{"id":8654,"date":"2026-08-04T22:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8654"},"modified":"2026-08-04T22:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:38:32","slug":"democrat-exits-senate-race-in-south-dakota-clearing-way-for-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8654","title":{"rendered":"Democrat exits Senate race in South Dakota, clearing way for independent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
A primary-election voting site in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday, as states gear up for the November midterm elections. (Allison Robbert\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Julian Beaudion, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Dakota, withdrew from the race Tuesday after months of insisting he would stay in, clearing the path for a one-on-one contest between independent Brian Bengs and incumbent Republican Mike Rounds.<\/p>

Read more Live updatesKey midterm primary elections kick off in 5 states<\/a><\/p>\n

Beaudion filed paperwork to remove his name from the general election ballot shortly before 6 p.m.Tuesday, he told The Washington Post. The election will become the third Senate race where Democrats have opted not to field a candidate, following similar withdrawals in Nebraska and Idaho, in hopes that candidates without the Democratic label will be better able to compete in overwhelmingly Republican states.<\/p>\n

The strategy gained popularity after independent Dan Osborn came within seven percentage points of winning Nebraska\u2019s 2024 Senate race, significantly outperforming past Democratic candidates. Osborn is running again this fall.<\/p>\n

Several Democrats have also backed independent Seth Bodnar in Montana\u2019s Senate race, believing he could be highly competitive if Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead withdraws. Bankhead has thus far refused to do so amid pressure from some Montana Democrats.<\/p>\n

Montana\u2019s Republican secretary of state recently suggested she could require Democrats to name a replacement for Bankhead if she withdraws, though some Democrats disagree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beaudion\u2019s withdrawal in South Dakota could increase pressure on Bankhead to do the same ahead of Montana\u2019s Monday deadline.<\/p>\n

Bengs will still face an uphill battle against Rounds. He ran in 2022 as the Democratic nominee against the current Senate majority leader, John Thune, receiving only 26 percent of the vote.<\/p>

Read more Who\u2019s winning in California v. Trump lawsuits so far?<\/a><\/p>\n

Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan election forecaster, will probably keep South Dakota in its safely Republican column, according to Kyle Kondik, its managing editor. While Kondik said there may be a path to victory for Bengs, it \u201cseems even more uphill\u201d than Osborn\u2019s and Bodnar\u2019s campaigns.<\/p>\n

Beaudion said in a statement that he would not back Bengs or Rounds. He also criticized Bengs, though not by name, for what he called \u201cintimidating threats to drop out of this race.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview Monday, Beaudion had insisted he would remain in the race, describing efforts to secure his withdrawal as \u201cpolitical extortion.\u201d He also sharply criticized Bengs, describing him as \u201cuntrustworthy\u201d and \u201cproven to stoop to whatever level he has to to make sure he gains power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bengs, a former military officer and prosecutor who was an independent before and after his 2022 Senate campaign, has warned that Beaudion\u2019s presence on the ballot could jeopardize his chances of defeating Rounds. He\u2019s said that he would not caucus with either major party if elected to the Senate.<\/p>\n

Bengs has focused his campaign on reducing donor influence in politics, making health care more affordable, and implementing term limits for Congress.<\/p>

Read more Democrats\u2019 big primary tests<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julian Beaudion withdrew after resisting pressure to step aside, making South Dakota\u2019s contest the third Senate race without a Democratic candidate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nDemocrat exits Senate race in South Dakota, clearing way for independent - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=8654\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democrat exits Senate race in South Dakota, clearing way for independent - 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