Republicans Boost Funding for Mike Rounds as South Dakota Voters Turn Away from Trump Policies

In the final weeks before the election, Republican-aligned expenditures in South Dakota’s Senate contest reached almost $1.2 million for incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds, while independent-aligned groups allocated roughly $516,000 to challenger Brian Bengs, according to media-buying firm Polaris. Rounds’ weekly outlays jumped from just under $18,000 during the week of Sept. 15 to more than $285,000 the next week, mirroring a national trend of GOP spending spikes in deep-red states.

The South Dakota Conservative PAC contributed $590,861 in independent expenditures against Bengs, with broadcast ad spending rising from over $24,000 to $73,000 within a week and hitting $85,000 by late September. Internal polls place Rounds ahead by a few points, but his margin is tighter than expected, partly due to Donald Trump’s declining approval—down to 47%—among South Dakota voters, especially independents. Rounds recently removed Trump’s endorsement from his website after the president’s proposal to import 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef drew backlash from local ranchers. The race unfolds amid broader Republican spending surges in other red-state Senate contests, though GOP groups have scaled back in battleground states like North Carolina and Georgia.