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South Dakota 2010 legislative election results
Senate
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| Other 2010 Election information |
South Dakota State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the South Dakota State Senate. For results in individual contests see our South Dakota State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| South Dakota State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 14 | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 21 | 30 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 22 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 4 incumbents lost, and thus 18 incumbents were re-elected to the South Dakota State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 4 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 17 new senators sworn-in. Of those 18, 3 are Democrats and 14 are Republicans
- Of the 35 seats up for election, 5 were won by Democrats and 30 by Republicans.
- 13 candidates were unopposed, 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans.
- Only 4 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In South Dakota, 13 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 22 incumbents (62.9%) ran for re-election. Of these 22 incumbents, 4 were defeated. All 4 were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Pam Merchant
- Arthur Fryslie
- Nancy Turbak Berry
- Al Novstrup
- Jim Hundstad
- Russell Olson (South Dakota politician)
- Sandy Jerstad
- Jean Hunhoff
- Mike Vehle
- Cooper Garnos
- Tom Hansen (South Dakota politician)
- Corey Brown
- Bob Gray (South Dakota)
- Dan Ahlers
- Ryan Maher
- Larry Rhoden
- Thomas Nelson (South Dakota)
- Stanford Adelstein
- Craig Tieszen
- Jeffrey Haverly
- James Bradford
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Pam Merchant | ||
| Nancy Turbak Berry | ||
| Sandy Jerstad | ||
| Dan Ahlers |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Tidemann | ||
| Ried Holien | ||
| Timothy Rave | ||
| Mark Johnston (South Dakota) |
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In South Dakota, 17 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 17, 3 are Democrats and 14 are Republicans. In total, South Dakota elected 35 senators, 30 Republicans and 5 Democrats.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the South Dakota State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the South Dakota State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
- Larry Tidemann
- Arthur Fryslie
- Ried Holien
- Tim Begalka
- Al Novstrup
- Russell Olson (South Dakota politician)
- Deb Peters
- Todd Schlekeway
- Phyllis Heineman
- Joni Cutler
- Dan Lederman
- Eldon Nygaard
- Jean Hunhoff
- J.E. Putnam
- Mike Vehle
- Cooper Garnos
- Tom Hansen (South Dakota politician)
- Corey Brown
- Bob Gray (South Dakota)
- Timothy Rave
- Ryan Maher
- Larry Rhoden
- Bruce Rampelberg
- Thomas Nelson (South Dakota)
- Stanford Adelstein
- Elizabeth Kraus
- Craig Tieszen
- Jeffrey Haverly
- Shantel Krebs
- Mark Johnston (South Dakota)
Competitiveness
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Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature. In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In South Dakota, 13 (37.1%) candidates were unopposed, 3 Democrats and 10 Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In South Dakota, 4 (6.6%) of the 61 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
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South Dakota State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the South Dakota House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| South Dakota House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 19 | |
| Republican Party | 46 | 50 | |
| Independent | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | 70 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 36 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 5 incumbents lost, and thus 43 incumbents were re-elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 5 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 27 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 27, 4 are Democrats, 22 are Republicans and 1 is an Independent.
- Of the 70 seats up for election, 19 were won by Democrats, 50 by Republicans, and 1 by an Independent.
- 20 candidates were unopposed, 9 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
- Only 9 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In South Dakota, 48 (68.6%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 48, 5 incumbent representatives were defeated. Since the South Dakota House of Representatives is composed of multi-member districts it, is possible for two challengers to defeat an incumbent. For this reason, 7 challengers were able to defeat 5 incumbents. All 5 incumbents were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Susan Wismer
- H. Paul Dennert
- Dennis Feickert
- Steve Street
- Mitch Fargen
- Gerald Lange
- Darrell D. Solberg
- Susan Blake
- Marc Feinstein
- Patrick Kirschman
- Martha Vanderlinde
- Bernie Hunhoff
- Kevin Killer
- Dean Schrempp
- Quinten Burg
- Oran Sorenson
- Peggy Anne Gibson
- David Novstrup
- Valentine Rausch
- Roger Solum
- Brock Greenfield
- Roger Hunt (South Dakota)
- Manford Steele
- James Bolin
- Jamie Boomgarden
- Nick Moser
- Kent Juhnke
- Justin Cronin
- Lance Carson
- Charles Hoffman (South Dakota)
- Kim Vanneman
- Betty Olson
- Thomas Brunner
- Mike Verchio
- Fred Romkema
- Charles Turbiville
- Dean Wink
- Phil Jensen
- David Lust
- Mark Kirkeby
- Don Kopp
- Lance Russell
- Brian Gosch
- Jacqueline Sly
- Kristin Conzet
- Ed Iron Cloud, III
- Larry J. Lucas
- Elaine Elliott
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Gerald Lange | ||
| Darrell D. Solberg | ||
| Martha Vanderlinde | ||
| Quinten Burg | ||
| Oran Sorenson |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Kloucek | ||
| Patricia Stricherz | ||
| Mark Willadsen | ||
| Stace Nelson | ||
| Jon Hansen | ||
| Jenna Netherton | ||
| Jim White (South Dakota) | ||
| Lora Hubbel |
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In South Dakota, 27 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 26, 4 are Democrats, 22 are Republicans and 1 is Independent. In total, South Dakota elected 70 representatives, 50 Republicans, 19 Democrats, and 1 independent.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the South Dakota House of Representatives:
Democratic
Republican
- Dan Dryden
- Melissa Magstadt
- Scott Munsterman
- Burt Tulson
- Patricia Stricherz
- Steve Hickey
- Mark Willadsen
- Bob Deelstra
- Hal Wick
- Brian Liss
- R. Shawn Tornow
- Patty Miller
- Edward Van Gerpen
- Tona Rozum
- James Schaefer
- Tad Perry
- Mark Venner
- Stace Nelson
- Jon Hansen
- Gene Abdallah
- Jenna Netherton
- Jim White (South Dakota)
- Lora Hubbel
Other
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives:
Democratic
Republican
- Dan Dryden
- Melissa Magstadt
- Scott Munsterman
- Burt Tulson
- Patricia Stricherz
- Steve Hickey
- Mark Willadsen
- Bob Deelstra
- Hal Wick
- Brian Liss
- R. Shawn Tornow
- Patty Miller
- Edward Van Gerpen
- Tona Rozum
- James Schaefer
- Tad Perry
- Mark Venner
- Stace Nelson
- Jon Hansen
- David Novstrup
- Valentine Rausch
- Roger Solum
- Brock Greenfield
- Roger Hunt (South Dakota)
- Manford Steele
- James Bolin
- Gene Abdallah
- Jamie Boomgarden
- Nick Moser
- Kent Juhnke
- Justin Cronin
- Lance Carson
- Charles Hoffman (South Dakota)
- Kim Vanneman
- Betty Olson
- Thomas Brunner
- Mike Verchio
- Fred Romkema
- Charles Turbiville
- Dean Wink
- Phil Jensen
- David Lust
- Mark Kirkeby
- Don Kopp
- Lance Russell
- Brian Gosch
- Jacqueline Sly
- Jenna Netherton
- Kristin Conzet
- Jim White (South Dakota)
- Lora Hubbel
Other
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In South Dakota, 19 (27.1%) candidates were unopposed, 8 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
In South Dakota, 9 (7.4%) of the 121 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. One candidate, Jenna Haggar, won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in South Dakota.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
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| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
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| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
