Dan Bongino
Daniel Bongino | |
|---|---|
 Bongino in December 2011 | |
| Born | Daniel John Bongino December 4, 1974 |
| Alma mater | City University of New York, Queens College Pennsylvania State University, University Park |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Paula Andrea Bongino |
| Website | Bongino For Congress |
Daniel John "Dan" Bongino is a former United States Secret Service agent who was the Republican Party nominee for Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the 2014 elections. Bongino lost a close race to Democratic incumbent John Delaney, coming within a few thousand votes of victory.[1] Bongino was also the Republican Party nominee in Maryland's 2012 election for the United States Senate, defeated by incumbent Democrat Ben Cardin.[2]
Early life and education
Bongino attended the City University of New York, where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in psychology, and Penn State University, where he earned a masters in business administration.[3]
Law enforcement career
Bongino worked with the New York Police Department for four years, from 1995 to 1999.[4] He joined the U.S. Secret Service in 1999 as a special agent,[4] leaving the New York Field Office in 2002 to become an instructor at the Secret Service Training Academy in Beltsville, Maryland. In 2006, he was assigned to the U.S. Presidential Protection Division during George W. Bush's term. He remained on protective duty after Barack Obama became President, leaving in May 2011 to run for the U.S. Senate.[4]
Political campaigns
2012 U.S. Senate election
Bongino ran for political office to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.[5] Former gubernatorial candidate Brian Murphy was his campaign Chairman.[4] He won the Republican primary on April 3, 2012, with 33.8 percent of the vote, defeating nine other candidates. He ran against Senator Ben Cardin and Independent Rob Sobhani in the November 2012 general election and finished second with 26.6% of the vote.[6]
2014 House of Representatives election
Bongino ran for the U.S. House of Representatives seat from Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the 2014 election against incumbent Democrat John Delaney. The district is considered the 9th least compact Congressional district as a result of redistricting after the 2010 census.[7] In October 2013 Bongino was endorsed by an Allen West-affiliated group.[8][9] In July 2014 Bongino was endorsed by Rand Paul.[10] Bongino lost a close race, coming within a few thousand votes of an upset victory, despite the incumbent being heavily favored according to The Cook Political Report.[11]
Political positions
Bongino is a member of the Groundswell, a coalition of conservative and libertarian activists fighting to advance conservative causes, according to public documents.[12]
Bongino opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare) and penned an editorial against it.[13]
Books
In late 2013, Bongino's book about his career as a secret service agent, Life Inside the Bubble, was released and immediately made it onto both the New York Times and Amazon Best Sellers list. The book discusses his experiences protecting presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and investigating federal crimes along with his 2012 run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland.[14]
The book caused controversy, with an anonymous former colleague criticizing him for trying to use his proximity to President Obama in his political career: "He's trying to draw attention to himself and he's hijacking the Secret Service brand. That's all he's got going for him." Bongino claimed to have had access to "high-level discussions" in the White House. Anonymous former colleagues said he "tends to exaggerate his importance on the presidential detail and exaggerate his proximity" and that "We don't sit in on meetings at the White House. We don't sit in on high-level meetings."[15]
In response to the criticism from an anonymous former colleague, Bongino stated "There's nothing confidential in the book" and "It's not a tell-all. It's my tale of the Secret Service."[16] The book itself contains no direct references to private conversations or attendance in high level meetings[17]
His book, The Fight: A Secret Service Agent’s Inside Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine was published in January 2016.
