Brian Bengs, a retired military prosecutor and former U.S. Air Force Academy instructor, used an October 2026 opinion article to explain why he is running for the U.S. Senate in South Dakota as an independent. He said he lives in the Black Hills with his wife and wants to counter what he described as the influence of large donors and entrenched political interests.
Bengs identified two proposed measures as priorities if elected: prohibiting congressional staff from lobbying and establishing term limits. He argued that long-serving politicians and staff relationships with private interests contribute to what he views as a self-serving political culture.
To support his case, Bengs cited reports about Sen. Mike Rounds, the Republican incumbent he is challenging. Bengs said one of Rounds’s senior advisers, who he described as receiving a six-figure taxpayer-funded salary and having previously managed a Rounds campaign, also worked as a lobbyist for Meta. Bengs alleged the adviser promoted corporate interests in South Dakota’s state government while advising Rounds on the same issues. The supplied article does not include a response from Rounds or the adviser, nor details independently establishing the allegation.
Bengs also said Rounds spends more taxpayer money on private aircraft than any other senator. He presented that as a reported finding, but the article provides no underlying figures. Bengs said he did not intend to attack Rounds personally and described him as a good man, while arguing that Washington needs to change.
On economic matters, Bengs pointed to fuel and grocery costs, saying he pays more than $4 per gallon for gasoline and that food prices have risen. He objected to meat imports from South America, asserting they are not labeled fairly enough for consumers to identify their country of origin. He also said tariffs have made Indian motorcycles more difficult for Americans to afford, referring to his brother’s work assembling the motorcycles.
Bengs criticized Rounds’s votes on Iran, tariffs and health care. He said Rounds had supported what Bengs called the Iran war, backed tariffs harmful to South Dakota’s economy and voted for significant health-care cuts. Bengs further asserted that Rounds’s votes benefited companies seeking tax breaks to build data centers. Citing Wired, Bengs said Rounds had received more campaign contributions from data-center-linked interests than from South Dakota residents. The supplied material does not provide the contribution totals or additional context.
Bengs also blamed Rounds for supporting a law that removed a requirement for grocery stores to disclose the country where meat originated. He said Rounds now wants to restore those rules, characterizing the change as an example of a politician campaigning against a policy he previously supported.
Bengs described himself as neither anti-Trump nor pro-Trump. He said he agreed with President Donald Trump’s past promises against new wars and to lower living costs, but argued that current costs have not met those promises. Bengs also said he opposes socialism, defunding police and abolishing prisons, and criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of border security.
He concluded that his purpose is to put South Dakota’s interests first and work with people across political lines when he believes it benefits the state. The article presents Bengs’s campaign message and criticisms; it does not include responses from Rounds or other affected parties.
