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United States Senate election in South Dakota, 2026

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2022
U.S. Senate, South Dakota
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 31, 2026
Primary: June 2, 2026
Primary runoff: July 28, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in South Dakota

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
U.S. Senate, South Dakota
U.S. SenateAt-large
South Dakota elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

Voters in South Dakota will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 31, 2026. The election will fill the Class II Senate seat held by Mike Rounds (R), who first took office in 2015. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Brian Bengs is running in the general election for U.S. Senate South Dakota on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Brian Bengs
Brian Bengs (Independent) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Julian Beaudion is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Julian Beaudion
Julian Beaudion Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Incumbent Mike Rounds and Justin McNeal are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota on June 2, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Brian Bengs

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Big Money has so completely corrupted our political system that regular people playing by the rules can’t afford the same lifestyle their parents enjoyed. Inflation makes daily life more expensive; medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy; owning a home is often an unachievable dream; & our national debt has grown to 20% more than the value of all goods & services Americans produced last year. Yet, just 25 years ago, we had a federal budget surplus & talked about potentially paying off the debt. What happened? We let billionaires buy politicians to rig the system so they can pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries & condition us to see only through red or blue-colored glasses disguising how they pick our pockets.


Getting America's finances in order will be a battle with Big Money interests that do not want to pay their fair share, but it can and must be done. Big Money also owns the Supreme Court so we must address its corruption to ensure it doesn't simply veto necessary changes. If regular people set aside partisanship and unite with righteous grit we can make it happen by doing these things: - Get Money Out of Politics - Target & Eliminate Corruption - Hold The Supreme Court Accountable - Get Term Limits In Place - Take Power Away From Self-Serving Partisans - Unrig The Tax Code - Balance The Budget & Pay Down The Debt


Government exists to create a stable and safe society where regular people can enjoy the liberty to lead a life of meaning and purpose—whatever that means to you. Here’s what needs to happen so that goal is realized: - Make Daily Life More Affordable - Establish Affordable & Accessible Healthcare - Safeguard Social Security & Medicare - Keep Government Out of Your Business

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/BrianBengs2025.jpeg

Brian Bengs (Independent)

Big Money has so completely corrupted our political system that regular people playing by the rules can’t afford the same lifestyle their parents enjoyed. Inflation makes daily life more expensive; medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy; owning a home is often an unachievable dream; & our national debt has grown to 20% more than the value of all goods & services Americans produced last year. Yet, just 25 years ago, we had a federal budget surplus & talked about potentially paying off the debt. What happened? We let billionaires buy politicians to rig the system so they can pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries & condition us to see only through red or blue-colored glasses disguising how they pick our pockets.

Getting America's finances in order will be a battle with Big Money interests that do not want to pay their fair share, but it can and must be done. Big Money also owns the Supreme Court so we must address its corruption to ensure it doesn't simply veto necessary changes. If regular people set aside partisanship and unite with righteous grit we can make it happen by doing these things:

- Get Money Out of Politics - Target & Eliminate Corruption - Hold The Supreme Court Accountable - Get Term Limits In Place - Take Power Away From Self-Serving Partisans - Unrig The Tax Code - Balance The Budget & Pay Down The Debt

Government exists to create a stable and safe society where regular people can enjoy the liberty to lead a life of meaning and purpose—whatever that means to you. Here’s what needs to happen so that goal is realized:

- Make Daily Life More Affordable - Establish Affordable & Accessible Healthcare - Safeguard Social Security & Medicare

- Keep Government Out of Your Business
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/BrianBengs2025.jpeg

Brian Bengs (Independent)

Corruption comes in many illegal & “legal” forms enabled by partisanship that holds fellow partisans to different standards than rivals. Eliminating corruption is essential to ensure the rule of law & guarantee taxpayer money truly serves the public interest. I am passionate about the principles of the constitutional system we all learned about in school. As a child, I pledged allegiance every morning to the ideals of limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, and popular sovereignty. I am driven to pursue systemic reforms that will enable regular people to once again enjoy their American birthright of a functional political system that actually works on their behalf.



Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Mike Rounds Republican Party $2,792,218 $1,656,323 $2,818,417 As of September 30, 2025
Julian Beaudion Democratic Party $146,311 $114,730 $31,081 As of September 30, 2025
Justin McNeal Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Brian Bengs Independent $154,886 $125,175 $29,710 As of September 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in South Dakota, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
1/20/20261/13/20261/6/202612/23/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in South Dakota in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Dakota, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
South Dakota U.S. Senate Republican 1,730 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota U.S. Senate Democratic 1,615 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota U.S. Senate Libertarian 50 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 3,393 N/A 4/28/2026 Source


Election history

The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2016.

2022

See also: United States Senate election in South Dakota, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Incumbent John Thune defeated Brian Bengs and Tamara Lesnar in the general election for U.S. Senate South Dakota on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Thune
John Thune (R)
 
69.6
 
242,316
Image of Brian Bengs
Brian Bengs (D)
 
26.1
 
91,007
Image of Tamara Lesnar
Tamara Lesnar (L) Candidate Connection
 
4.2
 
14,697

Total votes: 348,020
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Brian Bengs advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Incumbent John Thune defeated Bruce Whalen and Mark Mowry in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Thune
John Thune
 
72.2
 
85,613
Image of Bruce Whalen
Bruce Whalen Candidate Connection
 
20.3
 
24,071
Image of Mark Mowry
Mark Mowry Candidate Connection
 
7.4
 
8,827

Total votes: 118,511
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Tamara Lesnar advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate South Dakota on April 23, 2022.

Candidate
Image of Tamara Lesnar
Tamara Lesnar (L) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

General election

General election for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Incumbent Mike Rounds defeated Dan Ahlers in the general election for U.S. Senate South Dakota on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds (R)
 
65.7
 
276,232
Image of Dan Ahlers
Dan Ahlers (D) Candidate Connection
 
34.3
 
143,987

Total votes: 420,219
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Dan Ahlers advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota

Incumbent Mike Rounds defeated Scyller Borglum in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds
 
75.2
 
70,365
Image of Scyller Borglum
Scyller Borglum
 
24.8
 
23,164

Total votes: 93,529
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

U.S. Senate, South Dakota General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Thune Incumbent 71.8% 265,516
     Democratic Jay Williams 28.2% 104,140
Total Votes 369,656
Source: South Dakota Secretary of State




Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in South Dakota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for South Dakota, 2026
DistrictIncumbentPVI
South Dakota's At-LargeDusty JohnsonR+15

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, South Dakota
DistrictKamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
South Dakota's At-Large34.0%63.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 94.8% of South Dakotans lived in one of the state's 60 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 4.9% lived in one of 5 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Dakota following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

South Dakota presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 3 Democratic wins
  • 28 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[5] R R R R D D R R R R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Dakota.

U.S. Senate election results in South Dakota
RaceWinnerRunner up
202269.6%Republican Party26.1%Democratic Party
202065.7%Republican Party34.3%Democratic Party
201671.8%Republican Party28.2%Republican Party
201450.4%Republican Party29.5%Democratic Party
2010100%Republican PartyUncontested
Average71.529.5

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Dakota.

Gubernatorial election results in South Dakota
RaceWinnerRunner up
202262.0%Republican Party35.2%Democratic Party
201851.0%Republican Party47.6%Democratic Party
201470.5%Republican Party25.4%Democratic Party
201061.5%Republican Party38.5%Democratic Party
200661.7%Republican Party36.1%Democratic Party
Average61.336.6
See also: Party control of South Dakota state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Dakota's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Dakota
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 0 0
Republican 2 1 3
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 1 3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Dakota's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in South Dakota, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Larry Rhoden
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Tony Venhuizen
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Monae Johnson
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Marty J. Jackley

State legislature

South Dakota State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 3
     Republican Party 32
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

South Dakota House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 5
     Republican Party 65
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 70

Trifecta control

South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Thirty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate R D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

The table below details demographic data in South Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for South Dakota
South Dakota United States
Population 886,667 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 75,807 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 81.5% 63.4%
Black/African American 2.2% 12.4%
Asian 1.4% 5.8%
Native American 7.7% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.4%
Other (single race) 1.4% 6.6%
Multiple 5.6% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 4.6% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 93% 89.4%
College graduation rate 31.1% 35%
Income
Median household income $72,421 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 12% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

South Dakota 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Voting in South Dakota
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Progressive Party


Senators
Representatives
Republican Party (3)