John Hughes (South Dakota)
John Hughes (Republican Party) is a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 13. He assumed office on January 14, 2025. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.
Hughes (Republican Party) ran for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 13. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
John Hughes was born in Huron, South Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University and a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. His career experience includes working as an attorney & business owner.[1]
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.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Hughes was assigned to the following committees:
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Taxation Committee, Vice Chair
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 13 (2 seats)
John Hughes and incumbent Tony Venhuizen won election in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 13 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Hughes (R) | 51.5 | 7,735 |
| ✔ |  | Tony Venhuizen (R) | 48.5 | 7,270 |
| Total votes: 15,005 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 13 (2 seats)
John Hughes and incumbent Tony Venhuizen defeated Brad Jankord and Penny BayBridge in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 13 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Hughes | 34.3 | 1,197 |
| ✔ | | Tony Venhuizen | 34.1 | 1,192 |
| Brad Jankord | 26.4 | 922 | ||
| Penny BayBridge | 5.2 | 183 | ||
| Total votes: 3,494 | |||
| = 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hughes in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Hughes did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Dakota State Legislature in 2025.
- Elevate Rapid City — Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community.
- Family Voice Action — Legislators are scored on bills related to family issues.
- Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes related to business.
- SD Citizens For Liberty — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate South Dakota House of Representatives District 13 |
Personal |
Footnotes
