Former SD Gov. Running For U.S. Senate

by Ashley Kringen, Reporter
November 29, 2012 9:28 PM


Former South Dakota Governor, Mike Rounds, made an announcement on Thursday; he will be running for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

On Thursday, Rounds kicked off his campaign in Rapid City, Mitchell, Watertown and Sioux Falls.

Rounds was very enthusiastic during his candidacy announcement in Sioux Falls and said he's ready to represent South Dakota again, along with the United States.

"It's a special day for us," said Rounds. "I will remain a resident of Ft. Pierre South Dakota, but I'm going to travel back and forth to Washington, DC," said Rounds.

After serving in the state legislature for 10 years, Rounds was Governor of South Dakota for eights years.

Since he took a break from office to watch his family and grandkids grow, motivation to be a part of a federal intervention began.

"We have to get back to where government at the most local level is making the decisions and that's something I think is lacking in Washington, DC today," said Rounds.

Rounds said he continues to watch the nation go trillions of dollars into debt, with no signs of repayment and he doesn't want his grandkids to inherit that.

"We have to stop spending, we have to quit this deficit spending. Part of that means, if you can't afford it, don't buy it," said Rounds.

Most likely, Rounds will be running against his former colleague and friend, Senator Tim Johnson.

"You can have people, two good people that want the same job and it doesn't mean that either one of them is a bad person," said Rounds.

He said they have different views on policies; however, he looks forward to some healthy debates in the near future.

For his campaign, he said he’s ready to listen, study and have discussions with South Daktoans.

"Visit with folks and get a sense of what's really going on in their lives and how we can improve them," said Rounds.

Senator Tim Johnson released a statement Thursday in response to the news of Rounds’s candidacy announcement, it said, "I consider Mike a friend, and I welcome him to the race. I had an excellent working relationship with him during his eight years as Governor,” said Johnson.

Some wondered if Johnson would run for re-election and his statement on Thursday isn't an official announcement, but it certainly indicated he is running.

Johnson said he looks forward to putting together a winning campaign and will make an official announcement in the New Year.