RECAP: Dwayne Bensing on Highlands Bunker: Breaking the "Delaware Way"

In a powerful and timely episode of the Highlands Bunker podcast, hosts Rob and Bill sat down with civil rights attorney Dwayne Bensing to discuss his progressive primary challenge against two-time incumbent Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings. Recorded in the raw aftermath of the police killing of Kadir Skinner, the conversation cut through standard political talking points to confront the systemic failures embedded within Delaware's legal and corporate landscape.

From reforming an "untouchable" police culture to using the power of the state to rein in corporate giants, Bensing laid out a starkly different vision for what the Attorney General's office can — and should — be.

1. Demanding Transparency and Transforming Police Accountability
A major focus of the episode centered on the critical lack of transparency following police-involved shootings in Delaware, specifically the withholding of body camera footage. Bensing cleared up widespread misconceptions, noting that no statutory laws prohibit the immediate release of such footage to the public.
He pointed directly to structural failures within the AG’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust (DCRPT):

• A History of Inaction: Under the current administration, over two dozen civilians have been shot and killed by police, yet DCRPT has never once found an incident to constitute excessive or reckless force; indeed, no criminal charges have ever been brought against a police officer involved in any of these killings.
• The High Standard Trap: DCRPT routinely evaluates cases against the highest criminal standard (Murder 1) instead of considering charges like manslaughter or reckless disregard for human life.
• Reforming the Culture: Bensing argued that the AG's office must change how it incentivizes policing, moving away from low-level misdemeanor stacking and toward a culture that actively weeds out misconduct. He also highlighted how lack of trust in our police force undermines community safety.

2. Setting a "North Star" for Civil Rights
As a Vice Chair of the Delaware Human and Civil Rights Commission and former legal director of the ACLU, Bensing highlighted a deep cultural detachment from constitutional protections within the current Department of Justice. He shared personal legal battles against the state, including a two-year fight just to allow a local Imam to bury the dead according to his faith without forced, sacrilegious embalming mandates.

Bensing noted that a true progressive legal framework means evaluating every law and state action strictly through the lens of constitutional and civil rights—something he argues is severely lacking under the incumbent.

3. Challenging Corporate Greed and Big Tech
Delaware is the corporate capital of the world, housing twice as many corporations as people. Bensing emphasized that the Attorney General holds massive, untapped jurisdictional authority to act as a check on corporate overreach, an area where the current administration has repeatedly demurred:

• The Nextstar (and now Paramount!) Media Merger: While nine state attorneys general sued to halt this major media merger to protect free speech and competitive markets, Delaware’s AG did not join the suit—despite Nextstar being incorporated in Delaware.
• The OpenAI Pivot: When Sam Altman converted OpenAI from a non-profit to a for-profit entity, the decision rested heavily on the attorneys general of California and Delaware. Bensing criticized Kathy Jennings for submitting a motion of "no objection" to the transition, leaving other states (like Florida) to later sue to keep AI companies accountable.

What it Means to Fight for Democracy
Addressing his friction with establishment Democrats, Bensing embraced the primary challenge as the literal definition of democracy. Rather than letting voters fall in line behind rubber-stamped incumbents, he insisted that a healthy democracy requires robust debate over how public systems operate.

How to Follow the Campaign
To learn more about Dwayne’s platform, view his upcoming schedule, or get involved, visit his official campaign hub:

• Website: DwayneBensing.com
• Weekly Town Halls: Every Tuesday, the campaign hosts virtual town halls via Zoom at rotating times (8 a.m., noon, and various evening slots) to accommodate all working schedules and answer community questions directly.