerful thing to hear.

That’s exactly what I’m trying to do with this campaign. The “lesser of two evils” voting strategy has its uses, but it isn’t sustainable for the republic as a whole. Americans deserve candidates they like, and we especially deserve elected officials who will stand up for us. I’m running to be both of those things.

Thank you for reading.

Brian L. Bengs, Lt Col (Ret)

Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate