2026 United States Senate election in South Dakota

For related races, see 2026 United States Senate elections.

Not to be confused with 2026 South Dakota Senate election.

2026 United States Senate election in South Dakota

←  2020 November 3, 2026 2032 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent U.S. senator Mike Rounds Republican

The 2026 United States Senate election in South Dakota will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of South Dakota. Two-term Republican Mike Rounds was re-elected in 2020 with 65.8% of the vote and has not stated whether he will run for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Filed paperwork

• William Beauford ^[1]

Publicly expressed interest

• Mike Rounds, incumbent U.S. Senator (2015–present) ^[2]

Endorsements

Mike Rounds (not declared)

U.S. presidents

• Donald Trump, 45th and 47th president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present) ^[3]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Mike Rounds (R)	$2,211,882	$1,391,226	$2,503,178
Source: Federal Election Commission [4]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Julian Beaudion, former South Dakota state trooper, activist, and businessman ^[5]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Julian Beaudion (D)	$85,413	$41,688	$43,725
Source: Federal Election Commission [4]

Independents

Candidates

Declared

• Brian Bengs, U.S. Navy and Air Force veteran, former Northern State University political science professor, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 ^[6]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Brain Bengs (I)	$78,117	$59,502	$18,615
Source: Federal Election Commission [4]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Inside Elections [7]	Solid R	August 12, 2025
The Cook Political Report [8]	Solid R	August 18, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [9]	Safe R	August 12, 2025
Race To The WH [10]	Safe R	September 4, 2025

References

1. "BEAUFORD, WILLIAM TREMEYNE MR III - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
2. Santella, Dan (April 23, 2025). "Sen. Rounds looks at '25 dynamics, says no gubernatorial run in '26". KELO-TV . Retrieved April 30, 2025. Asked if he's running for reelection, Rounds keeps that door wide open. "I'll wait a little bit before I make a formal announcement," he said.
3. Dakota War College (July 21, 2025). "After GOP pokes at him on Facebook, President Trump has high and undenaible praise for Senator Rounds". Dakota War College. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
4. "2026 Election United States Senate - South Dakota". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission . Retrieved July 21, 2025.
5. Dausch, Dominik (April 10, 2025). "Democrat Julian Beaudion announces US Senate run for Republican Mike Rounds' seat in 2026". Argus Leader . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
6. Dausch, Dominik (April 30, 2025). "Former Democrat Brian Bengs launches independent bid for Mike Rounds' Senate seat in 2026". Argus Leader . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
7. "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
8. "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
9. "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
10. "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved April 30, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Julian Beaudion (D) for U.S. Senate
• Brian Bengs (I) for U.S. Senate