Democratic Party of South Dakota
| Democratic Party of South Dakota | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| Type: | Political party |
| Affiliation: | Democratic |
| Top official: | Shane Merrill, Chair |
| Year founded: | 1868 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Democratic Party of South Dakota is the South Dakota political party affiliate of the national Democratic Party. The group is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Party chair
As of May 2024, the current party chair is Shane Merrill.[1]
Party leadership
As of May 14, the executive director of the Democratic Party of South Dakota was Dan Ahlers.[2]
The website for the South Dakota Democratic Party lists the following individuals as the party's state leadership as of May 14:[1]
- Shane Merrill, Chair
- Jessica Meyers, Vice-Chair
- Larry Olsen, Treasurer
- Berk Ehrmantraut, Secretary
- Deb Knecht, National Committeewoman
- Dennis Olson, National Committeeman
For more information on the party's full leadership and staff, please click here.
Party platform
For complete information on the party's platform, please click here.
Party rules and bylaws
For complete information on the party's bylaws, please click here.
Background
South Dakota has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of March 9, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, South Dakota had a Republican trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.
Party candidates
Note: The following table lists candidates who filed to run for office with this political party in a given year. This may also include candidates who filed to run with more than one political party. The list may not be comprehensive if the state's official filing deadline has not passed. This list may not populate if no candidates have filed to run with this political party. The table lists non-presidential candidates who filed to run for office with this political party in a given year. For more information on presidential candidates and elections, please click here.
Using the tools at the top of the table, you can increase the number of candidates shown on your screen or scroll through the table to view additional candidates. To report an error, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2025
See also
- List of political parties in the United States
- Political parties in South Dakota
- Democratic Party
- South Dakota
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- South Dakota Democratic Party Website
- South Dakota Democratic Party on Facebook
- South Dakota Democratic Party on Twitter
Footnotes
