Who is Brian Bengs and what is Bengs running on in the 2026 South Dakota Senate race?

Brian Bengs is the independent candidate for South Dakota U.S. Senate. Independent; South Dakota native, Navy and Air Force veteran and former JAG attorney; taught at Northern State University; 2022 Democratic Senate nominee against John Thune. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Incumbent Mike Rounds (R) seeking a third term; Democrat Julian Beaudoin withdrew Aug 4 to 6, 2026 and was not replaced.
• Rating: Solid R (Cook).
• Polling: Rounds 45, Bengs 42 (Public Policy Polling, Sept 2026).

Why Bengs is behind

• Republicans have not lost a South Dakota Senate race since 2008; two-term incumbent and former governor.
• Money gap: Rounds $4.5M raised vs Bengs $782K as of June 30, 2026.
• Race has become a head-to-head with independent Bengs after the Democrat dropped out; state Democrats are not endorsing Bengs.
• A September PPP poll shows the margin shrinking to 3 points from 13 in July, which explains Bengs’ roughly 10% market price.

What Bengs is running on

• Money in politics. Calls big money the biggest problem in government; backs public campaign financing and a constitutional amendment strategy.
• Healthcare. Proposes expanding the ACA and its subsidies, lowering the Medicare age to 55, and a public option funded by taxes on billionaires and corporations.
• Term limits. Supports two-term Senate and six-term House limits and pledges to follow them himself.
• Agriculture / antitrust. Wants aggressive antitrust enforcement against Big Ag and meatpacker consolidation.
• Senate control. Aims to deny either party a Senate majority.

In Bengs’s own words

“The single biggest problem for our government in its entirety is big money controlling the system.”

The other candidates

• Mike Rounds (R)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.