Interview only w/ Brian Bengs & Todd Achilles - Can Independent Candidates Win In Trump Era Of American Politics?

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck sits down with Brian Bengs, who challenged John Thune in South Dakota and is running for senate as an independent, and Todd Achilles, an independent from Idaho, to explore what it really means to run outside the two-party system. They open up about why they chose independence, the challenges of campaigning in red states where the word “Democrat” is a nonstarter, and the dysfunction they see as the product of both parties. From tariffs hurting farmers to the growing cost of attention in politics, the conversation highlights how America’s political and economic systems reward division and extremism over pragmatism and compromise.

The discussion also tackles the bigger picture: whether the Republican Party could split between MAGA and traditional conservatives, why democracy no longer serves as a pressure release valve, and how corporate power and money in politics further erode trust. Bengs and Achilles share lessons from Ross Perot’s run, their views on immigration reform, and the importance of building bipartisan relationships in an age where the middle is punished. For them, independence isn’t just about rejecting partisanship—it’s about offering voters an alternative path forward in a system that too often feels broken.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Brian Bengs & Todd Achilles join the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Why are you running and why as an independent?

02:45 Someone needed to challenge John Thune in SD

03:45 Voters in red states hear “Democrat” and tune out despite agreement

05:00 We have huge levels of debt, division and dysfunction

06:00 70% of Idahoans identify as independent

06:45 Democrats haven’t provided a counter message in red states

09:00 Will the MAGA and traditional wings of the Republican party split?

10:45 Trump’s tariffs hurting farmers, can they be won over?

12:15 Republican leaders get in trouble for “not being MAGA enough”

13:30 Tariffs and market concentration are squeezing farmers

15:30 What does “caucusing on your own” look like?

17:30 Deny both parties a majority and independents are swing votes

18:15 Is Thune’s leadership an impediment to your candidacy? 

19:15 The status quo dysfunction is a product of both parties

20:30 The information ecosystem punishes the middle & incrementalism

22:15 Attention is incredibly expensive for candidates

23:45 The attentional incentive structures reward extremism 

25:30 The importance of meeting voters in person

26:30 How did we get to the point where political violence isn’t shocking? 

27:30 Democracy is supposed to be a pressure release valve, but it isn’t working

28:30 Talking to the voter who prioritizes economics over democracy

29:45 We need to fix democracy to fix other issues

30:45 There’s a “race to blame” in wake of Kirk shooting

32:00 Corporations are pushing their operation costs onto taxpayers

33:30 Guardrails on the private sector have been chipped away at

35:00 The Big Beautiful Bill will shutter rural hospitals

37:15 How can we make money in politics a salient voting issue?

39:00 Lessons that can be learned from Ross Perot’s run?

41:30 Pragmatic immigration requires border security and path to citizenship

43:45 Congress more worried about their own security than deescalation

44:45 The importance of building bipartisan relationships

46:45 What 2 senators would you most look forward to working with if elected

48:00 Favorite Democratic and Republican president?

49:45 Eisenhower was the closest to an independent of any modern president

50:30 Military service doesn’t lend itself to partisanship

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