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Political ads tend to go one of two ways: pump up your candidate or knock down the opponent.

As Democrats wade into the Senate race in South Dakota, theyve chosen to try to knock down Republican Mike Rounds with negative adsbut the calculation is complicated. Any points Democrats can score by attacking Mr. Rounds will help not just their candidate Rick Weiland, but also independent candidate Larry Pressler.

Backing Mr. Weiland while helping Mr. Pressler as well may be the best bet for Democrats in South Dakota as theDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committeesurprised many by pumping $1 million into a state that leans heavily Republican.

The political climate and landscape for Democrats in South Dakota is extremely bleak, said Emily Wanless, assistant professor of government at Augustana College in Sioux Falls.

In the coming weeks, she said Mr. Pressler has a better chance of making the surge needed to beat Mr. Rounds. Polls show Mr. Rounds, who was governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011, leading in a race the GOP needs to win to take control of the Senate. Mr. Weiland and Mr. Pressler are competing for second, although the overall race shows signs of tightening.

(See the latest poll averages in the South Dakota race.)

Mr. Pressler served in the U.S. senate for three terms as a Republican, helping him to attract GOP voters who are less than thrilled with the campaign of Mr. Rounds. But his positions on issues from same-sex marriage to a Native American holocaust museum will appeal to some Democrats who see a vote for Mr. Weiland as a waste in such a Republican state. Mr. Pressler has been coy about which party he would caucus with if elected.

In his campaign, Mr. Pressler has been highlighting his record from a generation ago in ads showing him with Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and pointing to his honesty during the Abscam inquiry in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While trailing in fundraising, hes benefiting from a steady stream of ads from outside groups such Every Voice Action, pointing to the alleged mismanagement of a federal visa program when Mr. Rounds was governor.

The Democrats followed the outside groups in the ad that started running over the weekend, pushing the visa issue with the words Schemes. Special Favors. Investigations, blasted across the screen as it ends.

Mr. Rounds in recent weeks has accused his opponents of trying to invent a scandal as a way to divert attention from key issues on which theyre out of step with South Dakota voters. But the unique dynamic has drawn the attention of Republicans, with the partys senate campaign arm planning $1 million in ad spending to defend Mr. Rounds and highlight his positions, including opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

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Democrats Attack Republican Rounds in Triangulated South Dakota Senate Race