Mike Rounds Wins Re-election to U.S. Senate in South Dakota

Mike Rounds Wins Re-election to U.S. Senate in South Dakota

by

With more than 95% of votes counted, Mike Rounds led independent Brian Bengs 184,571 to 120,484, a margin of 64,087 votes, securing another six-year term in the U.S. Senate from South Dakota.

The New York Times, citing the Associated Press, reported the result as of Nov. 4, with Rounds defeating the only opponent left on the ballot after the Democratic nominee withdrew more than five weeks before election day.

The victory extends a tenure that began on January 6, 2015, giving Rounds approximately 11 years in the chamber as of election day. For South Dakota, Mike Rounds won re-election to the U.S. Senate by defeating independent Brian Bengs, the sole opponent on the ballot after the Democratic nominee withdrew, securing another six-year term for the Republican incumbent.

How the Race Narrowed to One Challenger

The bigger shift came on September 24, when Democratic nominee Julian Beaudion withdrew from the general election, leaving Bengs as Rounds’s sole opponent on the ballot.

Mike Rounds wins re-election to U.S. Senate

The Money Told Its Own Story

Financially, the race was never close.

Outside spending broke even more sharply by side. The South Dakota Conservative PAC ran multiple disbursements opposing Bengs from September through late October and made a series of disbursements supporting Rounds beginning in February.

Accusations Flew Over Influence and Allegiance

The campaign’s most-documented exchanges centered on money and outside influence. Bengs argued, according to South Dakota Public Broadcasting on September 3, that Rounds had received more than $215,000 from AI and data-center interests.

“The money tells a different story” about whom Rounds represents, Bengs claimed, a characterization that is his own and is not established by the race record.

Those are the campaign’s allegations and are not established by the race record. The South Dakota Conservative PAC also ran ads labeling Bengs a Democrat and a “pro-abortion extremist,” juxtaposing him with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, according to The Dakota Scout on October 9; Bengs objected to the characterization of his party affiliation.

Election Coverage: Rep. Senate Mike Rounds

Eleven Years of Committee Work

On Armed Services, he sits on the Personnel, Seapower, and Strategic Forces subcommittees.

His legislative activity spans the practical concerns of his state and national security priorities. He sponsored S.5629, a bill to allow veterans to seek a second opinion after receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs; S.5277, establishing a ranchland program supporting the U.S. cow herd; S.5211, requiring a strategy for cyber cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region; and S.5139, directing the Secretary of Defense to support development of quantum technologies. He also cosponsored S.5555, requiring interim remedial actions on PFAS contamination at Defense Department installations.

As the 119th Congress convenes, Rounds returns to the chamber.

Keep reading

Read next