Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett was born at Bitburg Air Base. He served in the U.S. Army from 2013 to 2018. He graduated from Roswell High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2013 and a graduate degree from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business in 2022. His career experience includes working as a technology professional.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm half Puerto Rican (mom née Rodriguez), a husband of 10 years (we met on tinder), a father of two cats (Monica and Rachel), a U.S. Army Veteran, and a West Point and Berkeley Haas MBA grad.

I have 10 siblings from 5 different marriages and I'm the oldest brother and 2nd oldest overall. I wanted to be an architect when I grew up, moved more than a dozen times by age 18, and only applied to one college. I played football in high school and did track & field and cross country once I realized I wasn't big enough to play offensive center anymore.

I wanted kids my whole life but my wife and I have been unable to have them ourselves so our focus is to help everyone else's kids and our 10+ nephews and nieces who we adore and spoil.

I've worked in nonprofit healthcare at Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health and I've worked for profit at PwC Strategy& as a management consultant and at Papa John's making pizzas.

I like fixing people's computers and phones and I'm a big fan of the hierarchy of evidence and data-driven decision-making.

I'm a recovering gamer and spent way too much of my life playing RuneScape and Counter Strike.

I'm trying to relearn Spanish but I already miss the Duolingo Owl.

And I've been an ethical vegan for more than two years because I have a naive belief that if we treat animals better, we'll treat humans better since "animal" is how we dehumanize them.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I'm running to bring ethics, accountability, and leadership back to Congress and the Democratic party to fight for everyone's well-being, not just corporate profits or billionaire yachts.

I'm here to bring back a culture where everyone agrees genocide and preemptive strikes are bad and that corporate landlords should not be allowed to collude with one another to jack up rent prices and make people homeless.

I'm here to give our seniors restful retirements where they can focus on their interests or grandchildren instead of working until they die.

I'm here to fight for our kids and make sure they have a safe future to grow up in.

The status quo has not been working and it's time for a change.As an Army officer, I swore to defend the Constitution against all enemies. Right now, the President is violating people’s rights and bragging about it.

Congress is supposed to check the power of the executive branch yet they have abdicated all responsibility. Republicans refuse to go against Trump and most Democrats serve the same wealthy donors that profit from the chaos.

The result is voiceless, powerless minorities like immigrants and trans people getting scapegoated for things only the ruling class could do while our corrupt politicians help the wealthy steal from the poor and destroy the middle class.

Unlike our current reps who stop at writing letters, I will do my job and use every resource to fight back for a better future.Our system works great if you’re a billionaire or corrupt politician but it’s broken for everyone else. It’s time we get money out of politics and make the government work for all of us.

That means public funding of elections, ending legalized bribery, banning members of Congress from abusing their positions of trust to insider trade on individual stocks like Nancy Pelosi or Tommy Tuberville, banning lobbying from foreign governments, and overturning the idea that money is speech which has been a complete disaster for our democracy.

Whoever has the most money should not get the biggest say.

It’s time we hold our politicians to the highest standard and make them work for all of us, not wealthy private interests, or foreign governments.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I care most about the well-being of all Americans - especially children - and defending our Constitutional rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to due process.

I believe government has three main jobs: keep people safe, guarantee a minimum standard of living, and ensure competition.

Right now, we're falling short on all fronts thanks to unscrupulous moneyed interests having too much power in politics.

My goal is to make a rising tide that lifts all boats by fighting for things that benefit all Americans like affordable housing & childcare, free higher education at public institutions, universal healthcare, livable wages, de-privatization of the military, and a stronger labor movement.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The biggest responsibilities representatives have are to actually listen to their constituents, fight tooth and nail to give them peaceful and prosperous lives, and always show up at the decisive point.

Representatives who don't show up or who refuse to talk to their constituents should be removed from office.

If they refuse to do their jobs, they should get out of the way for someone who will.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave things better than I found them.

Most members of Congress throughout our history have been complicit in undemocratic behavior which has led to the erosion of the American dream.

I want to make things better for everyday people, our children, their children and so on.

It's time we hold oligarchs, profiteers, and corrupt politicians accountable.

No more funneling wealth from the poorest people into the hands of the richest.

No more draft dodging warmongers sending the poor off to die in pointless endless wars.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The destruction of our Constitutional rights like freedom of speech and due process are the most pressing issues right now as they threaten to destroy the very fabric of our society and the rule of law.

It's also deeply concerning how we're making friends with authoritarians like Putin, bombing countries illegally on behalf of foreign countries, and alienating ourselves from our allies and bullying them into "making deals".

Our foreign policy has been showing the world that we can't be trusted and every person we kill just creates more "terrorists" who want to destroy us - and for justifiable reasons.

We need to drastically reduce our spending on defense contractor profiteering and increase our investments in higher education and helping our youth like free school lunches and after school programs.

In the longer term, the impacts of climate change and unprecedented income & wealth inequality need to be addressed as well.

If we don't reorient our society to prioritize the needs of the many over the wants of the few, it's only a matter of time before we have our own French Revolution and that's something I'd like to prevent if possible.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Considering the median age of Congress is ~64 and the median age of the US is ~38, I think term limits are crucial, especially considering how few of the older members of Congress seem to care about the issues affecting younger people in everyday life.

It seems like almost all of the power in our Country right now is in the same hands as 20 years ago and that's probably why things don't seem to be getting better for most Americans. It's time for a change.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Zohran Mamdani, AOC, Bernie Sanders, FDR, Paul Wellstone ... basically, anyone who works to improve people's lives instead of just enriching themselves or their wealthy donors.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

In many circumstances, compromise is necessary or even desirable, yes.

However, compromise is off the table when parties are acting in bad faith, are seeking to destroy people's rights, or are trying to enrich themselves or their friends at the expense of others.

The way I like to describe it comes from a story in the bible when two women approached King Solomon claiming that a baby was theirs.

When Solomon offered to cut the baby in half and let each woman have part, he knew the real mother was the one who gave up the child and not the one who said "that sounds fair". I don't believe in splitting the baby.

But when it comes to things that have shades of gray, compromise can make sense but only if we all agree that our goal is the well-being of the American people and not the profits of billionaires or wealthy private interests.

What committees interest you?

Oversight and Government Reform

Armed Services

Veterans' Affairs

Homeland Security

Science, Space, and Technology

Intelligence

Education and Workforce

Foreign Affairs

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

People in positions of power should be held to the highest standard and lead by example.

Anyone who is unwilling to follow the rules they themselves set or demand others to follow should be stripped of all authority and kicked to the curb.

There are so many skeletons in so many closets of our elected officials that it's almost too scary to look, but that's exactly why we must.

Members of Congress should not be allowed to trade stocks or cash in on legislation they're passing. It's a ridiculous conflict of interest and shows a complete and utter lack of respect for the American people.

It's time we end legalized bribery and stop letting our lawmakers sell us out to unscrupulous private interests.