Three U.S. Senate candidates running as independents in Nebraska, Montana and South Dakota used a joint news conference on Monday to reject Republican arguments that they are Democrats in disguise and pledged not to join either party’s caucuses if elected, while facing scrutiny of Democratic endorsements, fundraising and previous political ties.
Brian Bengus, a South Dakota independent who is challenging Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), declared at the start of the event: “Let me be absolutely clear. My position is that I will not caucus with Republicans or Democrats. I will not support Chuck Schumer or John Thune for Senate leader.” Bengus argued that “career politicians in Washington have got us into his trap and said, “The party of Washington.”
Brian Bengus (South Dakota)
“As an independent senator, my seat belongs to neither party,” Bengus said. He believes that remaining outside the two caucuses will give him “the freedom to work with anyone who is willing to get results for South Dakota, whether it’s Democrats or Republicans.” He added, “I’m running to represent South Dakotans, not a political party. In the Senate, as a true independent, I can put him in South Dakota every time.”
Montana independent Seth Bodnar similarly pledged that, if elected, he would serve as a “true independent, not caucusing with any political party and accountable only to the people of this great state.” Bodnar, a veteran and former president of the University of Montana, said the oath he swore during his military career “was an oath to the Constitution, not to a political party,” adding that in the military, “no one asked what political party the soldier next to you belonged to.”
Seth Bodnar (Montana)
Bodnar believes that independent senators can exert significant influence in a deeply divided House because “without a majority, nothing happens in the Senate.” When party leaders need independent votes, “that’s when real leverage can be made,” he said, adding that he will “work with Republicans when they are good for Montana,” “work with Democrats when they are good for Montana,” and “have the courage to stand up to either party when they do something that is bad for Montana.”
Nebraska independent Dan Osborn, who is challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), similarly said, “We’re not going to caucus with any party. In fact, we’re going to caucus with everyone, and you could say, independence is independence.” Osborn said otherwise “would be a slap in the face of the people of Nebraska,” insisting that he “takes his cues from the people, not John Chalk.”
Nebraska Senator Dan Osborne
“I have no interest in going to Washington just to play for the red team or the blue team,” Osborne said. “I’m going to fight for Nebraska.” He argued that independents could hold a “powerful bargaining position” in a closely divided Senate, concluding: “I’m not going to caucus with any party. Again, caucus with everyone. I’m a lifelong independent.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) pushed back on the candidates’ claims ahead of the press conference. NRSC national press secretary Bernadette Breslin called the event a “fake independence circus” in a press release and said Bence, Osborne and Bodnar “are Democrats and, if elected to the U.S. Senate, they will caucus with Democrats to fight for the agenda of the radical left.” The NRSC also said that senators who do not caucus with a party will not receive committee assignments, pointing to the two independents currently serving in the Senate, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME), who both caucus with Democrats.
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Candidates are also asked for Democratic support for their campaigns. Bodnar said his campaign has the support of “former Democratic Sens. John Tester and Max Baucus,” as well as former Republican Gov. Mark Racicott and former Montana Republican Party Chair Susan Gass. He added that his coalition includes “unions, advocacy groups, Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Freedom for All and Citizens United.”
Breitbart News previously reported report Bodnar has raised $1.76 million through ActBlue, and about half of the more than $3.2 million his campaign has raised as of June 30 has been through the platform. Republican Senate candidate Kurt Alme called on Bodnar to return $1.76 million, calling him a “far-left Democrat in disguise” and saying Bodnar was trying to “hide his true identity” when his campaign relied on ActBlue. Bodnar was previously registered as a Democrat in Connecticut, donated to the Democratic Party, participated in the 2012 presidential debate with Michelle Obama, and was a member of the Democratic campaign.
Breitbart News report In August, establishment Democrats pressured Democratic candidate Alani Bankhead and her family, encouraging her to drop out of the Montana Senate race to clear the way for Bodnar. bankhead finally stay in the race against Bodnar and Republican Kurt Alme.
Osborne has direct support from Democrats and progressive groups. Nebraska Democratic Party has Agree He and Democratic groups have spent tens of millions of dollars to support his 2024 Senate campaign, including nearly $4 million from groups associated with Schumer and more than $14 million from groups associated with George Soros.
Breitbart News also report The Democratic Underground launched a nearly $9,000 fundraiser for Osborne on ActBlue, a progressive forum that administrators called “a rare exception to the Democratic rule” for his Senate campaign. Users on the forum also posted comments wishing for the death of President Donald Trump, celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk, mocking Christians, and jokingly talking about an assassination attempt against Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). 72% of his personal donations in the second quarter of this cycle came from ActBlue, and 83% came from outside Nebraska.
Osborne also talked about it earlier Report The Plains Sentinel said he had said he would not caucus with Republicans, calling it “fake news” and saying the outlet had taken excerpts of his remarks out of context. “They might take any of my speeches and say I won’t caucus with the Republicans, or they might say I won’t caucus with the Democrats on the same front,” Osborne said. “They’re taking what I said and twisting it to try to use it against me.” He added, “All I can say is what we’re here to say again today is clear. I’m not participating in either party.”
Osborne also be opposed to The Save America Act called the legislation “unconstitutional” and said it would “essentially be a poll tax.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who donated to Osborne’s campaign, also opposed the legislation. Osborne has repeatedly insisted that his campaign is driven by independence from big political interests, previously saying, “I don’t take corporate money. I don’t want to be part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution.”
Monday’s event also takes place just days after City Hall publish In one audio clip, Osbourne allegedly made vulgar and racial remarks, including “It’s either a fat chicken or a black cock,” and “Brown people are coming to kill us and rape us.”
Then the city hall release In a video of the confrontation with Osbourne, a reporter repeatedly asked him if he would “take some responsibility and apologize” for the comments. Osbourne walked to a car while looking at his phone and replied: “It’s artificial intelligence, man. It’s artificial intelligence.” The reporter responded: “No, you said that.”
The new controversial recording comes after another Controversy over news leaks In September, Osborne appeared to admit that a recording of him mocking Trump supporters sounded a lot like him. After the audio, the speaker said life for Trump supporters “can be terrible”[s] When asked if it was him, Osborne responded: “It sure sounds like me,” although he denied holding that view toward Trump voters.
Bengus previously ran as a Democrat against Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) in 2022. lose Although he describes himself as a lifelong independent, his approval rating is 43 points higher. Asked Monday about the Democratic candidate’s absence from the race, Bengus said the South Dakota Democratic Party “refused to support” the candidate after he dropped out “because he has been an independent his entire life.” He added, “I think the absence of Democrats is a good thing for me because I can go toe-to-toe with Rounds” and discuss “real things that matter to South Dakotans.”
Bengus also used ActBlue Fundraising and Agree Osborne is the Senate Majority Leader. He also has support gun restrictions,critical Ban men from participating in women’s sports, and comparative The attacks from January 6 to September 11 killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Bengus has explain His experience running on the Democratic ticket in 2022 “makes me tired of running in any party system again.”
Democratic Party Embrace Electing independent candidates in red states is part of a “strategy” publicly discussed by party officials. Jane Kleeb, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, previously said, “For some states, and Nebraska is one of them, where Democrats make up 32% of the electorate, this is a long-term strategy for us.” She added, “We have to build coalitions with independents to win elections so that we can do a good job for the people. Period.”
Bodnar concluded the event by tying the candidates’ attitudes to their military service. He recalled serving in Iraq, saying that during the tour of duty, “a question never crossed my mind at the time: I wanted to know what party these people belonged to.” Bodnar said the candidates’ military experience was “a big reason for us to run and, in fact, a big reason for us to run as independents.”