Chris Karr
Chris Karr (Republican Party) is a member of the South Dakota State Senate, representing District 11. He assumed office on January 14, 2025. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.
The South Dakota Senate elected Karr Senate president pro tempore on January 14, 2025.[1] The president pro tempore presides over the Senate body in the absence of the Senate president, which in the case of South Dakota is the lieutenant governor.
Karr was born in Tabor, South Dakota, in 1980.[2] He received a B.S. in business economics from South Dakota State University and an M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota. He owned a business and served as an accredited valuation analyst and a financial consultant.[3]
Before joining the Senate, Karr represented South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 from 2017 to 2025. He chaired the House Appropriations Committee from 2019 to 2022. As a representative, Karr "led efforts to reduce the overall sales tax from 4.5 to 4.2 percent."[4]
Karr was elected to the Senate in 2024, defeating Steve Natz (D) 58.9%-41.1%. As of April 2025, he chaired the Senate Legislative Procedure Committee and the Senate Select Committee on the Nomination for Lieutenant Governor.[5]
Writing on Karr's election as president pro tempore, the South Dakota Searchlight's Joshua Haiar said, "A group of staunchly conservative Republicans claimed control of key leadership positions ... The leadership election in Pierre marked a consolidation of power for the faction, which has pushed for a more conservative agenda, including bills to regulate minors’ access to online pornography, curtail a controversial carbon capture pipeline, and cap property taxes."[6] As president pro tempore, Karr said he would focus on funding the state government, property rights, parental rights, and school choice.[4]
Biography
Karr's professional experience included working as a business owner and financial consultant. He received a B.S. in business economics from South Dakota State University and an M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota.[3]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Karr was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Select Committee on the Nomination for Lieutenant Governor, Chair
- Senate Commerce and Energy Committee
- Senate Government Operations and Audit Committee
- Joint Legislative Procedure Committee, Vice Chair
- Senate Legislative Procedure Committee, Chair
- Senate State Affairs Committee
2023-2024
Karr was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Karr was assigned to the following committees:
- House Appropriations Committee, Chair
- House Government Operations and Audit Committee
- Appropriations Committee, Co-chair
2019-2020
Karr was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee, Co-Chair
- House Appropriations Committee, Chair
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Government Operations and Audit Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Dakota committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Appropriations |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Dakota State Senate District 11
Chris Karr defeated Steve Natz in the general election for South Dakota State Senate District 11 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chris Karr (R) | 58.9 | 6,796 |
 | Steve Natz (D)  | 41.1 | 4,747 | |
| Total votes: 11,543 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Steve Natz advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 11.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Chris Karr advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 11.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Karr in this election.
Pledges
Karr signed the following pledges.
2022
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Brian Mulder and incumbent Chris Karr defeated Margaret Kuipers and Kimberly Parke in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Mulder (R) | 29.0 | 4,988 |
| ✔ | | Chris Karr (R) | 28.4 | 4,879 |
 | Margaret Kuipers (D) | 22.0 | 3,775 | |
 | Kimberly Parke (D) | 20.7 | 3,553 | |
| Total votes: 17,195 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Margaret Kuipers and Kimberly Parke defeated Stephanie Marty in the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Margaret Kuipers | 35.2 | 766 |
| ✔ | | Kimberly Parke | 34.0 | 741 |
| Stephanie Marty | 30.8 | 670 | ||
| Total votes: 2,177 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Incumbent Chris Karr and Brian Mulder defeated Roger Russell and Tyler Bonynge in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Karr | 35.6 | 1,334 |
| ✔ | | Brian Mulder | 32.8 | 1,230 |
 | Roger Russell | 26.8 | 1,006 | |
| Tyler Bonynge | 4.8 | 181 | ||
| Total votes: 3,751 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2020
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Incumbent Chris Karr and incumbent Mark Willadsen defeated Sheryl Johnson and Margaret Kuipers in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Karr (R) | 29.3 | 7,253 |
| ✔ |  | Mark Willadsen (R) | 29.0 | 7,172 |
 | Sheryl Johnson (D) | 23.8 | 5,900 | |
| Margaret Kuipers (D) | 17.9 | 4,429 | |
| Total votes: 24,754 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Sheryl Johnson and Margaret Kuipers advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Karr and incumbent Mark Willadsen advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11.
