Republicans Are Even Ramping Up Campaign Spending In Deep-Red South Dakota Now

Republicans began ramping up spending in South Dakota’s Senate race weeks before the election as South Dakotans continued to disapprove of President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

Republican-aligned spending totaled nearly $1.2 million in support of Republican South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds between the weeks of Aug. 11 and Monday, while independent-aligned groups spent nearly $516,000 in support of independent South Dakota Senate candidate Brian Bengs, according to a media-buying firm. Spending in support of Rounds surged from just under $18,000 during the week of Sept. 15 to over $285,000 the following week, mirroring a national trend across red states in the 2026 cycle as voters remained dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies.

The South Dakota Conservative PAC spent $590,861 in independent expenditures opposing Bengs, according. Its spending surged from over $55,000 the week of Sept. 1 to over $139,000 the week of Sept. 8. The PAC continued spending six figures throughout the month of September.

The PAC increased its spending on broadcast ads from over $24,000 the week of Sept. 1 to over $73,000 the following week. It spent $85,000 on broadcasting the week of Sept. 29.

Rounds reportedly deleted Trump’s name from his homepage after previously touting the president’s endorsement.

Trump’s decision to import 300,000 metric tons of foreign-raised beef into the U.S. was unpopular with South Dakota voters, according to The Hill. The senator said that South Dakota ranchers viewed Trump’s decision as a betrayal.

“The suggestion that they bring in 300,000 metric tons of beef is not a popular program. They feel just like the administration pulled the rug right out from underneath a lot of our farmers and ranchers,” Rounds said.

A Republican strategist told The Hill that Trump’s low approval rating among independent voters was a “huge problem,” especially given that Bengs is running as an independent.

Since the Iran war began, Trump’s approval rating in South Dakota dropped from 54% to its current 47%, according to Civiqs’ rolling online tracking survey. Forty-five percent of those surveyed in South Dakota disapproved of Trump.

Polls show Rounds leading by a narrower margin than expected, with a Zenith Research poll from Sept. 30 finding Rounds leading 44% to 38%. A Public Policy Polling survey found Rounds leading 45% to 42%.

Rounds won his 2020 Senate race by over 30 points, 65.7% to 34.3%, against Democratic South Dakota Senate nominee Dan Ahlers.

Rounds’ campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Rounds had a 43% approval rating and a 48% disapproval rating, according to a Sept. 30 Zenith Research survey. An Emerson College poll from July found the senator’s approval rating standing at 32%, while his disapproval rating was 43%.

Bengs picked up significant support from independent voters. The Zenith survey found Bengs leading among self-identified independent voters by 47 points.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s polling numbers were significantly stronger than Rounds’ during his 2022 reelection bid against Bengs, who ran as a Democrat at the time. A South Dakota State University poll from late September and early October 2022 showed Thune leading Bengs 53% to 28%, while earlier polls showed similar results.

Thune defeated Bengs by a margin of 43.5 points, 69.6% to 26.2%.

South Dakota last had a Democratic senator on Jan. 3, 2015, when former Democratic South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson retired from office. Republicans currently control the governor’s and attorney general’s offices, as well as the state Legislature.

Affordability remained a top issue in the midterm elections because the Iran war caused prices to surge. The war caused gas prices to increase more than 40%, which in turn caused food prices to rise.

Republicans have spent unprecedented amounts of money in red states that are not usually thought to be competitive. Republican PACs spent around $200 million to boost Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s chances of defeating Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico, who leads Paxton by an average of 2.8 points, according to RealClearPolling.

The top Republican super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, planned to spend $14 million in Kansas, which has not had a Democratic U.S. senator since 1939. Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall and his opponent, Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton, were tied at an average of 45.8% as of Monday, according to RealClearPolling.

Republican PACs and committees paused spending in North Carolina, a battleground state where Republican North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley is trailing former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. They also spent less in Georgia while Republicans are fighting to flip Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat.

Democrats cut back on spending in early October because Cooper held a comfortable lead.

The Senate Leadership Fund poured $5 million into South Carolina to help Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, who led her Democratic opponent by an average of two points as of Monday, according to RealClearPolling.