Hart running for US Senate in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A woman who works to support refugee families in Sioux Falls says she’s running as Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Clara Hart says the person who currently holds the seat, Sen. Mike Rounds, hasn’t shown enough sympathy for struggling farmers in a state that relies on its agriculture industry. Rounds, a Republican, hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll seek reelection.

Hart says she was motivated to run because of farmers who are having a tough time with tariffs and the trade war with China.

Hart is from Mozambique and became a U.S. citizen in 1993. She works as a liaison for refugee families in the Sioux Falls School District and is chairwoman of the Refugee Congress.

Former Democratic legislator Dan Ahlers of Dell Rapids is also running.