South Dakota Senate Poll: Rounds Leads Independent Bengs 50% to 42%
A new poll released on October 22, 2026, shows Republican Senator Mike Rounds, seeking re-election in South Dakota's U.S. Senate race, leading independent candidate Brian Bengs 50 percent to 42 percent, with 8 percent of voters undecided.
The poll, conducted by KELOLAND News with Emerson College on October 19–20 among 803 likely voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. It also found President Trump's approval rating in South Dakota at 44 percent, with 52 percent disapproving — a marked drop from a March poll — though among voters who have already voted early, Bengs leads Rounds 55 percent to 45 percent.
If the 50–42 split holds through the November 3 election, it would be Rounds' closest race since his 1990 state senate election. Rounds, a former South Dakota governor, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015 and is seeking a third term; Bengs is challenging as an independent, running on cross-party support.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：南达科他州议会大厦柱廊。摄影：w_lemay，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: The portico of the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
