Dan Bongino ran for the Senate in Maryland in 2012 against incumbent Ben Cardin, in what everyone recognized to be a long shot in blue Maryland in a presidential election year.
Bongino, a political unknown who formerly was a Secret Service agent in the Presidential Protection Division, made a very respectable showing but was severely weakened by a faux-independent candidate who targeted conservative voters and split the non-Cardin vote. Bongino did very well in the 6th Congressional District, which had been Republican for 20 years until 2010 redistricting turned it blue.
In the process of the Senate campaign, however, Bongino established a statewide and national political name for himself and he has carried that charge forward with videos such as this one on the 2nd Amendment which has almost a million YouTube views (adding up various reposts of the video):
Bongino also has been a frequent commenter on television and radio since the election:
Bongino issued a press release today that he will be running for Congress in Maryland’s 6th District:
“After a long journey, and careful consideration, my campaign team and I have made a decision regarding our plans in the 2014 election cycle. I would be honored if you would join me on this journey. Please join me at both of our campaign kick-off events on June 18th. The movement to make Maryland home again begins this Tuesday.”
Dan is the first appointee to Legal Insurrection’s Operation Counterweight for 2014.
Operation Counterweight, as you know, is the electoral strategy for the rest of us, focusing on candidates who meet the criteria: (1) must be a conservative Republican (preferably with a Tea Party background), not third parties; (2) must be a swing district, i.e., a potentially vulnerable Republican or chance to flip a Democratic seat; and (3) must not already have national attention and fundraising.
Bongino meets those criteria, as this policy interview from 2012 demonstrates
And, Bongino has the added bonus that he’s a great guy.
You can donate to his campaign here.
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