United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota, 2018
General election
General election for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Dusty Johnson (R) | 60.3 | 202,695 |
![]() | Timothy Bjorkman (D) | 36.0 | 121,033 | |
![]() | Ron Wieczorek (Independent) ![]() | 2.2 | 7,323 | |
George Hendrickson (L) | 1.5 | 4,914 |
Total votes: 335,965 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
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South Dakota's At-Large Congressional District |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: March 27, 2018 |
Primary: June 5, 2018 Primary runoff: August 14, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Kristi Noem (Republican) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in South Dakota |
Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
See also |
At-large South Dakota elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
The 2018 U.S. House of Representatives elections in South Dakota took place on November 6, 2018. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's At-Large Congressional District.
Tim Bjorkman (D), Dusty Johnson (R), George Hendrickson (L), and Ron Wieczorek (I) ran in the general election.
The filing deadline was on March 27, 2018, and the primary election took place on June 5, 2018. Heading into the election the incumbent was Kristi Noem (R), who was first elected in 2010. This seat became open when Noem announced that she was running in South Dakota's 2018 gubernatorial election instead of seeking re-election.
South Dakota has a single At-Large Congressional District, which is made up of the entire state.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District
Dusty Johnson defeated Timothy Bjorkman, Ron Wieczorek, and George Hendrickson in the general election for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Dusty Johnson (R) | 60.3 | 202,695 |
![]() | Timothy Bjorkman (D) | 36.0 | 121,033 | |
![]() | Ron Wieczorek (Independent) ![]() | 2.2 | 7,323 | |
George Hendrickson (L) | 1.5 | 4,914 |
Total votes: 335,965 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District
Timothy Bjorkman advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | ![]() | Timothy Bjorkman |
![]() | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris Martian (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District
Dusty Johnson defeated Shantel Krebs and Neal Tapio in the Republican primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Dusty Johnson | 46.8 | 47,120 |
![]() | Shantel Krebs | 29.3 | 29,551 | |
![]() | Neal Tapio | 23.9 | 24,040 |
Total votes: 100,711 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eric Terrell (R)
- Matt Johnson (R)
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+14, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made South Dakota's at-large district the 87th-most Republican district nationally.[1]
FiveThirtyEight's elasticity score for states and congressional districts measures "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." Heading into the election, this district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moves toward a party, the district is expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.[2]
2016 Pivot Counties
South Dakota's single congressional district intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of the 108 congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is more Republican than the partisan breakdown of the U.S. House. Of the 108 congressional districts that have at least one Pivot County, 63 percent are held by a Republican incumbent, while 55.4 percent of U.S. House seats were won by a Republican in the 2016 elections.[3]
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
U.S. Representative election in South Dakota 2018, general election | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Timothy Bjorkman (D) | Dusty Johnson (R) | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
Public Opinion Strategies (August 1-3) | 33% | 54% | 13% | +/-0 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling (July 19-20) | 33% | 43% | 24% | +/-3.9 | 641 | ||||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 33% | 48.5% | 18.5% | +/-1.95 | 520.5 | ||||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Wave election analysis
- See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)
The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?
Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.
Applying this definition to U.S. House elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 48 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.
The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 11 U.S. House waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.
U.S. House wave elections | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | President | Party | Election type | House seats change | House majority[4] | |
1932 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -97 | D | |
1922 | Harding | R | First midterm | -76 | R | |
1938 | Roosevelt | D | Second midterm | -70 | D | |
2010 | Obama | D | First midterm | -63 | R (flipped) | |
1920 | Wilson | D | Presidential | -59 | R | |
1946 | Truman | D | First midterm | -54 | R (flipped) | |
1994 | Clinton | D | First midterm | -54 | R (flipped) | |
1930 | Hoover | R | First midterm | -53 | D (flipped) | |
1942 | Roosevelt | D | Third midterm | -50 | D | |
1966 | Johnson | D | First midterm[5] | -48 | D | |
1974 | Ford | R | Second midterm[6] | -48 | D |
District history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated South Dakota's U.S. House race as safely Republican. Incumbent Kristi Noem (R) defeated Paula Hawks (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in June.[7]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | ![]() |
64.1% | 237,163 | |
Democratic | Paula Hawks | 35.9% | 132,810 | |
Total Votes | 369,973 | |||
Source: South Dakota Secretary of State |
2014
Incumbent Kristi Noem (R) won re-election to the United States House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. She defeated Corinna Robinson (D) in the general election.
