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Portrait of Mike Rounds← All people
Senator · South Dakota · Republican

Mike Rounds

U.S. Senator from South Dakota

Mike Rounds is a U.S. senator from South Dakota, in office since January 2015. He was the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011 and served in the South Dakota State Senate from 1991 to 2000, including six years as majority leader.

See the full voting record
Public record

Office and sources

Office
U.S. Senator from South Dakota
Representing
South Dakota
Public role
Legislative branch
Record includes
Roll-call votes, source-linked checks, statements, and coverage
In office since
January 3, 2015
Education
South Dakota State University (B.A., Political Science)
  • Senator Mike Rounds: Biography ↗
  • National Governors Association: Gov. Mike Rounds ↗
  • U.S. Senate: States in the Senate, South Dakota senators ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee Assignments of the 119th Congress ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗
OverviewBiographyVotesIssuesClaim checks
Background

Biography

Mike Rounds was born in Huron, South Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from South Dakota State University in Brookings. His Senate biography says he built an insurance and real estate business with offices around the state.

From 1991 to 2000 Rounds served five terms in the South Dakota State Senate, and in 1995 he was chosen as Senate majority leader, a post he held for six years. He was sworn in as South Dakota's 31st governor on January 7, 2003, was reelected in 2006, and served until 2011. The National Governors Association says he chaired the Western Governors Association.

Senate records list his Senate service as beginning January 3, 2015; his own biography gives his swearing-in as January 6, 2015.

Committees

  • Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • Committee on Appropriations
  • Committee on Armed Services
  • Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Committee on Indian Affairs
  • Select Committee on Intelligence

Sources for this biography

  • Senator Mike Rounds: Biography ↗
  • National Governors Association: Gov. Mike Rounds ↗
  • U.S. Senate: States in the Senate, South Dakota senators ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee Assignments of the 119th Congress ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗

Drafted by The Baseline's automated desk from the sources listed and checked against them on Sep 19, 2026; no other source was used. Spot an error? Request a correction.

119th Congress

The voting record at a glance

Every Senate roll-call position in the current Congress that Voteview associates with this member. Data current through Oct 1, 2026.

Recorded votes
915
Participation
99.1%
Yea / nay
668 / 239
Latest vote
Sep 30, 2026
Recorded positions

Latest roll-call votes

Position, question, result, tally, and source are shown together so readers can inspect the record without leaving the page.

DatePositionRoll callIssueResult
Sep 30, 2026YeaPN1129On the NominationKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗NominationsNomination Confirmed47–41
Sep 30, 2026YeaPN1129On the Cloture MotionKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture Motion Agreed to53–47
Sep 30, 2026YeaHR9340On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected57–43
Sep 30, 2026YeaHR7008On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend chapter 131 of title 5 to require certain restrictions on stocks for Members of Congress and their spouses and dependents, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected53–47
Sep 29, 2026NaySRES852On the Motion to DischargeA resolution requesting information on Israel's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗International AffairsMotion to Discharge Rejected47–51
Sep 29, 2026NaySJRES197On the Motion to ProceedA joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027; and Basic Health Program".Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗HealthMotion to Proceed Rejected48–51
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On Passage of the BillA bill to protect the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes and to promote fair competition among intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗EducationBill Passed77–22
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo establish certain standards with respect to coaches of varsity sports teams.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected47–52
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo increase the limitation on funding for post-eligibility insurance and catastrophic injury for student athletes.Official roll call ↗HealthAmendment Rejected49–50
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo limit price increases for college athletics tickets.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected42–54
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo improve the bill.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected1–94
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo modify the provision relating to the relationship of this Act to existing law.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Agreed to96–1
Browse all 915 recorded votes →
Patterns in the record

Vote leaning and issue mix

These are descriptive measures of roll-call behavior, not judgments about truthfulness, effectiveness, or constituent approval.

Vote leaningMore conservative
+0.354
More liberalCenterMore conservative

Based on 900 roll-call observations in the 119th Congress. This is Voteview DW-NOMINATE, an estimate from roll-call behavior—not a Baseline rating. Read the method ↗ or see our evidence rules.

Issue record

Where roll calls fall

Other floor business254
Nominations125
Crime and law enforcement116
Economics and public finance110
Armed forces and national security85
Health57
Environmental protection48

Policy areas come from Voteview’s Congressional Research Service fields, with plain-language fallback categories when no CRS label is supplied.

Source: Voteview members’ votes ↗. Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal, Boche, Rudkin, and Sonnet (2026), Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database.

The Baseline desk

Published claim checks

Claim checks are reviewed editorial work. They are separate from the voting-data summaries above.

No published checks yet

When The Baseline verifies and publishes a check on a claim by Mike Rounds, it will appear here with its evidence and primary sources. An empty record is not a rating.

Keep exploring

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DADan AhlersCandidate for Governor of South Dakota (2026)→Dusty JohnsonU.S. House · SD At large→Larry RhodenGovernor of South Dakota→John ThuneU.S. Senator from South Dakota→
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