SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELOLAND) — The race for South Dakota’s Senate seat opening up in Washington in 2026 has its first official entrant.

Julian Beaudion(Bo-Da-Won) of Sioux Falls is running as a Democrat for the seat currently occupied by Republican Mike Rounds. Rounds’ term ends in January 2027; he has not yet officially announced any plans beyond his current term.

Beaudion served as a trooper in the South Dakota Highway Patrol for 13 years. Today, he runs The HUB SD, and he and his wife also own a Sioux Falls restaurant. He unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Sioux Falls City Council in 2020.

“This campaign isn’t about me—it’s about securing a future where South Dakota’s working families don’t get left behind,” Beaudion said in a statement provided to KELOLAND News Wednesday night. “In the Senate, I’ll fight to enforce the checks and balances our Constitution
demands and reject the influence of big money and tech monopolies threatening our freedoms—whether it’s harvesting private data or undermining rural businesses. It’s time we prepared for the future of AI and automation—by investing in our workers, defending our communities, and keeping the American Dream within reach for the next generation.”