Summary

News

Mike Rounds

Current Position: US Senator since 2015
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

On January 6th, 2015, Senator Marion Michael “Mike” Rounds was sworn into the United States Senate. Senator Rounds serves on four committees: Senate Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Veterans’ Affairs; and Environment and Public Works.

Rounds previously served as the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 – 2011, easily winning reelection in 2006. From 1991 to 2000, he was elected five times to the South Dakota State Senate. In 1995, his colleagues selected him to serve as Senate Majority Leader, a position that he held for six years. During his time in state government, Rounds was committed to growing the economy, keeping taxes low and strengthening South Dakota families.

Source: Government page

For more information, see this Mike Rounds post.

Dan Ahlers

Current Position: president and interim administrator of the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator

As a business owner, volunteer and state legislator, I have been through tough economic times like those we face today. My business faced the challenges of the Great Recession. With hard work and determination, my business not only survived, it grew.

As our local volunteer chamber administrator, I collaborated with other leaders to create a community network of businesses, churches and non-profits working together to build a better community. Now, as its president, I work with local government and businesses to inform, innovate and find solutions to our current economic challenges.

As a state legislator and member of the Appropriations Committee, I helped get the Federal Stimulus Package to those who needed it most. I’ve helped balance our state budget while investing in our state’s infrastructure, education and health care systems.

Now, I am asking you to elect me to the U.S. Senate, so I can put my grit and determination to work for you.

For more information, see this Dan Ahlers post.

Issues

Governance

Mike Rounds 

Over Regulation

I’ve talked with many South Dakotans throughout the state who are tired of federal bureaucracy getting in the way of their everyday lives. From family health care decisions to business ones, federal regulations have become too complicated and redundant. I have made it a priority in the Senate to reduce unnecessary and excess regulations to make government more effective, efficient and accountable. That starts with reducing unnecessary federal regulations for Americans.

To help me best understand which federal agencies and regulations are in need of reform, I’m inviting South Dakotans to share their story of a federal regulation impacting their lives. Tell us about your red tape nightmare by emailing your story to Regulations_Story@rounds.senate.gov. Be sure to include your name and hometown in your submission.

Dan Ahlers 

N/A

Civil Rights

Mike Rounds 

2nd Amendment

I am a strong supporter of second amendment rights with a proven record of standing up for gun owners. I’m against any additional regulations that restrict individual, law-abiding citizens from owning and using firearms.

Dan Ahlers 

N/A

Economy

Mike Rounds 

Agriculture

Agriculture is our state’s greatest economic engine.  South Dakota farmers and ranchers play an important role in feeding and fueling a growing global population. I will work to pass the Reins Act; a bipartisan effort to limit federal bureaucracy and the overreaching rule-making our producers are frequently exposed to under this Administration.

Banking

Our financial system has been stressed in recent years due to the collapse of the housing market, an economic downturn and the passage of Dodd-Frank, an ill-advised attempt to regulate the financial services industry. As a member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee, my focus is to instill free-market principles to our financial institutions and roll back Dodd-Frank, which has wrongfully affected dozens of financial institutions in South Dakota.

Budget

With an $18 trillion national debt that threatens to destroy our economy, budget issues are a top priority of mine. We are required to balance our budget annually in South Dakota, and the federal government should do the same. I support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring the government to balance its books. I also believe lawmakers should follow the law and pass an annual budget in an open and transparent amendment process. I look forward to participating in the budget process under new Senate leadership and finding commonsense solutions to reducing the debt.

Jobs & Economy

South Dakotans are feeling the effects of a sluggish national economy and overregulated industries that hinder growth. A strong economy depends on business-friendly federal policies that encourage growth in the private sector.  This includes lowering taxes and streamlining the tax code so South Dakotans can keep more of their paychecks.

See post for more info.

Dan Ahlers 

Economy

Dan is the son of a nurse and retired Caterpillar sales and service representative. He is the product of a working-class family and public schools. Living through the economic recession of the early 80’s, Dan’s parents taught him the value of hard work and determination.  Those are the values that helped Dan pay his way through college and open several small businesses.

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Dan believes a strong economy is built from the ground up, giving every South Dakotan the opportunity to succeed and achieve their dream. But for many South Dakota families today, job opportunities and wages are not keeping up with the rising costs of healthcare, prescription drugs, education, housing, and retirement. Instead of standing up for the middle class, Washington has given a tax break to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.

