SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO/AP) — As Republican South Dakota Sen. John Thune seeks to become Senate majority or minority leader, his fellow South Dakotan in the chamber has his back.
“It’s good for South Dakota, and it’s good for the country,” Republican Sen. Mike Rounds said Thursday. “I’m glad he’s decided to do it. I’m going to do whatever I can to support him in this goal. John’s been in the Senate long enough to know how it works and what doesn’t work.”
Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed victory the last time Americans voted for president, and he has falsely claimed that voter fraud decided the 2020 election he lost to current President Joe Biden. If such claims resurface, Rounds knows what he’ll do.
“I’ll do the same thing that I did the last time around: we went back in, and we investigated where there were accusations of wrongdoing,” Rounds said.
Audits, court cases, recounts and reviews have all documented Biden’s victory in 2020.
“In no case did we find that there were anomalies that would have changed the outcome of the election,” Rounds said.
Now in 2024, Rounds is not up for reelection; that won’t happen until 2026. Asked if he’s planning to run for another six years in the Senate, he says he’s focused on the present day.
“Let’s focus on this election, let’s let the chips fall here, and after that there’s plenty of time to decide what we do in the future,” Rounds said. “I’ve never looked past an election, and I don’t think I should be starting to look past elections now.”
Rounds celebrates his 70th birthday on Thursday.
