US Senate
Primary election·2026-06-02·Contested
Republican Primary
2 candidates
Two-term incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor of South Dakota (2003-2011). First elected to Senate in 2014.
Votes
101,269
Percentage
75.8%
Navy veteran and businessman from Rapid City.
Votes
32,338
Percentage
24.2%
Democratic
1 candidateno primary — advances to general
Julian Beaudion
Democrat
Former South Dakota state trooper and businessman.
Other Candidates
1 candidateBB
Brian Bengs
Independent
U.S. Navy and Air Force veteran, former NSU political science professor. Was 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, running as Independent in 2026.
Campaign Finance
Individual
PAC
Self-funded
Other
In the news
- Podcast: How an independent US Senate candidate wants to ‘deny the majority’ to get things doneSouth Dakota Searchlight· Aug 28
Mike Rounds is the incumbent Republican senator facing Brian Bengs in this November general election race.
- US senator from South Dakota subjects Postal Service to multiple pressure pointsSouth Dakota Searchlight· Aug 21
The story documents Senator Rounds' official actions and advocacy regarding postal service performance issues affecting his South Dakota constituents.
- Rounds announces bill to encourage converting cropland back to pastureSouth Dakota Searchlight· Aug 20
Senator Rounds is announcing and unveiling legislation as part of his public official duties, demonstrating his policy work and legislative priorities.
South Dakota Searchlight stories are republished-linkable under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (States Newsroom).