Republican Mike Rounds Wins Reelection to South Dakota U.S. Senate

“It was complicated,” said 46-year-old Democrat Heather Reed of Sioux Falls, declining to say at her polling place Tuesday whether she voted for Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds or independent Brian Bengs. “I didn’t feel like there was a good choice for somebody that I believe has full integrity and maturity and will stand up for people who are marginalized. I’m not sure that either of the candidates will do that.”

Rounds led Bengs 62% to 38% when The Associated Press called the race at about 11 p.m. Central time Tuesday with 58% of statewide votes counted, South Dakota Searchlight reported. The victory hands the 72-year-old Rounds another six-year term, his third in the Senate after eight years as governor and 10 years in the state Legislature.

Rounds Secures a 62% Mandate in a Deep-Red State

Bengs, a 56-year-old resident of Hot Springs who served in the Navy and worked as an attorney in the Air Force before becoming a college professor and park ranger, launched a well-funded independent campaign that drew donations from across the country and support from outside groups, which saw a rare chance to take on a Republican incumbent in a state that leans Republican. Across the country, Bengs was one of four independent Senate candidates on Tuesday whose chief rivals were Republican senators; the others campaigned in Nebraska, Montana and Idaho — states like South Dakota in which President Donald Trump has prevailed and Democrats have had difficulty.

Republican Mike Rounds Wins Reelection to South Dakota U.S. Senate — Photo: kbhbradio.com

Rounds likewise had ample funding, and campaign finance reports showed that total spending in the race neared $10 million earlier this month. Bengs previously ran as a Democrat for Senate four years ago, when he lost to Republican Sen. John Thune by 44 points.

Independent Voters Now Outnumber Democrats in South Dakota

Since Bengs’ previous campaign, voters registered as independent or non-politically affiliated have outnumbered Democrats in the state, while Republicans have established a 2-to-1 registration lead over Democrats. Bengs stood as Rounds’ sole opponent after this year’s Democratic nominee, Julian Beaudion, withdrew in August. At the time, Beaudion claimed that Bengs and some Democrats had pressured him to withdraw — a charge Bengs rejected. The situation left voters like Reed weighing an unfamiliar matchup.

🚨 MIKE ROUNDS WINS SOUTH DAKOTA Decision Desk HQ (10:02 PM ET) projects Republican Sen. Mike Rounds wins a third term in South Dakota, defeating independent Brian Bengs. Early count; AP had not called it as of 10:10 PM ET. Rounds 63.8% / Bengs 36.2% Margin: 15,732 votes (as of… pic.twitter.com/5zXR8HOUeo

— https://x.com/WescottAmerica/status/2117818487389450303

Tariffs, Tech Ties and a Debate Rounds Refused

Outside groups’ ads opposing Rounds portrayed him as going along with Trump policies, such as higher tariffs and the war in Iran, which have helped drive up prices for fuel and consumer goods. Bengs likewise attacked Rounds’ connections to the tech industry, citing a Rounds senior adviser, Rob Skjonsberg, who has worked as a state-level lobbyist for Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

“South Dakotans deserve to know that the people who work for them aren’t using public service as a revolving door to lucrative lobbying jobs,” Bengs said during the campaign.

Bengs highlighted contributions to Rounds’ campaign committee or associated political action committees, verified by South Dakota Searchlight, from people and PACs tied to tech-company investors and major tech companies. Rounds co-chairs the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus and has sponsored or cosponsored multiple bills affecting the tech industry. Bengs challenged Rounds to debates, but Rounds declined, and his campaign instead focused on his opposition to abortion, his support of military spending, and his A+ rating from the National Rifle Association compared with Bengs’ F.

Rounds pushed back on the ethics attacks earlier this month in a Searchlight interview.

“Does anybody see where I would make a vote that would be different based upon individuals participating in funding my campaign or anybody else’s campaign? Everything that we do is reported. Everything that we do is done in accordance with Senate ethics rules and campaign rules. And the reason why folks support me is because they agree with me on my positions.”

With 58% of votes counted when the race was called, the margin left little doubt about the outcome, and Rounds now heads back to Washington for another six-year stretch representing a state where his party’s registration dominance continues to grow.