Democrat-Linked ‘Independents’ Osborn, Bodnar, Bengs Insist They Won’t Caucus with Either Party

Three U.S. Senate candidates running as independents in Nebraska, Montana, and South Dakota used a joint press conference Monday to reject Republican arguments that they are Democrats in disguise, pledging not to join either party caucus if elected while facing scrutiny over Democrat endorsements, fundraising, and previous political ties. South Dakota independent Brian Bengs, who is challenging Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), opened the event by declaring, “Let me be absolutely clear. I stand in the position that I will not caucus with Republicans or the Democrats. I will not support Chuck Schumer or John Thune for Senate leader.” Bengs argued that “career politicians in Washington got us into this mess” and said South Dakotans “deserve a senator who answers to them, not to national party leaders in Washington.” Brian Bengs for South Dakota “As an independent senator, I won’t owe my seat to either party,” Bengs said, arguing that remaining outside both caucuses would give him “the freedom to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who is willing to deliver results for South Dakota.” He added, “I’m running to represent South Dakotans, not a political party. In the Senate, as a true independent, I can and will put South Dakota first every single time.” Montana independent Seth Bodnar similarly promised that, if elected, he would serve as “a true independent, caucusing with neither party and answering only to the people of this great state.” Bodnar, a military veteran and former University of Montana president, said his oath during his military career “was to the Constitution, not to a political party,” adding that in the Army, “nobody ever asked what party the soldier next to you belonged to.” Seth Bodnar for Montana Bodnar argued that an independent senator could wield significant leverage in a closely divided chamber because “nothing happens in the Senate without a majority.” He said that when party leaders need independent votes, “that’s when real leverage can be exerted,” adding that he would “work with Republicans when they’re right for Montana,” “work with Democrats when they’re right for Montana,” and “have the spine to stand up to either party when they’re doing something that’s wrong for Montana.” Nebraska independent Dan Osborn, who is challenging Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), likewise said, “We’re not going to caucus with either party. In fact, we’ll caucus with everybody, you could say, and independent means independent.” Osborn said doing otherwise “would be a slap in the face to people of Nebraska” and maintained that he takes his “cues from the people, not Chuck Schumer or John Thune, or whoever happens to be in the White House at the time.” Dan Osborn for Nebraska Senate “I’m not interested in going to Washington just to fight for Team Red or Team Blue,” Osborn said. “I’m going to fight for Nebraska.” He argued that an independent could occupy “a powerful bargaining position” in a closely divided Senate and concluded, “I will not caucus with either 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. In a release, NRSC National Press Secretary Bernadette Breslin called the event the “Fake Independent circus” and said Bengs, Osborn, and Bodnar “are Democrats who would caucus with Democrats and fight for the radical left’s agenda if elected to the U.S. Senate.” The NRSC also said senators who do not caucus with a party do not receive committee assignments, pointing to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME), the two independents currently serving in the Senate, both of whom caucus with Democrats. WATCH — Communist Bernie “Warns” of Impending “Revolution”: The candidates were also pressed about Democratic support for their campaigns. Bodnar said his campaign has “the endorsement of former Democratic senators, you know John Tester and Max Baucus,” as well as former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot and former Montana Republican Party chair Susan Geise. He added that his coalition includes “labor unions, the conservation groups, Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Freedom for All, and Citizens United.” Breitbart News previously reported that Bodnar had raised $1.76 million through ActBlue and that roughly half of the more than $3.2 million his campaign had raised through June 30 came through the platform. Republican Senate candidate Kurt Alme called on Bodnar to return the $1.76 million, describing him as a “far-left Democrat in disguise” and saying Bodnar was trying to “hide who he really is” while his campaign relied on ActBlue. Bodnar previously registered as a Democrat in Connecticut, donated to Democrats, attended a 2012 presidential debate with Michelle Obama, and staffed his campaign with Democrats. Breitbart News reported in August that establishment Democrats pressured Democrat nominee Alani Bankhead and members of her family to encourage her to withdraw from the Montana Senate