Data Center Record.

South Dakota U.S. Senate 2026: where the candidates stand on data centers

2 candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot, from the South Dakota Secretary of State's list (opens in a new tab). The officeholder comes first, then the Republican and Democratic nominees together by last name, then everyone else by last name; in each group a candidate with a statement or vote on the record comes first (how the order works). Each has the same space. The list: 2026 General Election Candidate List, South Dakota Secretary of State Voter Information Portal (no date stated on the page (live database list; election date column reads 11/3/2026)).

Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections

The candidates

  1. Mike Rounds, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, South Dakota

    Mike Rounds

    Republican · In office

    U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds says data centers should go only where actively welcomed by local populations and long term solution likely lies in space based data centers

    Their newest statement on the record, September 5, 2026, KOTA Territory News (opens in a new tab).

    What they said

    1 statement on the record

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    1 statement · 0 votes on the record

    Photo: United States Congress, public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), cropped.

    Mike Rounds's page · In their own words

  2. Brian L Bengs

    Independent

    Brian Bengs said he wants to ensure community interests are prioritized as the data center industry expands

    Their newest statement on the record, September 4, 2026, kotaradio.com (opens in a new tab).

    What they said

    1 statement on the record

    What they did

    No vote on a data center measure on the record.

    1 statement · 0 votes on the record

    Brian L Bengs's page · In their own words

No longer in this race 1

These candidates are off the November 3 ballot. Each line gives the status, the day and the source; what each has said about data centers stays on their own page.

A candidate leaves a race before the general election by losing the primary, withdrawing or being disqualified, and the record writes it only where a source says so. How the record follows each candidacy.

Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.

In their own words

Where does Mike Rounds stand on data centers?

Mike Rounds has 1 statement on data centers on the record.

Statements 1 statement
  1. · paraphrased · label set by a tiebreak

    U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds says data centers should go only where actively welcomed by local populations and long term solution likely lies in space based data centers

    KOTA Territory News (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Where does Brian L Bengs stand on data centers?

Brian L Bengs has 1 statement on data centers on the record.

Statements 1 statement
  1. · paraphrased

    Brian Bengs said he wants to ensure community interests are prioritized as the data center industry expands

    kotaradio.com (opens in a new tab) · Full quote, context and sources

Votes 0 votes

No vote on a data center measure on the record.

Candidates and their order come from the South Dakota Secretary of State's list (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026. Every candidate, by state · How the record reads leaders.

Are you a candidate in this race or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.

Every race in South Dakota, and where each candidate stands

Election Day is November 3

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