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The Senate state of play: An updated handicapping for mid-October 2026
The continued refusal of Alani Bankhead, the Democratic nominee, to defer to Independent Seth Bodnar makes this race essentially unwinnable for Democrats.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Brian Bengs, a lawyer, Navy and Air Force veteran and the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, is running as an independent against Republican Mike Rounds in South Dakota.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Brian Bengs.
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Live News
Recent media coverage for Brian Bengs.
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Political Pulse: District 34 Senate candidates on growing tech industry
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - District 34 consists of Rapid City’s west side and parts of the Black Hills. It includes the famed Dinosaur Park and it borders along the historic Skyline Drive.
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Mike Rounds’ private flights cost taxpayers millions
John Thune, the other senator from South Dakota, missed no votes that year. KOTA reported that Rounds’ private flight expenditures outpaced Thune’s by six to one between October 2021 and September 2022.
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South Dakota Midterm Elections: Prediction Market Leaders Today
We’re following the U.S. Senate race between Brian Bengs (I) and Mike Rounds (R) and the gubernatorial race between Dan Ahlers (D) and Larry Rhoden (R), as well as the race for the single U.S. House seat.
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Full list of 2026 Senate race candidates
There are 35 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2026 midterm elections.
- Odds Continue to Tighten in Texas Senate Race: Ken Paxton Payout Odds $150
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Mike Rounds drops Trump references from website
CVS agrees to pay $315 million to settle a Justice Department case alleging it filled medically unnecessary opioid prescriptions 1
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Biography & Campaign Analysis
Career
Bengs is a lawyer and a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force, and he taught political science at Northern State University. In 2022 he was the Democratic Party's nominee for the U.S. Senate in South Dakota.
2026 race
Bengs filed in May 2026 to run as an independent for the Senate seat held by Republican Mike Rounds, who is seeking a third term. Rounds won the June 2 Republican primary with 75.8% of the vote against limited opposition.
Julian Beaudion, a former state trooper, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and withdrew on August 4, 2026, which leaves the November 3 ballot without a Democratic candidate, the second time this has occurred in a South Dakota Senate race, after 2010.
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