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | ![]() |
66.5% | 183,834 | |
Democratic | Corinna Robinson | 33.5% | 92,485 | |
Total Votes | 276,319 | |||
Source: South Dakota Secretary of State |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 66 South Dakota counties—7.6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
Corson County, South Dakota | 4.51% | 11.08% | 21.48% | ||||
Day County, South Dakota | 23.77% | 6.16% | 12.89% | ||||
Marshall County, South Dakota | 15.51% | 8.66% | 16.48% | ||||
Roberts County, South Dakota | 15.53% | 9.84% | 19.64% | ||||
Ziebach County, South Dakota | 1.96% | 16.43% | 27.16% |
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won South Dakota with 61.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 31.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, South Dakota cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 63.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, South Dakota supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 86.7 to 10.0 percent. The state favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in South Dakota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]
In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won six out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 19.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won four out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 12.7 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 31 out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 22.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 33 out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 32.5 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
1 | 51.58% | 46.48% | D+5.1 | 37.24% | 57.24% | R+20 | D |
2 | 41.78% | 55.63% | R+13.8 | 28.47% | 65.46% | R+37 | R |
3 | 44.43% | 52.39% | R+8 | 33.93% | 59.00% | R+25.1 | R |
4 | 40.82% | 56.54% | R+15.7 | 27.54% | 66.02% | R+38.5 | R |
5 | 39.90% | 58.16% | R+18.3 | 27.89% | 65.65% | R+37.8 | R |
6 | 38.47% | 59.68% | R+21.2 | 30.89% | 61.65% | R+30.8 | R |
7 | 50.40% | 46.81% | D+3.6 | 43.62% | 47.39% | R+3.8 | D |
8 | 43.39% | 54.25% | R+10.9 | 32.58% | 61.26% | R+28.7 | R |
9 | 44.78% | 52.69% | R+7.9 | 35.24% | 57.43% | R+22.2 | R |
10 | 42.73% | 55.52% | R+12.8 | 34.89% | 58.46% | R+23.6 | R |
11 | 42.02% | 56.19% | R+14.2 | 36.63% | 56.47% | R+19.8 | R |
12 | 43.37% | 54.72% | R+11.3 | 40.26% | 52.71% | R+12.4 | R |
13 | 42.42% | 55.91% | R+13.5 | 42.90% | 50.51% | R+7.6 | R |
14 | 45.37% | 53.02% | R+7.7 | 42.55% | 50.96% | R+8.4 | R |
15 | 60.76% | 36.19% | D+24.6 | 50.37% | 40.21% | D+10.2 | D |
16 | 37.11% | 61.13% | R+24 | 28.21% | 66.43% | R+38.2 | R |
17 | 46.23% | 51.48% | R+5.3 | 38.71% | 54.73% | R+16 | D |
18 | 42.37% | 55.09% | R+12.7 | 34.30% | 58.81% | R+24.5 | R |
19 | 30.80% | 67.46% | R+36.7 | 21.26% | 73.69% | R+52.4 | R |
20 | 39.03% | 58.77% | R+19.7 | 28.66% | 65.65% | R+37 | R |
21 | 32.69% | 65.58% | R+32.9 | 21.75% | 74.28% | R+52.5 | D |
22 | 40.25% | 57.55% | R+17.3 | 28.05% | 65.80% | R+37.8 | R |
23 | 27.77% | 70.13% | R+42.4 | 17.94% | 77.32% | R+59.4 | R |
24 | 31.98% | 66.03% | R+34.1 | 26.93% | 66.80% | R+39.9 | R |
25 | 39.10% | 58.97% | R+19.9 | 31.43% | 61.88% | R+30.4 | D |
26A | 71.98% | 26.91% | D+45.1 | 62.07% | 31.66% | D+30.4 | D |
26B | 38.65% | 59.41% | R+20.8 | 27.43% | 66.49% | R+39.1 | R |
27 | 59.61% | 39.08% | D+20.5 | 51.30% | 43.71% | D+7.6 | R |
28A | 59.49% | 38.69% | D+20.8 | 48.66% | 46.00% | D+2.7 | D |
28B | 21.01% | 75.69% | R+54.7 | 13.67% | 79.93% | R+66.3 | R |
29 | 26.65% | 70.23% | R+43.6 | 18.53% | 73.59% | R+55.1 | R |
30 | 28.42% | 68.70% | R+40.3 | 22.14% | 71.69% | R+49.5 | R |
31 | 34.98% | 61.85% | R+26.9 | 28.34% | 62.58% | R+34.2 | R |
32 | 37.98% | 59.43% | R+21.5 | 33.81% | 56.85% | R+23 | R |
