South Dakota Never Elected A Black Senator, Julian Beaudion Wants To Change That

The retired state trooper is running to become the state's first Black senator.

Less than 3 percent of people in South Dakota identify as Black. Julian Beaudion hears a variation of “I didn’t know Black people live here” all the time.

“There’s actually a lot of us here, especially in Sioux Falls,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

Beaudion would know. He traveled the highways as a state trooper, where he has (almost) seen it all. The one thing he and the more than 624,000 registered voters in South Dakota haven’t seen is a Black U.S. Senator from the state. At least not yet. Beaudion is hoping to change that in the 2026 midterm election.

From State Trooper To Vying To Become South Dakota’s First Black Senator

Serving others is not new to Beaudion. He grew up in a family of public servants. His mother worked as a nurse with the Veterans Affairs, and his father was a schoolteacher. Beaudion became a state trooper, and after 13.5 years with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, he later became the Biden nominee for U.S. Marshall.

Now, he’s working with his wife, a chef, at Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen. The duo currently owns the largest Black-owned restaurant in South Dakota. It’s a celebration of Beaudion’s Southern roots, having grown up in Alexandria, Louisiana. When he’s not in the restaurant, you can find him at his nonprofit, The Hub SD, where he and his team work together to build communication tools and platforms that drive equity, inclusion, and progress.

But these days, his time is spent at packed town halls with standing-room-only crowds since he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in April.

The town halls have been a reprieve for the pent-up frustration of voters, as leadership within the Republican Party directs current elected officials to stop holding public events, as many are hounded by their own constituents.

In some instances, Beaudion’s campaign team has unfortunately had to turn people away because the town halls have reached capacity. He’s taking advantage of what he says Republicans are scared to do: hear from the people they serve.

“One of the things that we have been very intentional about doing is listening to folks in South Dakota,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “We want to make sure that policies are shaping around their needs.”

The future of Social Security is coming up over and over at Beaudion’s town halls. As the Trump administration prioritizes reducing the federal workforce, South Dakotans worry an already overwhelmed system will become worse. People are also concerned about proposed changes from the current administration that would require individuals to verify their identity in person at a local Social Security office. The problem, according to Beaudion, is some local offices may close.

The other concern for people in South Dakota is agriculture.

‘Tariffs Will Destroy Us’

Agriculture is the backbone of South Dakota’s economy. According to the USDA, corn, soybeans, and wheat are the top commodities in the state. In 2017, more than 5 million acres of farmland were planted with corn, giving South Dakota the sixth-largest corn acreage among all states.

The livestock industry is also strong, with cattle inventory and sales ranking among the top 10 states in the nation, according to the USDA. On average, the industry generates over $3 billion in annual sales.

But Trump’s trade war has created frustration and confusion among farmers.

“Our farming community is really by these tariffs. These tariffs will impact the relationships that they have worked so hard to build for the last 25 to 30 years, particularly in import and export. The top three countries that we import and export with are China, Mexico, and Canada.”

Getting a farm bill passed is also on the minds of farmers Beaudion is talking to. Farm bills provide a safety net for farmers, including crop insurance and subsidies, ensuring that farmers and ranchers can supply Americans with affordable food.

“South Dakota alone has received almost $10 billion in government subsidies. [Not passing a farm bill] means removing government subsidies. You’re also talking about hiking the price of farm equipment, soybeans, and other agriculture needs as much as 25% to 30%. That’s really going to cripple our community.”

A Campaign Where Everyone Matters

Beaudion’s campaign message is simple: all voices in South Dakota matter. He wants to represent the voices he says are overshadowed, especially in the farming community and in education. If he secures the Democratic nomination, he will be running against Republican incumbent Mike Rounds, who supports dismantling the Department of Education.

Gutting the education department is personal for Beaudion. His father was a public school teacher. He wants to protect teachers and students.

“Getting rid of the Department of Education is dangerous,” he says, adding that he anticipates grants and funding to be cut in half.

“Federal Pell Grants are set to be on the chopping block. My wife and I went to college on Pell Grants. We wouldn’t have been able to get an education without it. Many folks in South Dakota rely on these types of grants and government subsidies to be able to live a productive life in our society.”

He’s aware that some people will call him a “DEI hire” as he puts in the work to garner the support of South Dakota voters and ultimately become the first Black Senator from the state.

“It’s come up a couple of times already, and my response is they’re correct.”

That’s because, for Beaudion, DEI stands for “definitely earned it.”