Senator Rounds Removes Trump References from Campaign Website

South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds is the latest candidate to quietly remove mentions of former President Donald Trump from his campaign website, a move that comes as midterm election concerns grow. Trump carried South Dakota by a significant margin in 2024, but mentions of the former president are no longer prominently displayed on Rounds' campaign homepage or issues section.

As of September 22, the website featured the endorsement, "Endorsed by President Trump," and highlighted Rounds' alignment with Trump on "America First" principles. Now, Trump's name has been removed from the front page, and the issues page no longer references the president.

A spokesperson for Rounds did not respond to requests for comment. Rob Skjonsberg, a political adviser for Rounds, told Fox News that the campaign was "proud of the president’s endorsement," which remains in the senator's announcement video.

Rounds is seeking reelection and faces Independent candidate Brian Bengs. A recent poll from Zenith Research indicates Rounds leading Bengs by only six points, a narrower margin than typically expected in the solidly Republican state. The poll surveyed 500 likely voters from September 24-27 and has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.

This adjustment by Senator Rounds follows a trend among other Republican candidates who appear to be distancing themselves from Trump. His approval ratings have reportedly fallen into the low 30s, with voters attributing rising costs of gas, food, and mortgages, as well as high inflation, to his policies. A recent Daily Mail/YouGov poll found that 49 percent of voters believe Trump is hurting Republican candidates, compared to 20 percent who think he is helping.

Instances of Republican candidates altering their campaign materials to downplay Trump's involvement include Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, who adjusted his campaign information, and Mike Beltran, who also removed prominent Trump references. In Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado replaced "America First Fighter" with "Independent Leadership." Other candidates, such as Joe Mitchell in Iowa, Carlos De La Cruz in Texas, Young Kim in California, and James Gallagher in California, have also reduced or removed Trump imagery and language from their websites.

The Cook Political Report still classifies the South Dakota Senate seat as "Solid Republican."