race and clear a path for Bodnar. Bankhead ultimately remained in the race with Bodnar and Republican Kurt Alme. Osborn has received direct support from Democrats and progressive groups. The Nebraska Democratic Party has endorsed him, and Democratic groups spent tens of millions of dollars backing his 2024 Senate campaign, including nearly $4 million from groups associated with Schumer and more than $14 million from George Soros-connected groups. Breitbart News also reported that a nearly $9,000 ActBlue fundraising drive for Osborn was promoted by Democratic Underground, a progressive forum that made what administrators called a “rare exception to the Support Democrats rule” for his Senate campaign. Users on the forum had also posted comments wishing for President Donald Trump’s death, celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder, mocking Christians, and joking about the assassination attempt against Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA). Seventy-two percent of his second-quarter individual donations this cycle came through ActBlue, while 83 percent came from outside Nebraska. Osborn also addressed an earlier report from the Plains Sentinel that he had said he would not caucus with Republicans, calling it “fake news” and saying the outlet took snippets of his comments out of context. “They could have taken any one of my talks and said I won’t caucus with Republicans, or they could say I won’t caucus with the Democrats in the same regard,” Osborn said. “They take snippets of what I say, turn it around to try to work against me.” He added, “All I can say is what we’ve said again definitively here today. I’ve got no interest in caucusing with either party.” Osborn has also opposed the SAVE America Act, calling the legislation “unconstitutional” and saying, “Essentially, it’s going to be a poll tax.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has donated to Osborn’s campaign, has also opposed the legislation. Osborn has repeatedly maintained that his campaign is driven by independence from large political interests, saying previously, “I don’t take corporate money. I don’t want to be a part of the problem. I want to be a part of the solution.” Monday’s event also came days after Townhall published audio it said captured Osborn making crude and racially charged remarks, including, “It was either fat chicks or black cocks,” and, “The brown people are coming up to kill us and rape us.” Townhall subsequently posted video of a confrontation with Osborn in which a reporter repeatedly asked whether he would “take some responsibility and apologize” for the comments. Osborn walked toward a vehicle while looking at his phone before responding, “It’s AI, man. It’s AI.” The reporter responded, “It’s not. It’s what you said.” The newly disputed recording follows another leaked audio controversy in September in which Osborn appeared to acknowledge that a recording deriding Trump supporters sounded like him. After audio was played in which the speaker said a Trump supporter’s life “probably suck[s] so fucking bad,” Osborn was asked whether it was him and replied, “It sure sounds like me,” though he denied holding that view of Trump voters. Bengs previously ran against Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as a Democrat in 2022, losing by 43 points, though he has described himself as a lifelong independent. Asked Monday about the absence of a Democratic candidate in the race, Bengs said the South Dakota Democratic Party “declined to endorse” him after its candidate withdrew “because he’s been an independent his whole life.” He added, “The absence of a Democrat is good for me, I think, in the sense that I can have a head-to-head” with Rounds and discuss “the actual things that matter to South Dakotans.” Bengs has also used ActBlue to fundraise and endorsed Osborn for Senate majority leader. He has also supported gun restrictions,criticized a ban on men playing in women’s sports, and compared January 6 to the September 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Bengs has said his 2022 experience running with the Democratic label “soured me on running again in any party system.” The Democratic embrace of independent candidates in red states is part of a “strategy” that party officials have discussed publicly. Nebraska Democratic Party chair and Democratic National Committee vice chair Jane Kleeb previously said, “For some states, and Nebraska is one of them, where Democrats are 32% of the electorate, this is a long-term strategy for us.” She added, “We have to build a coalition with independents in order to win elections so we can do good work for the people. Period.” Bodnar closed the event by tying the candidates’ approach to their military service. He recalled serving in Iraq and said that during a mission, “one question that never came into my head at that moment: I wonder what party these guys are a part of.” Bodnar said the candidates’ military experience is “a big part of why we’re running and, in fact, a big part of why we’re running as independents.”