South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds defeated entrepreneur Justin McNeal on Tuesday night in the Republican primary.
Rounds, the former governor of South Dakota, is seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate.
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Rounds advances to face off against former South Dakota highway patrolman Julian Beaudion, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Rounds has the endorsement of President Donald Trump and cosponsored the Save America Act in January of 2026, along with Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chip Roy.
Rounds has frequently described it as “common sense legislation” that requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and requires a photo ID to vote.
On the Senate floor, he also urged his colleagues to back the bill, stressing voter integrity and that elections should be decided only by U.S. residents.
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“Free and fair elections are a foundation of our democracy. Part of that fairness is making sure only United States citizens are voting for our leaders,” said Rounds.
“This rule has been loosely enforced in blue states for far too long. I’m pleased to be joining Senator Lee on this legislation which requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote,” Rounds added.
Rounds has been very vocal this year with his support of the Save America Act.
“The SAVE America Act, which I am a cosponsor of, is common sense legislation,” Rounds declared.
“You’re required to show your ID when you start a new job, go to an R rated movie, buy an alcoholic beverage and shovel snow in New York. Requiring identification to vote in federal elections is a reasonable standard. Pass the SAVE America Act,” Rounds wrote on his Facebook in March 2026.
🚨BREAKING: 🟥Mike Rounds* is the projected winner of the Republican primary for US Senate in South Dakota.
Rounds is running for reelection to a third term and will easily win the general election in November. pic.twitter.com/KNtA2EGcdj
— Election Time (@ElectionTime_) June 3, 2026
In a Senate floor speech in March, he demanded that only citizens vote in U.S. elections.
“I rise today in support of the Save America Act legislation that I’ve co-sponsored to make certain that only US citizens are voting in our elections,” Rounds said.
“This legislation will require proof of citizenship in our elections and it would require that this citizenship be identified when registering to vote and a valid [photo ID to vote],” Rounds added.
Rounds has called the Save America Act a “no-brainer” and emphasized enforcement of existing laws.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters says Republicans may outspend Democrats this election cycle, a dramatic reversal from past campaigns where Democrats often held the fundraising advantage.
Speaking on Breitbart, Gruters argued Republicans are entering the midterm cycle with significantly stronger financial positioning and unprecedented coordination across the conservative movement.
Gruters painted a bleak financial picture for Democrats.
“The DNC has minus 4 million [dollars], and it wasn’t the DNC that plowed $70 million: It was the collective,” Gruters said.
“So, if you look at the collective on the right, we may have $800 million,” he continued.
“The collective on the left may have $350 million, and when you have the court, there’s gonna be a court case that is ruled on in the next week or two, coordinated campaign limits, which will magnify that, which will allow full coordination and allow the parties to spend at the candidate rate, which is massive for us,” he said.
According to Gruters, the RNC itself is in far stronger shape than the Democratic National Committee.
He said the RNC currently has “about $125 million” on hand compared to what he described as negative cash reserves at the DNC.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
