Republicans are even ramping up campaign spending in deep-red South Dakota now
Rounds drew substantial Republican-aligned spending as polls showed a closer race than expected.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe publisher is a partisan outlet rather than a major news organization, which lowers confidence in its institutional standards. The article attributes spending and polling figures to named firms and publications, but offers limited direct sourcing from the campaigns.
- Source type — A partisan national outlet; its source-type label is tempered by its political orientation.
- Source transparency — The article names polling and media-buying sources for key figures.
- Author attribution — A named author is listed.
- Source diversity — Campaign perspectives and independent expert voices are limited; Rounds's campaign did not comment.
The story uses attributed spending figures and several named polls, and it gives useful comparisons across states. Its account relies heavily on polling and secondary sources, with little direct response from the campaigns or broader context about the spending data.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents spending and polling figures for both sides of the South Dakota race and includes Rounds's criticism of the beef decision. However, it has little direct input from either campaign and does not develop competing explanations for the spending or polling.
- Counterarguments presented — Both candidates' support and spending are described, but the campaigns do not offer competing interpretations.
- Source diversity — Several polling and media-buying sources are cited, while direct campaign voices are largely absent.
- Omitted context — The story gives limited context on polling methodology and the spending groups' strategies.
- Loaded language — The writing is largely factual, with no sustained loaded characterization.
The story is framed primarily as a report on campaign spending and polling, with figures attributed to named sources. Its wording and presentation do not clearly favor either party or candidate.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language, with no sustained partisan judgment.
- Source selection — Uses polling and spending sources and includes a quote from Rounds, but little direct campaign response.
- Framing — Highlights Republican spending and weak approval of Trump while also reporting candidate polling and cross-state comparisons.
- Headline — The headline emphasizes Republican spending in a strongly Republican state without a clear ideological judgment.
Republican-aligned groups spent heavily to support Sen. Mike Rounds in South Dakota as polls showed a closer-than-expected race against independent Brian Bengs. The article links the spending to voter dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s economic policies and describes similar spending and polling patterns in other states.
Polaris figures cited in the article show nearly $1.2 million in Republican-aligned spending supporting Rounds and nearly $516,000 in independent-aligned spending supporting Bengs. The South Dakota Conservative PAC also spent $590,861 opposing Bengs. Polls cited put Rounds ahead by six and three points, while a Zenith survey found Bengs leading among independent voters. Rounds reportedly removed Trump’s name from his homepage after previously touting the president’s endorsement; Rounds also said South Dakota ranchers viewed Trump’s beef-import decision as a betrayal.
The article reports that Trump’s approval rating in South Dakota had fallen, and that affordability was a major midterm issue amid rising prices. It compares campaign spending and polling in Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina, and notes that Rounds had won his 2020 race by more than 30 points.
Community verdict
13 VOTESPeople in this story
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Senate majority leader whose past election performance is used for comparison
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Republican South Carolina senator discussed in a comparison of campaign spending and polling
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Former North Carolina governor and Democratic Senate candidate discussed in a comparison of spending and polling
Republican Kansas senator discussed in a comparison of spending and polling
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