As a small business owner and chamber of commerce president, Dan understands that increasing opportunity in South Dakota means supporting economic drivers like trade, tourism, and the military, while also making investments in research and development that benefit the emerging tech and renewable energy sectors. And that in order to prepare South Dakotans to fill these jobs of the future, we need to make workforce development more accessible and affordable.

Dan will be a champion for working South Dakotans.

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Dan supports:

• Ending the tax breaks for the super wealthy that are exploding the national debt while not benefiting working South Dakotans.

• Investing now in things that will pay off for our country down the road, like infrastructure and research and development.

See post for more info.

Education

Mike Rounds 

Education

A strong education system is vital to making certain our young people have the opportunity for a prosperous future. To accomplish that goal, I believe the federal government’s role in education should be limited and well-defined. In July, the Senate Passed the Every Child Achieves Act, or ECAA, a comprehensive, bipartisan overhaul of our education system that will improve the quality of education across the nation. The ECAA restores decision-making on education and accountability standards to those who know students best—parents, teachers and local school boards—and provides flexibility to our education system.

Dan Ahlers 

Education

Dan is the product of the public education system. He has a degree in Government and International Relations from Augustana University. As a businessman, community organizer and state legislator, Dan knows that every goal we have — fixing our healthcare system, protecting our climate and our Earth, and growing our economy for everyone — starts with a great education for every American, one that prepares them for great jobs today, and in the future.

That means expanding access to early childhood education. That means a K-12 education system that treats teachers like valued professionals, paying them a decent wage and giving them the tools, materials, resources, and support to grow in their profession and to succeed.

As a state legislator and substitute teacher, Dan understands the needs of the public education system as well as the opportunity that can be offered to promote students success. Dan is proud to stand with teachers as they fight for higher pay and more funding. It also means ensuring all students have access to STEM classes and advanced placement classes.

Whether you go on to college, trade school, or directly to a job that pays a living wage, your education should prepare you to thrive in a rapidly-changing economy. All our kids, regardless of the path they take, need some post-secondary training to compete in a 21st Century economy. Right now, there are 5.9 million job openings in the country, many of which cannot be filled for lack of trained, qualified workers. We need to invest more in career training, apprenticeship programs and work to streamline professional certification.

South Dakota has six state universities and an emerging community college system. Dan knows what a great public higher education institution can do for its students and our economy — and he’s committed to making sure more students gain that experience without the burden of crushing debt.

Environment

Mike Rounds 

Environment

The Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has jurisdiction over a host of issues important to South Dakotans. It oversees key infrastructure projects and provides oversight to two agencies known for overstepping their regulatory boundaries: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. As a member of the EPW committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight,  I will fight to keep over regulation of these agencies in check and promote a fact-based energy and infrastructure policy that encourages economic growth.

Dan Ahlers 

Climate Change/ Environment

Left unchecked, climate change poses a threat to South Dakota’s economy and our way of life. A warming climate means the potential for more and longer droughts, which endangers South Dakota’s agricultural economy. Longer and more severe droughts will also restrict our access to clean water and pose increased public health risks.

In 2019, renewable energy provided 68% of South Dakota’s net energy. South Dakota is poised to become a leader in renewable energy. This industry already employs thousands of people in the state. We can increase that number by making more investments in research and development that will make renewable energy more competitive and accelerate the transition to a renewable economy. The only thing stopping us is irresponsible leadership in Washington.

If we harness the power of American ingenuity and determination, we can mitigate the risks of climate change, create thousands of new good-paying jobs in South Dakota, and continue to lead the world in technology, manufacturing and science.

Health Care

Mike Rounds 

Health Care

Obamacare continues to wreak havoc on the health care industry.  I will work to repeal and replace it, section-by-section, in a business-like manner.  Too many South Dakotans have lost the coverage they enjoyed, faced higher premiums or been dropped from their provider all together because of Obamacare. Instead, it should be replaced with a market-based solution that keeps Americans in control of their health care.

Dan Ahlers 

Heath Care

Dan believes health care is a right. Every South Dakotan should have access to quality health care. 350,000 South Dakotans have a pre-existing condition, and none of them should lose their health insurance or be unable to attain insurance because of their pre-existing condition.

