WASHINGTON — Daniel Bongino, a 36-year-old U.S. Secret Service agent, who has worked protective details for President Obama and George W. Bush, has turned in his badge and gun to run as a Republican for U.S. Senate in Maryland against Democrat Ben Cardin.
Bongino, who worked as a New York cop for four years before joining the Secret Service in 1999, resigned last month from the Baltimore field office.
Bongino told ticklethewire.com that he would focus on the education and the economy in his campaign.
“You can’t have a solid economy without a solid educational system,” he said.
He said his years as a Secret Service agent, which included presidential protective details and wide-scale fraud investigations, has helped groom him for his latest venture.
He said the Secret Service has given him great leadership skills.
“Having someone’s life in your hands with that kind of profile, there is really no greater responsibility in law enforcement,” he said.
In a press release, he stated: “In my career, I’ve seen the effects of failed policies on citizens in our inner cities. I’ve had the honor of traveling to 27 countries with the Secret Service.”
“And the common theme in every country is a line around the block at the US Embassy. America is an extraordinary place. But our citizens must be given a chance to compete in the world economy. It is an ideas economy, and we know what works and what doesn’t. This is an ‘open-book’ test, but politicians insist on trying systems that either have already failed in other countries, or are in the process of failing.”
Bongino has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology and an MBA. He lives in Severna Park, Md., with his wife, Paula, and their daughter, Isabel.
