South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds’ campaign website no longer includes several references to President Donald Trump that appeared there last month, according to Fox News’ review of an earlier version of the site and its current pages.
The removed material included two mentions on the homepage and references on the “Issues” page. Rounds’ campaign said the endorsement remains featured in an announcement video and described the changes as a shift toward general-election messaging.
“The president’s endorsement is still front and center on the website in Mike’s announcement video,” campaign adviser Rob Skjonsberg told Fox News. Trump endorsed Rounds last year.
Rounds, a Republican and former South Dakota governor, is running for a third Senate term. His opponent is independent Brian Bengs, who previously ran as a Democrat against Sen. John Thune in 2022. Bengs said the website changes reflected Rounds’ declining poll numbers and criticized the senator for not debating him. Rounds’ campaign adviser responded by attacking Bengs’ positions and calling his remarks an effort to distract voters.
The article cited a Fox News poll from the previous month that found 39% of voters approved of Trump’s job performance. It also reported that the Cook Political Report rates South Dakota “Solidly Republican.” The article offered no polling specific to the Rounds-Bengs race, so the website changes alone do not establish the candidates’ standing in the contest.
