2020 United States Senate election in South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2020 United States Senate election in South Dakota

← 2014 November 3, 2020 2026 →

Nominee Mike Rounds Dan Ahlers Party Republican Democrat Popular vote 276,232 143,987 Percentage 65.7% 34.3%

County results Rounds:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Ahlers:      50–60%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. Senator before election Mike Rounds Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mike Rounds Republican

On November 3, 2020, people in South Dakota voted for a new Senator. A Senator is a person who represents their state in the United States government. They help make important laws for the whole country.

The two main people running in this election were Mike Rounds and Dan Ahlers. Mike Rounds was from the Republican Party. Dan Ahlers was from the Democratic Party. Mike Rounds won the election and started his second term as Senator. A "term" is the period of time someone serves in office.

Before the main election, each party held a "primary election." This is where people from the same party vote to choose who will represent them in the bigger election. Mike Rounds won the Republican primary against Scyller Borglum. Dan Ahlers was the only person running in the Democratic primary, so he automatically won.

What is a Senator?

A Senator is an important leader in the United States government. Each state has two Senators. They work in Washington, D.C., to represent the people of their state. Their job is to create and vote on laws that affect everyone in the country.

Understanding Political Parties

In the United States, the two biggest political groups are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

• The Republican Party often supports ideas like lower taxes and less government involvement in businesses.
• The Democratic Party often supports ideas like government programs to help people and protecting the environment.

People choose which party they want to support based on their own beliefs.

How Primary Elections Work

Before the main election in November, political parties hold primary elections. This is like a tryout for candidates.

• Members of a party vote for the person they want to represent their party in the final election.
• In the 2020 South Dakota Senate election, Mike Rounds won the Republican primary.
• Dan Ahlers was the only person running in the Democratic primary, so he didn't need to compete against anyone else from his party.

Election Results

On November 3, 2020, the people of South Dakota voted. Mike Rounds won the election by a large number of votes. He received 276,232 votes, which was about 65.7% of all the votes. Dan Ahlers received 143,987 votes, which was about 34.3% of the votes.

This means Mike Rounds was re-elected to be the Senator for South Dakota. He continued his work representing the state in the U.S. Senate.