From patrol to politics: Trooper-turned-activist enters South Dakota's U.S. Senate race

Sioux Falls Democrat announces bid to unseat Sen. Mike Rounds in 2026

An entrepreneur and social justice advocate who spent more than a decade as a South Dakota state trooper has declared a candidacy for U.S. Senate.

After filing federal election paperwork in preparation for a potential run Monday, Sioux Falls Democrat Julian Beaudion made it official Thursday morning, announcing a bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds in the 2026 election.

And according to the 38-year-old cop-turned-activist and business owner’s campaign, his candidacy is a “direct response” to Rounds’ support for policy initiatives of the GOP and the White House that Beaudion characterizes as “dangerous and out of touch with South Dakota values" — including Rounds’ alignment with President Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to illegally fire federal workers, gut Social Security and strip away protections for working families, and abolish the Department of Education — all reflecting a dangerous disregard for South Dakota values.”

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