US Senate
General election·2026-11-03·Polls close 7 p.m. local time (Central/Mountain)·Contested
Republican
1 candidate
Two-term incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor of South Dakota (2003-2011). First elected to Senate in 2014.
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.
In the news
- Challenger takes aim at incumbent’s campaign finances in South Dakota US Senate raceSouth Dakota Searchlight· Oct 16
The story covers campaign finance dynamics and candidate positions in the November 3, 2026 US Senate general election.
- Unusually high number of independent candidates seek South Dakota legislative seatsSouth Dakota Searchlight· Oct 16
Brian Bengs is explicitly named as an independent candidate challenging Rounds for the U.S. Senate seat in the upcoming election.
- Rounds’ Sioux Falls office among several receiving suspicious letters, officials saySioux Falls Live· Oct 16
The story reports on a security incident affecting Senator Rounds' office, which is a matter of public concern regarding his official capacity and safety.
South Dakota Searchlight stories are republished-linkable under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (States Newsroom).