South Dakota — U.S. Senate

Julian Beaudion

Supports federal education investments

Beaudion opposes efforts to eliminate or dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that federal educational benefits and resources are vital for future generations. He advocates for protecting public education funding and expanding support for schools across South Dakota.

• Opposes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education
• Supports protecting and investing in federal education programs

“I also support securing all of the benefits offered by the Department of Education, including preventing the dismantling of the department.”

Mike Rounds

Supports eliminating Department of Education

Rounds advocates for eliminating the federal Department of Education in favor of local control over schools. He contends that federal mandates create a one-size-fits-all model that fails to meet the needs of local school districts.

• Working with Donald Trump to eliminate the federal Department of Education
• Promotes local control over educational standards and policies

“Mike is working with President Trump to lead the effort to eliminate the Department of Education.”

“He believes in local control of education, and while standards are important, a “one size fits all” directive from the federal government does not serve our children well.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports expanding universal healthcare

Beaudion supports universal healthcare initiatives and expanding access to affordable healthcare services, particularly in underserved rural communities. He views healthcare access as a core issue for improving quality of life across the state.

• Supports universal healthcare coverage
• Advocates expanding affordable rural healthcare access

“I care deeply about public safety, infrastructure, and expanding access to affordable healthcare, especially in rural areas.”

Mike Rounds

Opposes Obamacare and single-payer system

Rounds opposes Obamacare and favors repealing and replacing it with market-based, patient-centered solutions. He strongly opposes single-payer systems while supporting Medicare protection for senior citizens without using benefit cuts to offset other costs.

• Opposes Obamacare and supports market-based alternatives
• Adamantly opposes single-payer healthcare systems
• Defends Medicare solvency for seniors

“Mike opposes Obamacare and would work to repeal and replace it with market-based, patient-centered solutions.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports pro-growth policies and labor rights

Beaudion promotes economic policies aimed at cutting red tape, lowering costs, and expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs, farmers, and working families. As a restaurant owner, he highlights the importance of supporting small businesses while championing labor protections, including collective bargaining rights and fair treatment for federal workers.

• Promotes pro-growth policies to assist small businesses, farmers, and workers
• Supports labor rights and collective bargaining
• Advocates fair treatment and protections for federal workers

“I will fight for pro-growth policies that support South Dakota’s entrepreneurs, farmers, and working families to cut red tape, lower costs, and expand opportunities across rural and urban communities alike.”

Mike Rounds

Supports tax cuts and deregulation

Rounds prioritizes keeping taxes low, fostering a friendly business environment, and reducing federal regulatory overreach. He advocates for a federal balanced budget amendment and legislation like the REINS Act to restrict bureaucratic regulations impacting businesses.

• Supports keeping taxes low and cutting bureaucratic red tape
• Advocates for a federal balanced budget amendment
• Supports passing the REINS Act to curb executive agency regulations

“Creating jobs, fostering a friendly business environment, cutting bureaucratic red-tape, investing in our children, honoring our military, living within our means and keeping taxes low have long been priorities for Mike.”

“Mike supports a balanced budget amendment.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports comprehensive immigration reform

Beaudion advocates for modernizing the national immigration system through comprehensive reform. He includes immigration reform as a key pillar in his platform to fix broken policies.

• Supports modernizing the immigration system through policy reform

“Modernizing a broken system”

Mike Rounds

Supports strict border law enforcement

Rounds treats border security as an essential component of national security, focusing on halting illegal drug trafficking and human smuggling. He supports constructing the southern border wall, increasing enforcement personnel, utilizing advanced surveillance technology, and passing strict immigration enforcement legislation like the Laken Riley Act.

• Supports funding for southern border wall construction and surveillance tech
• Advocates increasing personnel for border enforcement
• Voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act

“Mike believes that border security is essential to national security, and that we must stop the flow of illegal drugs and human trafficking across our southern border.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports addressing climate resilience

Beaudion identifies confronting climate resilience and modernizing infrastructure as major national priorities for the coming decade. He emphasizes preparing communities for climate challenges while maintaining competitive innovation.

• Supports policies to build climate resilience
• Advocates modernizing infrastructure to remain globally competitive

“We must also confront climate resilience, modernize our infrastructure, and ensure the U.S. remains competitive in global innovation and security.”

