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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