Marion Michael Rounds was born on October 24,1954 and is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015.
33 Facts About Mike Rounds
2.
Mike Rounds attended South Dakota State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree.
3.
Mike Rounds was elected to the South Dakota Senate in 1990, representing the 24th district until 2001.
4.
Mike Rounds ran for governor of South Dakota in 2002, and after an upset victory in the Republican primary, defeated Democratic nominee Jim Abbott.
5.
Mike Rounds was reelected in 2006, but was term limited from running for a third term in 2010.
6.
In 2014, Mike Rounds was elected to the United States Senate, succeeding retiring Democrat Tim Johnson.
7.
Mike Rounds was reelected in 2020 over Democratic nominee Dan Ahlers.
8.
The eldest of 11 children, Mike Rounds was born in Huron, South Dakota, the son of Joyce and Don Mike Rounds.
9.
Mike Rounds has lived in the state capital of Pierre since he was three years old.
10.
Mike Rounds was named for an uncle, Marion Rounds, who was killed in the Pacific theater during World War II.
11.
Several members of the Mike Rounds family have been involved in state government.
12.
Mike Rounds's father worked at various times as state director of highway safety, a staffer for Rural Electrification Administration, and executive director of the South Dakota Petroleum Council.
13.
Mike Rounds's brother Tim Rounds is a member of the South Dakota Legislature, representing District 24, which includes Pierre.
14.
Mike Rounds attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in political science.
15.
Mike Rounds was reelected in 1992,1994,1996, and 1998.
16.
Mike Rounds had to leave the Senate in 2000 because of legislative term limits South Dakota voters had passed in 1992.
17.
Mike Rounds benefited from the heated competition between Kirby and Barnett, much of which centered on ethical concerns about Kirby's personal business investments and damaged both candidates' reputations, with Barnett's campaign advertisements involving claims "so outlandish that people thought for sure that they were exaggerated or completely fabricated".
18.
Mike Rounds served as a member of the Governors' Council at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
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Mike Rounds was the 2008 Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association.
20.
Mike Rounds signed the act on March 6 and the ban was to have taken effect on July 1,2006, but did not, because of a court challenge.
21.
In October 2014, Mike Rounds admitted that he had approved a $1 million state loan to beef packing plant Northern Beef shortly after learning that Secretary of Tourism and State Development Richard Benda had agreed to join the company, with Benda then getting another $600,000 in state loans that was ultimately used to pay his own salary.
22.
Speculation persisted that in 2014 Mike Rounds would seek the United States Senate seat held by Tim Johnson, a Democrat who had served since 1997.
23.
On November 29,2012, Mike Rounds launched a campaign for the seat being vacated by Johnson's retirement.
24.
Mike Rounds won the June 2014 Republican primary, defeating four other candidates.
25.
In February 2019, Mike Rounds was one of 20 senators to sponsor the Employer Participation in Repayment Act, enabling employers to contribute up to $5,250 to their employees' student loans as a means of granting them relief and incentivizing people to apply for jobs with employers who implement the policy.
26.
In 2017, Mike Rounds was one of 22 senators to sign a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.
27.
Mike Rounds supported embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who had come under scrutiny because of extraordinary expenditures for personal security and luxury travel, and the appearances of ethical conflicts, defending him on Meet the Press.
28.
Mike Rounds opposed the FIRST STEP Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that Trump signed into law.
29.
Mike Rounds opposes the Affordable Care Act, and has voted to repeal it.
30.
On May 28,2021, Mike Rounds abstained from voting on the creation of the January 6 commission.
31.
Mike Rounds endorsed Senator Tim Scott for the Republican nomination in the 2024 United States presidential election.
32.
Mike Rounds is a member of numerous service clubs and community organizations, including Elks, Exchange Club, Knights of Columbus and Ducks Unlimited.
33.
On November 2,2021, Jean Mike Rounds died at age 65, two years after she was diagnosed with cancer.