Independent South Dakota Senate candidate Brian Bengs secured a notable endorsement on October 27, 2026, when former FreedomWorks president Adam Brandon backed his campaign and called it the front wave of a generational political shift, SDPB reported.
Brandon Asks Bengs to Sign a Declaration
Brandon, who now serves as a senior advisor at the Independent Center and co-founder of the Independent Leadership Council, traveled to formally back Bengs in his challenge against incumbent Mike Rounds. During an October 27 press conference, Brandon asked Bengs to sign a “Declaration of Independents.” The document commits signatories to promoting fair competition and explicitly bars them from caucusing with either major political party. Brandon stated that anyone who caucuses with a party is a fake independent, specifically naming Vermont Bernie Sanders and Maine Angus King.
Thank you to Adam Brandon of @Independent_Cen for traveling to South Dakota to endorse me! I have folks across the spectrum, including conservatives like Adam, supporting this campaign because we believe our political system will be better with competition and accountability. pic.twitter.com/GHEbTu3bdH
Bengs frames his candidacy not as an isolated bid, but as part of a broader national movement. Nearly half of all Americans identify as independents, creating an opening to challenge traditional party loyalty. Brandon noted that a new group is targeting independents and younger voters through the Independent Center and the Independent Leadership Council. According to Brandon, this generational shift means the independent movement will grow from state to state regardless of the outcome in South Dakota.
Contasting Campaign Reactions
The endorsement drew a sharp counter-reaction from the Rounds campaign. Rob Skjonsberg issued a statement dismissing the political weight of the backing, pointing out that FreedomWorks itself disbanded following the rise of Donald Trump.
“Freedom Works isn’t endorsing Bangs. A center left organization is,” Skjonsberg said in the statement provided to SDPB. “That’s incredibly deceiving to suggest FreedomWorks supports a fake independent who supports higher taxes and expanding Obamacare. This is crazy and desperate.”
Super PACs and the Rounds campaign have previously labeled Bengs a fake independent or a fake Democrat, pointing to his prior run as a Democrat against U.S. Senator John Thune. Brandon pushed back against those attacks during the press conference, maintaining that voting for an independent represents a fundamentally conservative choice.
