Meet Julian Beaudion
Meet Julian Beaudion
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The Foundation of Julian's Values
The Foundation of Julian's Values
Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, Julian is the youngest of six children and the son of a nurse who valued compassion and a high-school math teacher who preached discipline. He grew up in a household that wrestled with addiction. Those early challenges taught him the cost of being overlooked and the power of helping people.
Mentors at church, hours spent practicing violin, and leadership roles in JROTC all reinforced a guiding principle of life: you fight for opportunity by making sure everyone has one.
Those kitchen-table lessons still guide every decision he makes.
A Career Built on Hard work and Dedication
A Career Built on Hard work and Dedication
When asthma sidelined his West Point dream, Julian improvised. He juggled two after-school jobs, opened a fledgling cleaning business, and, at 22, joined the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Thirteen years and thousands of miles later, he became the recruiting manager for the Highway Patrol, the state’s speed-management expert, and a trusted member of executive-protection details for the Governor and South Dakota Supreme Chief Justice.
Along the way he completed the Obama Foundation Executive Leadership program and helped his wife, Inkka, run a family-owned restaurant.
This is proof that grit and curiosity count more than pedigree.
A Leader Committed to Community and Service
A Leader Committed to Community and Service
Uniform or not, Julian’s compass points to service. He organized South Dakota’s largest peaceful march after George Floyd’s murder, co-founded a nonprofit hub that steers small businesses and tribal entrepreneurs through red tape, and mentors young officers in de-escalation.
His bipartisan record earned him a presidential nomination as U.S. Marshal and seats on statewide strategic boards.
Now, as a candidate for the United States Senate, Julian is determined to channel that same pragmatism into safeguarding Medicaid and Medicare, education, and veterans, and building an economy where every South Dakotan—urban, rural, or reservation residents—can thrive.
He and Inkka live in Sioux Falls with their three daughters and their sheepadoodle, Beignet.