Democratic
No Democratic candidate
Major-party general-election nominee.
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South Dakota U.S. Senate election, 2026
No Democratic candidate vs. Mike Rounds. Incumbent renominated.
No Democratic nominee
Democratic nominee Julian Beaudion ended his campaign after the June primary. The November contest is Republican Mike Rounds against independent Brian Bengs, a matchup this Democratic-versus-Republican model does not forecast.
No forecast is published for this race. The forecast returns if and when a Dem-vs-Rep matchup is set and polled.
Republican
Mike Rounds
Incumbent. Voting record and biography →
Other listed candidates
- Brian Bengs · Independent
Polls
No verified 2026 general-election poll is currently available in the feed for this race.
Other forecasts
Cook
Solid R
as of Oct 6, 2026
DDHQ
Safe R
as of Oct 13, 2026
Econ
Likely R
as of Oct 12, 2026
FPO
Safe R
as of Oct 13, 2026
Fox
Solid R
as of Oct 13, 2026
IE
Solid R
as of Oct 1, 2026
RCP
Solid R
as of Oct 12, 2026
Sabato
Safe R
as of Oct 6, 2026
Silver
Solid R
as of Oct 13, 2026
ST
Likely R
as of Oct 7, 2026
Published ratings are categorical, not probabilities, and remain independent of VotePredictor. Sources and update dates ↗
Past results
Every U.S. Senate election in South Dakota we hold a result for. A state elects two senators on separate cycles, so this covers both of its seats, not only the one on the ballot in 2026.
YearWinnerMargin
Candidate news
Another Republican senator quietly scrubs Trump from campaign website as midterm jitters creep into blood red South Dakota
South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds is the latest candidate quietly scrubbing mentions of President Donald Trump on his campaign website.
Dailymail.com · October 13, 2026
Trump vanishes from GOP senator's campaign website as poll numbers plunge weeks before election
Sen. Mike Rounds' campaign scrubbed several Trump mentions from his website as the president's approval rating craters in South Dakota's Senate race.
Fox News · October 13, 2026
Republican unease with Trump spreads to places it was never supposed to reach: report
Republican unease with President Donald Trump has spread beyond swing-district lawmakers fighting for their political lives. Senators from some of the country's most reliably red states are now openly challenging him on the economy, the Iran war and more, acc…
Raw Story · October 5, 2026
Bipartisan frustration builds as Senators seek transparency from Pentagon
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions are mounting between the Pentagon and Congress over the flow of information to lawmakers about the U.S. military's priorities, with both Democrats and Republicans accusing a Defense Department leader of being frustratingly opaque. …
Yahoo Entertainment · September 17, 2026
Exclusive: Navy Veteran Brian Bengs Takes on Big Money in South Dakota as Independent US Senate Candidate
Bengs, who previously ran for office, is channeling an anti-corruption campaign against Republican incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds.
Military.com · September 10, 2026