Polling Average
60%50%40%30%20%10%0%
48%
31.7%
27.8%
Republican
Trump Endorsed
Incumbent
Trump EndorsedIncumbentM. Michael Rounds
Incumbent Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in South Dakota
$34.5K
NOV 7, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Live Odds
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
M. Michael Rounds is trading at 95% to win the South Dakota Senate winner? on prediction markets.
Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleU.S. Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age71 years old (Oct 24, 1954)
GenderMale
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LocationSouth Dakota
BackgroundPolitician
EducationSouth Dakota State University — B.S., Political Science
Notable personal detailsMarion Michael “Mike” Rounds is a Republican U.S. Senator from South Dakota, serving since January 3, 2015. He previously served as the 31st Governor of South Dakota (2003–2011) and represented District 24 in the South Dakota State Senate (1991–2001), including six years as Senate Majority Leader. He earned a B.S. in political science from South Dakota State University and worked in the private sector in insurance and real estate.
SourcesShowHide
rounds.senate.govcongress.goven.wikipedia.orgwikidata.orgx.comnga.orgwashingtonpost.compaperzz.comhistory.house.govroundsforsenate.comsdpb.orgargusleader.comthehill.comuschamber.comfacebook.comms.nowthedakotascout.comsdstandardnow.comdakotafreepress.comkeloland.comnytimes.comfortune.comcnn.comyoutube.comsenate.govpt.wikipedia.orgkennedy.senate.govfec.govepw.senate.govdailypress.senate.govarmed-services.senate.govindian.senate.gov
Political Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports lowering taxes for individuals and businesses, simplifying the tax code, and reducing regulatory burdens to spur economic growth. Has introduced legislation proposing across-the-board rate cuts and promoted corporate and individual tax rate reductions as a path to job creation and higher wages. Opposed Democratic tax-and-spending packages that include new corporate taxes and expanded tax-funded programs.
Healthcare
Supports repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act in favor of market-based, patient-centered reforms, increased competition in insurance markets, and greater state flexibility for programs like Medicaid; has sponsored and cosponsored legislation focused on rolling back ACA provisions and advancing market-oriented health policy. Also sponsors legislation addressing rural and tribal health access and pandemic preparedness without proposing large federal expansions like single-payer or Medicare for All.
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Immigration & Border
Supports stronger border security and enforcement measures, including construction of a physical barrier along the southern border and legislation to crack down on asylum abuse and illegal crossings. Opposes amnesty or broad regularization for unauthorized immigrants and favors tightening enforcement of existing immigration laws while supporting targeted legal pathways (e.g., H-2B) for workforce needs.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports legal protections for unborn children beginning at conception and seeks to restrict or prohibit most abortions, with exceptions limited to saving the mother’s life. He has sponsored and cosponsored federal measures to ban specific abortion procedures, to deny taxpayer funding for abortion, to protect infants born alive after attempted abortions, and to extend constitutional protections to unborn children at conception.
Climate & Energy
Opposes international agreements and aggressive regulatory approaches to limit greenhouse gas emissions, supports an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy that preserves fossil fuel production while promoting biofuels and other domestic energy sources, and has voted or advocated to roll back or block major EPA climate regulations. Advocates for protecting and expanding the Renewable Fuel Standard and opposes policies like the Green New Deal and the Paris Agreement.
Public Safety & Guns
Mike Rounds consistently supports expanding and protecting Second Amendment rights, sponsors legislation to enable constitutional-carry protections and to remove federal barriers for lawful gun owners, and opposes regulatory actions by the ATF that he views as restricting access to firearms or ammunition. He has introduced bills to expand carry rights across states, protect travelers and tribal members’ ability to purchase firearms, and led efforts to block ATF rulemaking affecting gun owners.
Latest News
AINews Summary
Last updatedAug 3, 2026
M. Michael Rounds won his Republican Senate primary in South Dakota. The newer reporting mainly mentions him as part of the state’s Senate race results, while broader Mountain West coverage focuses on Democrats and independents in other states rather than on Rounds himself. There are no other major recent developments about him in the provided summaries.
rounds.senate.gov+31
Latest Polls
Recent polling results and the candidate's current average in the race.
M. Michael Rounds currently averages 48.0%, ranking first in this race, 16.3 points ahead of the nearest opponent.
Polling average: 48.0%Position: firstMargin: +16.3 ptsLatest poll: 56.0% (Jul 6 - 9)Polls included: 9
Average recalculated from polls through Jul 6 - 9.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Endorsements
3South Dakota Republican Senate nominee?
Campaign Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2026Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
Total raisedCash on hand
$3.2M
$2.4M
$1.6M
$794.1K
$0
2022
2024
2026
LatestYear
Total raised
Cash on hand
Total spent
Burn rate
Cycle 2022
$253.1K
$1.4M
$538.1K
$22.4K
Cycle 2024
$1.1M
$1.9M
$611.9K
$25.5K
Cycle 2026
$3.2M
$2.7M
$2.3M
$128.3K
Source: FEC