I have been saying for a long time that he is not. These rumors got started when Dusty Johnson had a cow over Borglum running against Rounds in the primary. At the time, the assumptions going around were that Rounds would NOT run and Dusty would run for that seat while TenHaken or someone else would run for Congress. There seems to be a lot of ‘grooming’ going on.
There is also the obvious, Jean Rounds’ continued health issues (which I’m sure would be part of the reason he decides to not run – even though I think the plan was floated before she got ill).
Many have been wondering though about his continued fundraising? There is a simple solution to that, he can transfer those funds to anyone else, so why would he NOT continue to fundraise?
But what if he does run in the primary and wins, but decides to drop out after that? I’m not sure how the rules would work, but I think the SD GOP delegates could pick a candidate, and if they were smart, they would choose the candidate who came in second in the Republican primary. But that may NOT be the case.
Ethically, most would say Rounds would drop out before the primary, but this guy hasn’t had an ethical bone in his body his entire time as a public servant, so I would not put it past him to run and win the primary than drop out. I have often felt that Rounds was more corrupt than Janklow by two-fold. He had many scandals throughout his governorship and it shocked my he got elected to the Senate to begin with.
But some wonder why he would not run again. There are some pretty obvious reasons besides Jean’s health. Rounds doesn’t like DC and has a very large family he is not seeing as much as he would like. It’s also a long term, 6 years. It’s hard to make plans for the future when have those kind of terms. He got some legislation thru he wanted that benefits his private insurance business. And lastly, Marion Mike Rounds does what is good for him, that is why he is such a devote fan of Trump. While Thune-Bag and Howdy Doody sometimes waiver on their support for Donny, Rounds is always quick to defend him.
Mike got what he wanted out of his Senate seat, and now he is ready to boot scoot along. Maybe this will give him time to explain to us how you can shoot yourself using a shotgun and a 5-foot branch.
If he does drop out, it will be one of my better political predictions in a very long time.
yeah re-elect this:
https://twitter.com/nicholaswu12/status/1220500548778168321
I find it odd, too, that he hasn’t announced his attentions yet. But then again, it is just further proof of how this is an one party/backroom cigar smoking state, where normal bi-partisan practices and realities do not exist. How is Rounds’ silence on this matter any different, then the fact, that increasingly state legislators are not first elected, but rather appointed to the state legislator thanks to a Republican governor?
“intentions!”….. He has already shown his “attentions,” which is to protect Trump.
Don’t know for sure that he’s running, but he is already circulating re-election nominating petitions. See: http://dakotawarcollege.com/rounds-petitions-hitting-mailboxes/
His FB page has recently moved to campaign mode. https://www.facebook.com/mikerounds/
Rather than bitching about repubs, why don’t you find a formidable dem candidate. Oh I remember now. The national dem party has went bat shit crazy and poisoned the states well.
While I would agree that Dan Ahlers is probably not formidable, he would make a good senator, and I guess I really cannot find any negatives with the guy.
I just hope, that Ahlers doesn’t go on tv next fall proudly proclaiming he is anti-choice, pro-gun, and a Christian. I hope we never see that one again by a Democrat in this state. 2018 was an embarrassing and tragic year for SD Dems. We came close in the gubernatorial race, but we did it without a soul and we were dependent upon a Republican misogynistic attitude to almost pull it off.
I also don’t think he can win, if Ahlers continues to talk about food stamps or SNAP. SNAP is a good program, but you don’t win that argument in South Dakota against a Republican.
And finally, I wish Dems like Ahlers would quit talking about workforce development bullshit. That’s a Republican talking point that advocates taking educational dollars to subside the business community. Whatever happen to on-the-job training that was paid by the employer? It is the duty of Democrats to promote well rounded students and not mere robots for the economy.
In conclusion, Rounds is the issue and not Republican talking points, which some Democrats try to finesse with their spin on them. What Democrats need to be asking is: Who is the real Rounds? Is he the one we see on MSNBC, or the one we see on FOX? Is it the Rounds, who tried to save ObamaCare, or the one who tried to destroy it?