South Dakota U.S. Senate Voter Guide: Rounds and Bengs on Iran and Foreign Beef Imports
Two candidates are on the ballot for U.S. Senate in South Dakota in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election: Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, the incumbent, and independent Brian Bengs. The Democratic nominee, Julian Beaudion, dropped out of the race in August, according to South Dakota Searchlight.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video for this race compares the two candidates on the war in Iran and foreign beef imports. Here is where each candidate stands, based on the video and the candidates' own statements.
Mike Rounds (Republican)
Rounds built an insurance and real estate business, served in the Legislature and spent eight years as governor before winning election to the Senate in 2014 and reelection in 2020, according to South Dakota Searchlight.
On Iran, the video says Rounds calls for an endgame and a national defense strategy for the war. Dakota News Now reported the same in a September interview. Rounds, a member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees, has voted against resolutions meant to check the president's power to continue the war, South Dakota Searchlight reported. "I think he made the right decision," Rounds said of President Donald Trump, adding that "if you're going to get in, and you're going to make a commitment, you probably need to be prepared to execute and to finish the job."
On beef imports, the video says Rounds criticizes the administration's foreign beef imports and is pushing his proposed RANCH Act for domestic cattle production. In August, Rounds told South Dakota Public Broadcasting that the president got "really bad advice" on a plan to allow more foreign ground beef into the country and called it a "knee jerk reaction." "It's a terrible message to send to producers out there that we'll have a stable market over an extended period of time," he said. The bipartisan RANCH Act would pay farmers to convert less-productive cropland back to grass for grazing, according to South Dakota Searchlight.
Brian Bengs (Independent)
Bengs served in the Navy and as an Air Force attorney and later worked as a college professor and park ranger, according to South Dakota Searchlight. He ran for Senate as a Democrat in 2022 and is running as an independent this time.
On Iran, the video says Bengs calls the war unconstitutional and without an end goal. Dakota News Now reported that he argues the U.S. must commit to reopening the Strait of Hormuz rather than pulling out prematurely. Bengs told South Dakota Searchlight he is worried about the president waging the war without congressional authorization and that the U.S. should have pursued nonmilitary options. "Covert espionage was the preferred method to deal with it because of the prospect of what Iran would do if you launched a full-scale military war," he said.
On beef imports, the video says Bengs opposes foreign beef imports. In an Oct. 22 Fox News op-ed, he wrote that South Dakota ranchers "are now having to compete with imports from South America that aren't fairly labeled so that American consumers can know the difference."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Mike Rounds: @RoundsforSenate on X. Brian Bengs: @BrianBengs on X and @brianbengs on Instagram.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: South Dakota Searchlight, "Challenger takes aim at incumbent's campaign finances in South Dakota US Senate race" (Oct. 16, 2026): https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/10/16/challenger-takes-aim-at-incumbents-campaign-finances-in-south-dakota-us-senate-race/ ; Dakota News Now, "Inside the Race: Rounds, Bengs talk Senate priorities ahead of November election" (Sept. 22, 2026): https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2026/09/22/inside-race-rounds-bengs-talk-senate-priorities-ahead-november-election/ ; South Dakota Public Broadcasting, "Rounds calls Trump-backed foreign beef import plan a 'knee-jerk reaction'" (Aug. 31, 2026): https://www.sdpb.org/politics/2026-08-31/rounds-calls-trump-backed-foreign-beef-import-plan-a-knee-jerk-reaction ; South Dakota Searchlight, "Rounds announces bill to encourage converting cropland back to pasture" (Aug. 19, 2026): https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/08/19/rounds-announces-bipartisan-bill-to-encourage-converting-cropland-back-to-pasture/ ; Fox News, Brian Bengs op-ed (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/independent-brian-bengs-why-want-south-dakota-vote-senate
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