Republican Mike Rounds of South Dakota has won his bid for the U.S. Senate, handing conservatives a key addition as they seek to capture the Senate majority.
The Associated Press called the race based on exit poll results. Official election returns were delayed until at least 10 p.m. because of a late-opening polling station, the state's secretary of state said earlier in the day.
Rounds had a healthy lead in the polls over Democrat Rick Weiland, his top opponent in the unusual four-way race. The other two contestants were Larry Pressler, a former Republican senator running as an independent, and independent Gordon Howie.
The men were facing off for the seat now occupied by Democrat Tim Johnson, who is retiring. Republicans viewed a pickup in South Dakota as important to their goal of netting the six seats they need to gain control of the Senate.
In October, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced it would drop $1 million into South Dakota in a last-minute play for the race. Republicans shifted money toward the race in response.
But toward the end of the month the GOP grew so confident about Rounds' chances that it withdrew a good chunk of its campaign cash.
Rounds was a weak fundraiser - coming up far short of initial plans to raise $9 million for the race - and he refused to run negative ads until the final days of the campaign.
Rounds also was plagued by an immigration scandal stemming from his stint as governor. The EB-5 visa program allows immigrants to get green cards by investing $500,000 in projects that create jobs. The South Dakota program had a host of problems, spurring inquiries and lawsuits.
Weiland, a one-time aide to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, complained about the lack of help from national Democrats. On Friday, he announced he was starting a petition drive to replace Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. A Reid spokesman fired back: 'Desperation is an ugly thing, and it's sad to see Rick Weiland ending his ill-advised campaign and brief political career by attacking fellow Democrats.'
Entities 0 Name: South Dakota Count: 4 1 Name: Senate Count: 4 2 Name: Rick Weiland Count: 2 3 Name: Tim Johnson Count: 1 4 Name: Weiland Count: 1 5 Name: Mike Rounds Count: 1 6 Name: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Count: 1 7 Name: Harry Reid Count: 1 8 Name: Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren Count: 1 9 Name: Reid Count: 1 10 Name: U.S. Senate Count: 1 11 Name: Republican Count: 1 12 Name: Tom Daschle Count: 1 13 Name: Gordon Howie Count: 1 14 Name: GOP Count: 1 15 Name: Larry Pressler Count: 1 16 Name: Associated Press Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1sc6hUY Title: Your 2014 Election Night Viewer's Guide, Hour by Hour Description: If you're reading this, you're likely one of the few Americans who actually cares about the midterm elections. Congratulations! Consider this the casual viewer's guide to election night, a combination of practical knowledge (when the polls close in each states) and fun facts you can drop at cocktail parties to seem informed.