Even with reforms made to expand health care access, too many people lack coverage or are paying more out of pocket for doctor visits, deductibles, and especially prescription drugs. Dan will work to fix what is broken with our healthcare system by providing more options and competition to reduce costs. These solutions begin with ending partisan attacks that have driven up costs, threatened to take away coverage and left thousands of people without health care insurance.

​Dan supports:

• Ensuring every South Dakotan has health insurance, and that those with pre-existing conditions are covered with insurance they can afford.

• A public health care option that would compete with private insurers.

• Taking on the pharmaceutical industry to lower the cost of prescription drug costs.

• More transparency for and oversight of hospital costs.

• A national strategy to respond to health crisises.

Immigration

Mike Rounds 

Immigration

President Obama overstepped his boundaries when he used executive action to essentially provide amnesty to millions of immigrants who crossed our borders illegally. Our immigration system is unequivocally broken, but reform must start with stronger border security to stop the influx of illegal immigrants for good. Only then can we begin to create a limited, legal path to citizenship for those who are currently in the U.S. illegally.

Dan Ahlers 

Immigration

Dan believes our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed.  Unfortunately, politicians in Washington have focused on stoking fears instead of putting forward real solutions to fix our broken immigration system.

Dan is committed to working with both parties on a plan that is true to our American values, fair to taxpayers, and rooted in practical solutions like reducing wait times for legal immigration and putting more technology and security on the border.

Infrastructure

Mike Rounds 

Energy

I believe in a “North American” solution to our dependence on foreign energy, which includes the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Maintaining steady, balanced energy production will allow the United States to export energy around the world while growing our economy and strengthening our national security. I will continue to work in the Senate to promote South Dakota and American energy production.

Dan Ahlers 

N/A

Social Security

Mike Rounds 

N/A

Dan Ahlers

Social Security

America made a promise to protect the health and well-being of its seniors. Dan will work to ensure that America keeps that promise to South Dakota seniors. Over the years, our parents and grand-parents have contributed into Social Security and Medicare so they could have a secure retirement that includes health care.

Many South Dakota seniors rely on Social Security as a key source of income. Dan opposes legislation weakening Social Security or efforts to gamble seniors’ retirement security in the stock market.

Medicare is also a solemn promise made to South Dakota’s seniors. Recently, Washington politicians proposed cutting over 800 billion dollars from Medicare. Dan opposes these proposed cuts. Dan also opposes efforts to change Medicare as we know it and turn it into a voucher system.

Veterans

Mike Rounds 

Veterans

Our men and women in uniform make incredible sacrifices to protect and defend our freedoms. Thus, it is our duty to make sure they receive the care they’ve been promised upon returning to civilian life. As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am committed to giving our veterans the care and benefits they need to thrive and grow. Recent scandals within the Department of Veterans Affairs are unacceptable; I will keep a close watch on the agency so that such mistakes do not happen again.

Dan Ahlers 

Veterans/ Military

South Dakota is home to more than 50,000 veterans, 3,100 National Guard and Ellsworth Air Force base. My grandfather is a WWII
veteran and my brother currently serves in the U.S. Army. It’s important to me that our country keeps its promises to our veterans
and delivers the care and benefits they have earned through their service.

During my time as a state legislator, I have had numerous veterans tell me about being denied access to veteran health care benefits. My brother, who is about to retire, talks about the difficult approval process he is currently navigating in order to have access to veteran health. There is an urgent need for improvement.

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From the G.I. Bill to the VA, I understand we need veterans’ services to work for our changing veteran population. This includes aging and injured veterans who need prompt, quality health care, and young veterans who need access to mental health. We also need a better program to help veterans translate the skills they learned from their service into a good-paying job.

There needs to be an increased accountability at the VA with a focus on each individual veteran, not the paperwork. Every veteran has taken risks and made sacrifices in service to our country, and I won’t rest until they get what they have earned.

Dan will work across the aisle to ensure that nothing stands in the way of keeping our military strong and our country safe. From Ellsworth Air Force Base to our 3,100 National Guard soldiers, South Dakota plays a critical role in our national security strategy and the federal investment in our military assets plays a critical role in South Dakota’s economy. As a state legislator, Dan helped secure the funding for the Ellsworth Authority and improvement projects that allowed Ellsworth to become the first base to receive the new B-21 bomber. Dan is committed to protecting Ellsworth Air Force Base and its place in America’s national security strategy.

See post for more info.