The Democratic Senate nominee in South Dakota ended his campaign Tuesday following calls from party activists to exit the race and leave independent Brian Bengs as the main competitor against Republican Sen. Mike Rounds. 

Julian Beaudion, a former state trooper, cited “extraordinary personal challenges,” including a house fire, financial struggles and “intimidating threats to drop out of this race,” as reasons for his decision. 

He said in a statement posted to social media that he has no plans to endorse either Bengs or Rounds.

“The mental and physical safety of my family is my priority, and for this reason alone, I step aside,’’said Beaudion, who had the backing of former President Joe Biden. “This is a time for my family to heal and for the voters of South Dakota to choose a senator. Not a time for me to talk of specific threats and attacks. But rest assured that time will come.”

Bengs, a Navy and Air Force veteran who was the Democratic nominee against Senate Republican leader John Thune in 2022, issued a statement commending Beaudion’s “patriotic decision to make this a two-person race and put South Dakota first.”

The decision by Beaudion mirrors similar moves by Democratic Senate candidates in other deep-red states, where the party has struggled to gain traction.

Last week, David Roth, the Democratic Senate nominee in Idaho, dropped out of the race, clearing a path for an independent candidate to take on Republican Sen. Jim Risch. 

And in Nebraska, Democrat Cindy Burbank withdrew her candidacy last month, providing a boost to independent Senate hopeful Dan Osborn in his challenge to Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts. Osborn ran against the state’s senior senator, Republican Deb Fischer, in 2024 and lost by 7 points.

But efforts to get Democratic Senate nominees to drop out in other red-leaning states have been less successful. 

In Montana, Democrat Alani Bankhead has so far resisted pressure to exit the race in advance of an Aug. 10 deadline to help independent Seth Bodnar in his quest to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines. 

Recent polling has suggested Bodnar would be competitive against GOP nominee Kurt Alme without a Democrat in the race, but Alme had a clear edge with more than two candidates on the ballot.