Personal life
Bongino is married to the former Paula Martinez and has two daughters. Bongino and his wife are small business owners and their core business concentration is security-consulting, Internet design and development.[18]
Bongino is a frequent radio host and commentator on both local and national radio programs. He is a guest host for both the Sean Hannity and Mark Levin radio shows and sometimes fills in on WBAL radio in Baltimore. Bongino has also provided guest commentary on both political and security matters for the NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, the Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC and a multitude of print and online outlets.[19]
Bongino announced in April 2015 that he was moving from Severna Park, Maryland to Palm City, Florida due to "a non-emergency family situation".[20][21]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Delaney (incumbent) | 94,704 | 49.7 | N/A | |
| Republican | Dan Bongino | 91,930 | 48.2 | N/A | |
| Green | George Gluck | 3,762 | 2.0 | N/A | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Bongino | 23,933 | 83.5 | N/A | |
| Republican | Harold W. Painter, Jr. | 4,718 | 16.5 | N/A | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ben Cardin (incumbent) | 1,402,092 | 55.41 | +1.20 | |
| Republican | Daniel Bongino | 674,649 | 26.66 | −17.53 | |
| Independent | S. Rob Sobhani | 420,554 | 16.62 | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Dean Ahmad | 30,672 | 1.21 | +1.21 | |
| N/A | Others (write-in) | 2,583 | 0.10 | +0.05 | |
| Majority | 727,443 | 100.00 | |||
| Turnout | 2,530,550 | 68.23 | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Daniel Bongino | 66,561 | 33.8 | |
| Republican | Richard J. Douglas | 55,907 | 28.4 | |
| Republican | Joseph Alexander | 17,567 | 8.9 | |
| Republican | Bro Broadus | 10,503 | 5.3 | |
| Republican | Rick Hoover | 10,241 | 5.2 | |
| Republican | John B. Kimble | 10,088 | 5.1 | |
| Republican | David Jones | 8,002 | 4.1 | |
| Republican | Corrogan R. Vaughn | 7,869 | 4.0 | |
| Republican | William Thomas Capps, Jr. | 6,768 | 3.4 | |
| Republican | Brian Vaeth | 3,602 | 1.8 | |
References
- ^ "Unofficial 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Representative in Congress, Congressional District 6". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "2012 Presidential General Election Results, U.S. Senator". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ "Learn About Daniel Bongino for U.S. Senate". Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Pershing, Ben (June 1, 2011). "Ex-Secret Service agent Bongino enters race to unseat Cardin". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Bongino wins Republican primary for Maryland Senate seat". WMAR-TV. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ "Maryland Senate Election Results 2012 - Map, County Results, Live Updates". POLITICO. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Lazarick, Len. "Maryland has least compact congressional districts in nation". Maryland Reporter. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ West endorses Bongino's bid September 20, 2013 Political Notes by Bethany Rodgers Frederick News-Post Staff
- ^ Allen West Offers First Round of Endorsements for 2013 and 2014 Elections by Kevin Derby October 10, 2013 Sunshine State News
- ^ Everett, Burgess. "Rand Paul aims high in blue Maryland". Politico. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ Hernández, Arelis R. (31 October 2014). "In Maryland's eight congressional races, incumbents face little competition". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
According to the highly regarded Cook Political Report, each incumbent is heavily favored to win
- ^ "Inside Groundswell: Read the Memos of the New Right-Wing Strategy Group Planning a "30 Front War"". Mother Jones. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Ex secret service agent blasts obama 2013 Frontpage Mag
- ^ "Former Secret Service agent blasts 'toxic' administration". Page Six. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ "Secret Service Agent Turns on Obama, Runs for Congress". ABC News. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Joynt, Carol Ross. "What It's Like Protecting the President: Former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino Tells His Tale". Washingtonian. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ Weingarten, Benjamin. "An explosive interview with ex Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, author of 'Life Inside the Bubble'". The Blaze. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ "Getting to Know Dan Bongino - Crofton, MD Patch". Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Fritze, John. "Dan Bongino captures national attention as he campaigns in Md". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ "Daniel Bongino - Thank you to all of the people who have... - Facebook". Facebook. April 24, 2015.
- ^ Turque, Bill (May 21, 2015). "Bongino moves to Florida, where political outlook may be sunnier". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
- ^ "Unofficial 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Representative in Congress". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Representative in Congress, Congressional District 6". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- ^ "Official 2012 Presidential General Election results for U.S. Senator". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "2012 Presidential Primary Election Results". The State Board of Elections. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
External links
- Dan Bongino for Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (2012 Senate campaign) at the Federal Election Commission
- Articles
- "For U.S. Senate, strength on issues matters". The Gazette. Post Community Media, LLC. March 14, 2012.
- Lederman, Josh (March 21, 2012). "Air war heats up in Maryland Senate race". The Hill.
- Quinton, Jeff (April 8, 2013). "Dan Bongino is really scaring some people". RedState.
- Fritze, John. "Dan Bongino captures national attention as he campaigns in Md". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Secret Service agent's book hits best-seller list". Page Six. New York Post. November 30, 2013.
- "EDITORIAL: Bongino for Congress". The Washington Times. October 23, 2014.