I am writing about all the competitive senate races. These diaries will be updated on Yahoo! as I hear about new material. I have articles about:
AK-Sen
AR-Sen
CO-Sen
GA-Sen
IA-Sen
KY-Sen
LA-Sen
MI-Sen
MT-Sen
NH-Sen
NC-Sen
SD-Sen
For what I have on South Dakota, as of April 15, follow me below.
South Dakota politics
In elections for President, South Dakota has been Republican. In 2012, Romney beat Obama 58-40, in 2008, McCain beat Obama 53-45.
Statewide, Tim Johnson won easily in 2008. South Dakota's other senator is a Republican (John Thune). Its governor (Dennis Daugard) is a Republican as its only member of the House of Representatives.
The Senate Race
The Democratic Primary
The only declared candidate in the Democratic primary is Rick Weiland, a businessman. On the Issues calls him a "populist leaning liberal".
The Republican Primary
On the Republican side, there are 5 candidates, but Mike Rounds has a huge lead in the polls. On the Issues calls him a "moderate conservative". For both Rounds and Weiland, though, there is less to go on as neither was ever a member of the House or Senate.
The Polls
Recent polls show Rounds beating Weiland, although the margin varies widely, from 6 points to 20.
Fundraising
According to the FEC, at the end of 2013 Weiland had raised $500,000 and had $384,000 cash on hand. Rounds had raised $1.9 million and had $1.2 million cash on hand.
My Take
This one is Rounds' to lose; he leads in the polls, he has more money and this is a Republican state.