Mike Rounds

Supports all-of-the-above energy independence

Rounds advocates for an all-of-the-above energy approach to achieve American energy independence, expand domestic resource usage, and lower consumer costs. He opposes federal regulatory limits on energy producers and supports projects like the Keystone Pipeline alongside domestic ethanol production.

• Supports an all-of-the-above strategy for domestic energy production
• Backed construction of the Keystone Pipeline
• Opposes federal regulations on domestic energy producers

“Mike is a strong advocate for American energy independence and supports an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy production.”

“Mike supports the Keystone Pipeline.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports fully funding VA system

Beaudion prioritizes improving healthcare for veterans, advocating to fully fund the Veterans Affairs system and protect it from privatization efforts. He seeks to build bipartisan coalitions in the Senate to strengthen veteran services.

• Supports full funding for the VA system
• Opposes privatization of veterans' healthcare services

“I am passionate about improving veteran care and ensuring our VA system is fully funded and protected from privatization.”

Mike Rounds

Supports strong national defense funding

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rounds focuses on ensuring the U.S. military maintains global superiority. His legislative record includes voting for annual National Defense Authorization Acts and supporting expansion of toxic exposure healthcare for veterans under the PACT Act.

• Serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee focusing on national security
• Supported passage of National Defense Authorization Acts
• Voted for the PACT Act to expand veterans' healthcare access

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mike is working to make sure our military remains the best in the world.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports protecting Social Security benefits

Beaudion includes protecting Social Security as a cornerstone of his campaign platform, framing the program as an earned right for workers and retirees. He commits to opposing measures that reduce entitlement benefits.

• Supports protecting Social Security for workers and retirees

“Protect Social Security”

Mike Rounds

Supports protecting entitlement solvency

Rounds commits to protecting Social Security and Medicare for current seniors and future generations. He advocates commonsense structural reforms to ensure long-term program solvency without cutting existing benefit levels.

• Supports commonsense reforms to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent
• Opposes benefit cuts for current seniors

“He supports commonsense reforms to keep these programs solvent without cutting benefits, making sure they remain strong for years to come.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports public safety and constitutional rights

Drawing on his 13-year career as a state trooper, Beaudion supports strengthening law enforcement and public safety while maintaining constitutional protections and individual liberties. He expresses openness to reforming the Senate filibuster if used to block public safety legislation.

• Supports public safety measures while protecting constitutional rights
• Open to filibuster reform for public safety legislation

“I’m committed to strengthening law enforcement while ensuring constitutional protections and individual liberties are upheld.”

Mike Rounds

Supports Second Amendment rights

Rounds strongly supports Second Amendment rights and opposes federal restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. His legislative record includes supporting congressional resolutions to nullify ATF regulations on firearm stabilizing braces.

• Supports protecting Second Amendment rights for gun owners
• Voted for congressional disapproval of ATF stabilizing brace regulations

“Mike is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He works in the U.S. Senate to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”

Julian Beaudion

Supports term limits and filibuster reform

Beaudion supports enacting congressional term limits to reduce career politics and fresh perspectives in government. He also supports reforming the Senate filibuster when it acts as an obstacle to urgent national priorities like voting rights or public safety reform, while advocating for financial transparency and regular audits.

• Supports congressional term limits
• Supports reforming the Senate filibuster when used for legislative obstruction
• Advocates government transparency, regular audits, and open meetings

“I support term limits for Congress.”

“If it prevents the Senate from addressing urgent national issues, like voting rights or public safety reform, it must be reformed.”

Mike Rounds

Supports balanced budget and reduced regulation

Rounds focuses on government reform through strict fiscal discipline, advocating for a federal balanced budget amendment. He supports reducing executive agency power through the REINS Act and opposed state ballot measures establishing open top-two primary systems.

• Supports a federal balanced budget amendment
• Supports the REINS Act to limit agency regulatory authority
• Opposed top-two open primary ballot initiatives in South Dakota

“Mike supports a balanced budget amendment.”

Mike Rounds

Opposes abortion and supports restrictions

Rounds is pro-life and opposes abortion access. As Governor, he signed South Dakota's trigger law that banned abortion except to save the life of the mother upon the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and he publicly opposed state constitutional amendments expanding abortion rights.

• Signed South Dakota trigger ban law prohibiting abortion except to save the mother's life
• Opposes constitutional initiatives expanding abortion rights

“Mike is pro-life and always defends the rights of the unborn.”

“When Mike was working as South Dakota's 31st Governor, he signed a trigger law which went into effect after Roe v. Wade was struck down in 2022.”