By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
Former South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds was at Dakota Dunes Country Club Thursday evening.
Rounds spoke at the Union County Republicans "Lincoln Day" dinner.
The Former Governor appeared amid rumors that he plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2014.
Now, Rounds did not say it was a sure thing, but he is putting together an exploratory meeting in the next 30 days and won't announce his official decision until after the 2012 election.
Rounds says too much government regulation and growing federal debt are his reasons to jump back into politics.
Rounds said, "I'm tired of having a federal government that doesn't understand that 'profit' is not a dirty word. And I'm tired of a federal government that can't balance their own budget."
If he decides to run, he would be challenging the Democrat incumbent Tim Johnson, who's been serving since 1997.
There has been talk that Johnson, who's had health issues in the past, might be winding down his political career and will not seek reelection.
We spoke to a member of Johnson's staff who told us it's too early to make any decisions.
