Exclusive: Poll shows big lead for South Dakota Republican Rounds

It’s a sign that any blue wave in November will have its limits. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota leads in his Senate race by more than 20 points, according to a new poll shared first with Semafor, a sign that any blue wave in November will have its limits. Rounds is trouncing independent candidate Brian Bengs 57% to 36% in the deep-red state, according to a new poll conducted in mid-October by Quantus Insights. That’s a larger lead for Rounds than many surveys have previously shown; some surveys even showed Bengs with a slight lead. South Dakota is one of three states, including Idaho and Nebraska, where Democrats have coalesced behind an independent Senate candidate. Nebraska is the most competitive of the three races. Bengs lost to Senate Majority Leader John Thune in 2022 as a Democrat, but he insists if he wins he’ll create an independent caucus and not align with Republicans or Democrats.