33 | 32.89% | 64.91% | R+32 | 28.15% | 64.55% | R+36.4 | R |
34 | 34.28% | 63.64% | R+29.4 | 32.46% | 59.35% | R+26.9 | R |
35 | 35.21% | 61.55% | R+26.3 | 26.34% | 64.40% | R+38.1 | R |
Total | 39.87% | 57.89% | R+18 | 31.74% | 61.53% | R+29.8 | - |
Source: Daily Kos |
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in South Dakota heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in South Dakota.
- Republicans held the at-large U.S. House seat in South Dakota.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held 10 of 14 state executive positions and the remaining four positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of South Dakota was Republican Dennis Daugaard. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the South Dakota General Assembly. They had a 59-10 majority in the state House and a 29-6 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- South Dakota was under a Republican state government trifecta, meaning Republicans held the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house.
2018 elections
- See also: South Dakota elections, 2018
South Dakota held elections for the following positions in 2018:
Demographics
Demographic data for South Dakota | ||
---|---|---|
South Dakota | U.S. | |
Total population: | 857,919 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 75,811 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 85% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 8.6% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 90.9% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 27% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $50,957 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 15.3% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
As of July 2016, South Dakota's three largest cities were Sioux Falls (pop. est. 177,000), Rapid City (pop. est. 74,000), and Aberdeen (pop. est. 28,000).[10]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the South Dakota Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in South Dakota every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | ![]() |
61.5% | ![]() |
31.7% | 29.8% |
2012 | ![]() |
57.9% | ![]() |
39.9% | 18.0% |
2008 | ![]() |
53.1% | ![]() |
44.8% | 8.3% |
2004 | ![]() |
59.9% | ![]() |
38.4% | 21.5% |
2000 | ![]() |
60.3% | ![]() |
37.6% | 22.7% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | ![]() |
71.8% | ![]() |
28.2% | 43.6% |
2014 | ![]() |
50.4% | ![]() |
29.5% | 20.9% |
2010 | ![]() |
100.0% | ![]() |
100.0% | |
2008 | ![]() |
62.5% | ![]() |
37.5% | 25.0% |
2004 | ![]() |
50.6% | ![]() |
49.4% | 1.2% |
2002 | ![]() |
49.6% | ![]() |
49.5% | 0.1% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in South Dakota.
Election results (Governor), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2014 | ![]() |
70.5% | ![]() |
25.4% | 45.1% |
2010 | ![]() |
61.5% | ![]() |
38.5% | 23.0% |
2006 | ![]() |
61.7% | ![]() |
36.1% | 25.6% |
2002 | ![]() |
56.8% | ![]() |
41.9% | 14.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent South Dakota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Senate | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
- United States House election in South Dakota (June 5, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States House election in South Dakota (June 5, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2018
- U.S. House primaries, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Denotes the party that had more seats in the U.S. House following the election.
- ↑ Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
- ↑ Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Election Information," accessed June 4, 2021
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ South Dakota Demographics, "South Dakota Cities by Population," accessed September 8, 2018