Brian Bengs

In a NATO staff profile, Brian Bengs listed muscle cars, dogs, travel and beer among his interests, and "death by Powerpoint" among his dislikes.¹ His family moved to South Dakota in 2016, first settling in Aberdeen and later Hot Springs.²

Bengs served as an enlisted Navy sailor and used the GI Bill to help pay for college.² He earned a history degree at Iowa State and a law degree at the University of Iowa, eventually retiring as an Air Force lieutenant colonel after 21 years of active military service.³

His military legal work included serving as a prosecutor, defense counsel and law professor at the Air Force Academy.³ At NATO School in Germany, he taught operational law and served as legal adviser.¹ After military retirement, he taught criminal justice at Northern State University and later worked as a Wind Cave National Park ranger.³⁴

Bengs ran for Senate as a Democrat in 2022; this time he is an independent facing Republican Senator Mike Rounds.⁵ He advocates congressional term limits, a constitutional amendment limiting political spending, local control over new data centers and ending the war in Iran.² With the Democratic nominee withdrawn, the November 3 election offers South Dakotans a choice between returning a Republican incumbent and sending an independent to the Senate.⁵