U.S. Senator
Mike Rounds
South Dakota
RepublicanConservative
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 environment energy#3 other#4 defense#5 social security
182
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
0.35Conservative
Senator Mike Rounds holds conservative positions but tends toward the more moderate wing of the Republican Party, with an ideology score notably below his party's average. His voting patterns suggest a pragmatic approach that occasionally diverges from party orthodoxy on certain issues.
LiberalModerateConservative
Republican avg
More liberal than the average Republican (0.52)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
182
total votes analyzed
Overview
Mike Rounds has served as a U.S. Senator from South Dakota since 2015, bringing experience from his prior role as the state's Governor. His voting record reflects traditional Republican priorities on fiscal and defense matters while showing some flexibility on specific policy questions. Rounds has been particularly active on healthcare legislation, casting 92 votes in this area with a relatively balanced pattern of support and opposition (47% yea votes). This suggests engagement with the nuances of healthcare policy rather than strictly partisan voting. His environmental and energy votes show higher support rates (70% yea), which may reflect South Dakota's agricultural and energy interests. On financial regulation and banking matters, Rounds has been more consistently opposed to measures brought to vote (20% yea), indicating skepticism toward additional financial regulations. His defense voting record (62% yea) aligns with traditional Republican support for military priorities.
Key Positions
- •Active engagement on healthcare policy with nuanced voting patterns
- •Generally supportive of defense and military-related measures
- •Skeptical of additional banking and financial regulations
- •Supportive stance on energy-related legislation
- •Consistent support for taxation measures that reached the floor
By Policy Area
Healthcare92
47% yea53% nay
Environment & Energy23
70% yea30% nay
Other22
77% yea23% nay
Defense21
62% yea38% nay
Social Security7
57% yea43% nay
Banking & Finance5
20% yea80% nay
Analysis updated: January 9, 2026
Campaign Finance
Follow the Money
Includes all authorized campaign committees (principal committee, joint fundraising, and other authorized committees). Outside spending by Super PACs and independent groups is shown separately below. Verify on FEC.gov →
Career: $14.6M
Fundraising Over Time
Raised per election cycleSpent
Contribution Sources
Individual$1.8M
45%
PAC / Committees$2.1M
54%
Party Committee$62K
2%
Individual Breakdown
Itemized (>$200)
$1.7M
Small Dollar (<$200)
$79K
Donation Sizes
Under $200
$48K · 3%
$200 – 499
$15K · 1%
$500 – 999
$82K · 5%
$1,000 – 1,999
$243K · 16%
$2,000+
$1.2M · 75%
Share of individual contribution dollars by donation size, current election cycle.
Where the Money Comes From
In-state (SD)$153K · 10%
Out-of-state$1.4M · 90%
Itemized individual contributions only (donations over $200 report the donor's state). Small-dollar donations are not included because the FEC does not itemize them.
CA
$363K
SD
$153K
TX
$148K
NY
$119K
VA
$115K
FL
$83K
DC
$76K
MD
$58K
Top Contributors
Top Contributing Industries
Top Donor Employers
RETIRED$116K
SELF$64K
ANTHROPIC$48K
GOOGLE$42K
SELF EMPLOYED$31K
MARQUIS MANAGEMENT, INC.$30K
HOMEMAKER$28K
NULL$26K
ARES MANAGEMENT$21K
BURWELL ENTERPRISE$21K
LEIDOS$21K
SANFORD HEALTH$19K
Employer as self-reported by itemized donors. “Not Employed” and “Self-Employed” typically rank highest for small-dollar campaigns and include retirees.
Where the Money Goes
Spending by Purpose
Other / Uncategorized
$1.5M
Advertising
$766K
Materials
$48K
Refunds
$13K
Administrative
$10K
Fundraising
$3K
Contributions
$3K
Travel
$305.73
Purpose categories are self-reported on FEC filings; large “Other” totals are common.
Top Payees
1.$602K
SCOTT HOWELL & COMPANY
2.$245K
605 STRATEGIES
3.$224K
LAWRENCE & SCHILLER, INC.
4.$202K
THE RIZZO DUKES GROUP
5.$123K
DUKES, PAULA
6.$108K
THE ULLR GROUP
7.$101K
PUSH DIGITAL, LLC
8.$95K
KUIL, ERIN
Detailed Breakdown
Expenditures
Operating Costs
$3.4M
Operating Offsets
$1K
Net Operating
$3.4M
Refunds
Individual Refunds
$37K
Committee Refunds
$23K
Outside Spending (Super PACs)
Supporting
$570K
Opposing
$3.7M
Total Outside Spending
$4.3M
Top Outside Spenders
01
$2.1MEVERY VOICE ACTION
-$2.1M
02
$776KDEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
-$776K
03
$581KMAYDAY PAC
-$581K
04
$202KPROGRESSIVE KICK INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
-$202K
05
$163KINDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS OF AMERICA INC.
+$163K
06
$162KNATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION
+$162K
07
$102KAMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PAC
+$102K
08
$62KCULAC THE PAC OF CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
+$62K
Independent expenditures are made without coordination with the candidate. Source: FEC Schedule E filings.
Coverage: 1/1/2021 – 6/30/2026FEC: S4SD00049Updated: 8/12/2026Source: FEC.gov (all authorized committees)
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
127 votes across 12 categories