Both incumbent Congressional candidates in South Dakota will return to Washington DC next year.
Both candidates won by wide margins, according to unofficial election results from the Secretary of State.
It was an unconventional campaign for US Senate this year. Most of the campaign existed virtually and on the airwaves. The two candidates also never debated in person.
Senator Rounds says that’s in part due to his wife Jean’s cancer diagnosis and his schedule in the Senate.
Rounds says six years ago he wanted to take South Dakota common sense to Washington DC.
“I hope that people do feel like I’ve been honoring my promise,” Rounds says. “I’ve still got the fire in my belly. I want to get back in. I want to do battle again. But, I also recognize when you’re in Washington you have to work together with other people. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got real challenges with the pandemic. COVID 19 is clearly not under control yet.”
In the next six years, Rounds says he wants to focus on country of origin labelling on US meat products and breaking up the big meat packers in the country.
His challenger, Democrat Dan Ahlers is waiting to concede the election.
Rounds’ Republican Colleague in the US House, Dusty Johnson, handily won his first re-election against Libertarian challenger Randy Luallin.
Johnson says he tries to govern in Washington the way South Dakotans manage their affairs at home.
“I am conservative,” Johnson says. “I’ve got one of the 25 percent most conservative voting records in Congress. But, I’m also willing to work with anybody to do good. I have a pragmatic streak that means I want to solve problems. I’m way more interested in finding solutions than I am about growling about problems. I do think that’s the South Dakota way and that’s why I’m a really good fit for the district.”
Democrats failed to bring a challenger against Johnson.
According to unofficial election results, Senator Rounds pulled in XX percent of the South Dakota electorate.
Representative Johnson has brought in 83 percent of the electorate.
