Bentley Hensel
Bentley Hensel (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 8th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Hensel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bentley Hensel was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2013 to 2014. He earned a high school diploma from Holy Savior Menard Central High School and attended Louisiana Tech University. His career experience includes working as a software engineer.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024
Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)
Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Jerry Torres, David Kennedy, and Bentley Hensel in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) | 71.5 | 274,593 | |
| Jerry Torres (R) | 24.7 | 94,676 | ||
| David Kennedy (Independent) | 2.6 | 9,956 | ||
| Bentley Hensel (Independent) | 1.0 | 3,656 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 1,034 | ||
| Total votes: 383,915 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jeramy Olmack (No Party Affiliation)
- Stephen Leon (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Campbell (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Jerry Torres advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mike Webb (R)
- Bill Moher (R)
- Adam Sahebian (R)
- Heerak Christian Kim (R)
- Gavin Proffitt (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hensel in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bentley Hensel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hensel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Transparency and Accountability: I believe in an open, accountable government. My campaign is pioneering real-time donation disclosure to set a new standard for campaign finance transparency.
- Technological Innovation: Our government systems are outdated. I’m committed to modernizing our infrastructure with the latest technology, making services more effective, secure, and accessible.
- Actionable Solutions Over Rhetoric: Voters deserve representatives who deliver real, data-driven solutions. I’m focused on practical, innovative approaches that benefit everyone.
Transparency is a core value for me; whether it’s ensuring real-time financial disclosures or holding officials accountable, I’m dedicated to making our systems more open, efficient, and trustworthy. My approach is rooted in the belief that an informed and engaged public is essential for a healthy democracy.
If you want to see my listening history and what I am currently listening to, you can check it out at https://henselforcongress.com/music
Specifically, the Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation subcommittee under Homeland Security, and the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security subcommittee under Energy and Commerce are key areas where I can drive impactful change.
Additionally, we must overhaul the financial disclosure system to make public data easily accessible, removing the barriers that currently hide essential information. Transparency builds trust and prevents corruption, ensuring leaders are accountable and act in everyone's best interest.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Hensel's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Fixing Education: A Total Overhaul of America's Future American education is broken, jeopardizing our future. To fix it, we must transform the system to ensure every American child has a fair shot at success. Immigration Reform: A 21st Century Solution for a Stronger America Immigration is vital to America’s success, but our current system is outdated and inefficient. It’s time for a reform that ensures transparency, efficiency, and justice, allowing us to fully harness the benefits of immigration for a stronger, more united nation. Income Inequality Income inequality in the United States has reached fundamentally destabilizing economic and social levels. We tried trickle-down economics, but the only trickle most workers saw was a drying up of their financial security. Digital Privacy Data breaches, sadly, have become far too common. Here is how we can fix it. Campaign Finance Transparency Transparency in political financing is crucial for a healthy democracy. It ensures that elected officials are accountable to their constituents and that electoral processes remain fair and transparent. Recognizing the potential of technology to enhance this transparency, I support real-time disclosure of campaign finance contributions and expenditures. The Need for Digital Gaming Rights How to fix the video game industry's DRM issue |
” |
| —Bentley Hensel's campaign website (2024)[3] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Virginia District 8 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 30, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Hensel for Congress, “Issues,” accessed September 24, 2024
