South Dakota Democrat exits Senate race, clears way for independent
Julian Beaudion is the third Democrat to drop out of a Senate race after facing pressure from his party to bow out for a more promising independent candidate.
South Dakota Democratic Senate nominee Julian Beaudion announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the race, paving the way for independent candidate Brian Bengs to challenge Republican Senator Mike Rounds in the upcoming November election. Beaudion's decision to exit the race came just days after he had told POLITICO that he had no intention of dropping out.
The move comes following increased pressure from within the Democratic party to allow a stronger independent candidate a better chance at defeating the incumbent Republican. In a statement, Beaudion likened his decision to the failed Apollo 13 mission to the moon, expressing gratitude to supporters and expressing sorrow at his decision.
This development follows similar withdrawals by Democratic nominees in Idaho and Nebraska, who have since endorsed independent candidates. However, Montana Democrat Alani Bankhead has maintained her stance to continue her campaign against the better-funded independent Seth Bodnar in what could be a significant challenge to a red-state Republican in the upcoming election.
Written by urgent.news from POLITICO's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
