No Dem Left Behind Endorses Brian Bengs for U.S. Senate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/10/2022
No Dem Left Behind Endorses Brian Bengs for U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, DC — This week, No Dem Left Behind PAC announced its endorsement of Brian Bengs for U.S. Senate.
“We’re incredibly impressed by Brian’s passion, drive and commitment to improving the lives of working people in South Dakota and throughout the rest of America,” said Hassan Martini, Executive Director of No Dem Left Behind. “His campaign theme of going ‘BIG BOLD’ on solving the concerns of the working class should excite voters right, left and center who are sick of watching the 1% get richer and richer while they struggle to get ahead.”
“Brian grew up in small-town Iowa with a dad who was a union machinist and a mom who was a waitress,” said No Dem Left Behind spokesman Richard Ojeda. “They worked their tails off to make ends meet and instilled that same hard work ethic in Brian at an early age. He worked all the way through high school delivering papers and detasseling corn, then chose to serve his country by joining the Navy right after graduation.”
“Brian could have just quit the Navy after his first tour and never looked back, but that’s not the kind of man he is,” Ojeda added. “He came back home, used his G.I. bill for college and law school, then went back to the military, this time in the Air Force, where he served 19 years in the JAG [Judge Advocate General] Corps in postings all over the world. The broad perspective he’ll bring to the Senate from his small-town upbringing and extensive world travels make him an amazing choice to represent the people of South Dakota.”
Bengs, 51, served one tour in the Navy before attending Iowa State University and the University of Iowa Law School. He then joined the U.S. Air Force’s Judge Advocate General Corps, where he served 19 years in assignments all over the U.S. and in Japan, Germany, Kuwait, and Qatar. During his JAG career, the USAF selected him to attend the George Washington University Law School, where he received a Master of Laws degree in International Law. He has taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy, NATO School Oberammergau, and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy.
Bengs says he switched his voter registration from independent to Democrat after the violent coup attempt by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6th, 2021. He is running on a populist platform focused on the needs of working-class South Dakotans, including clean energy production, upgraded infrastructure, accountability for defense spending, and a fairer tax code.
In response to his endorsement by No Dem Left Behind, Bengs said: “As someone who grew up working class in a small town of 600 and spent summers detasseling corn, I experienced firsthand the issues rural and working-class Americans face. Income inequality, climate change, and Big Ag are just some of the key subjects South Dakotans need addressed. No Dem Left Behind understands the need for voices like mine at the table. I am honored to have their support.”
ABOUT NO DEM LEFT BEHIND PAC
No Dem Left Behind is a one-of-a-kind grassroots movement dedicated to electing Democrats in rural and working-class communities to Congress. We know that historically, red states aren’t so much red as they are voter-suppressed. We know that people in these areas are often living in civic deserts. We’re out to change that. NDLB is organizing and elevating rural and working-class Democrats, expanding the Democratic base in America’s Heartland, and sending more Democrats to Congress. For more information about No Dem Left Behind, visit www.nodemleftbehind.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kirsten Heffron, Chief Operating Officer
312–900–5399 | kirsten@nodemleftbehind.com
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