2018
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Incumbent Mark Willadsen and incumbent Chris Karr defeated Sheryl Johnson and Margaret Kuipers in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Willadsen (R) | 28.8 | 5,436 |
| ✔ | | Chris Karr (R) | 27.7 | 5,227 |
| Sheryl Johnson (D) | 23.6 | 4,450 | |
| Margaret Kuipers (D) | 20.0 | 3,769 | |
| Total votes: 18,882 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Sheryl Johnson and Margaret Kuipers advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Sheryl Johnson |
| ✔ | | Margaret Kuipers |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Incumbent Chris Karr and incumbent Mark Willadsen advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Karr |
| ✔ | | Mark Willadsen |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016. Incumbent Jim Stalzer (R) did not seek re-election.
Chris Karr and incumbent Mark Willadsen defeated Leona Wieland and Paul Schipper in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 general election.[7][8]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 11 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Chris Karr |
31.92% | 6,422 | |
| Republican | Mark Willadsen Incumbent |
30.36% | 6,109 | |
| Democratic | Leona Wieland | 20.42% | 4,108 | |
| Democratic | Paul Schipper | 17.31% | 3,483 | |
| Total Votes | 20,122 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Paul Schipper and Mary Claus were unopposed in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 Democratic primary.[9][10]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 11 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Paul Schipper | |
| Democratic | Mary Claus | |
Incumbent Mark Willadsen and Chris Karr defeated Dave Landry in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 Republican primary.[9][10]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 11 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark Willadsen Incumbent |
35.31% | 632 | |
| Republican | Chris Karr |
33.97% | 608 | |
| Republican | Dave Landry | 30.73% | 550 | |
| Total Votes | 1,790 | |||
2012
Karr ran in the 2012 election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11. Karr and incumbent Mark Willadsen were defeated by Christine M. Erickson and Jim Stalzer in the Republican primary on June 5. Jim Larson and Darrell D. Solberg ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The general election took place on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Lora Hubbel (R) is running for State Senate in District 11.[11][12]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Christine M. Erickson |
31.2% | 529 |
| Jim Stalzer |
26.4% | 447 |
| Mark K Willadesen Incumbent | 21.4% | 362 |
| Chris Karr | 21.1% | 357 |
| Total Votes | 1,695 | |
2010
Karr was a Republican candidate for the District 11 in the South Dakota House of Representatives in the 2010 state legislative elections. Karr was defeated in the Republican primary.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Karr did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Chris Karr did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Chris Karr did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Karr's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Chris Karr, [14] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Dakota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
In 2024, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 9 to March 26.
- Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community.
- Legislators are scored on their votes related to business.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 27.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 28.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 29.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 14 to March 30.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 8 through March 29.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 26.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 10 through March 27. The legislature held a special session on June 12.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 99.1 KXLG, "Sioux Falls Lawmakers Elected to Lead South Dakota Legislature as Historic Session Begins," January 14, 2025
- ↑ South Dakota Legislature Legislative Research Council, "Chris G. Karr," accessed April 21, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chris Karr House of Representatives, "About Chris Karr," accessed April 21, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 SDPB Radio, "House, Senate GOP elect new leadership," November 9, 2024
- ↑ South Dakota Legislature Legislative Research Council, "Senator Chris Karr - 2025," accessed April 21, 2025
- ↑ South Dakota Searchlight, "Staunch conservatives take leadership positions in GOP-led state Legislature," November 9, 2024
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed August 21, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Official Results State Canvas," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "State primary results," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ Office of the South Dakota Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," June 25, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Karr for House, "About," accessed May 18, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Dakota State Senate District 11 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 2017-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
