SOUTH DAKOTA
      Nov. 8, 2022 U.S. Senate                                      

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+John Thune (R) i
 		242,316
 		69.63%
Brian Bengs (D)
 		91,007
 		26.15%
Tamara Lesnar (L)
 		14,697
 		4.22%

350,166
Registration: 597,073.  Ballots cast: 354,670.
Plurality: 151,309 votes (43.48 percentage points).
 SD Secretary of State



Notes:  Sen. John Thune (R), first elected in 2004 and now serving as Minority Whip (second ranking Republican in the Senate), routed attorney Brian Bengs (D) and Tamara Lesnar (L). 

In a Jan. 1, 2021 tweet, then-President Trump encouraged Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to challenge Thune, but she did not pursue that option.  According to news reports in late 2021, Thune seriously considered retiring at the end of his term.  However, on Jan. 8, 2022 he announced he would seek a fourth term, writing, "South Dakota deserves a strong and effective senator who can deliver the results they expect. I am uniquely position to get that job done, and I look forward to earning the support of all South Dakotans in the 2022 election for U.S. Senate."

In the June 7 Republican primary, Thune defeated Bruce Whalen, a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe who was the Republican nominee for Congress in 2006, and musician Mark Mowry by 85,613 votes (72.24%) to 24,075 (20.31%) and 8,827 (7.45%) of 118,515 votes tallied.
 
Bengs, originally from Iowa, is an attorney in Aberdeen and a retired lieutenant colonel who served 26 years in the Air Force and Navy.  Bengs was a lifelong independent until the events of Jan. 6, 2021.  He announced his candidacy on Nov. 11, 2021 and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. 

Bengs saw a narrow path to victory, noting that Republicans account for less than 50-percent of registered voters (49.5%) and pointing to the 2018 gubernatorial campaign of Billie Sutton, who came within 3.41 percentage points of winning.  Bengs said his challenge was to get people to look beyond the party label, and as he put it "thread the needle with values."  In "Badlands," an edgy video the campaign released in Aug. 2022, Bengs stated, "Senator Thune has never worked a day outside politics, and after 40 years he works for Mitch McConnell."  Bengs also issued a ten-point "Covenant with South Dakota" covering topics from access to affordable health care to background checks for firearm purchases.
 
Lesnar, from Grenville, runs jewelry and collectibles businesses.

Thune agreed to only one late debate; the three candidates met on Nov. 4, hosted by South Dakota Public Broadcasting in partnership with Dakota News Now (1, 2).

 Thune's campaign had a huge war chest, reporting $12.9 million raised, $6.5 million spent and $17.0 million in cash on hand compared to $495,853 raised, $441,817 spent and $54,036 in cash on hand for Bengs' campaign (>).
 


See also:
Tom Lawrence.  "Bengs wanted three debates, but 'gutless' Thune only agrees to one at very end of Senate campaign."  The South Dakota Standard, Sept. 11, 2022.

Tom Lawrence.  "Election 2022: John Thune faces primary challengers while Democratic Party fields first-time candidate."  The South Dakota Standard, Apr. 4, 2022.

Jonathan Ellis.  "Thune retirement could cause GOP bedlam in South Dakota."  Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Dec. 18, 2021.  [column]




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