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South Dakota House of Representatives District 23
South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 is represented by Spencer Gosch (R) and Scott Moore (R).
As of the 2020 Census, South Dakota state representatives represented an average of 12,682 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 11,711 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the South Dakota House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits.[1] South Dakota legislators assume office the second Tuesday in January after the general election.[2]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Dakota State Legislature, a candidate must meet the following qualifications:[3]
| “ | 21 years old; 2 years residency; qualified voter; may not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken 'public moneys'[4] | ” |
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $13,436/year | $166/day for legislators who reside more than 50 miles away from the capitol |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The South Dakota legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the South Dakota Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that South Dakota representatives are subject to term limits of no more than four consecutive two-year terms, or eight consecutive years. Representatives can run again after they have been out of office for a term.[6] The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.
The South Dakota State Legislature has tried on more than one occasion, each time unsuccessfully, to persuade the state's voters to repeal term limits. The most recent such failed attempt was when Amendment J lost in 2008 by 75-25%.
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the South Dakota State Legislature, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement. Under the state constitution, there are no deadlines set in the state constitution requiring when the governor has to fill a vacancy.[7]
See sources: South Dakota Const. Art. 3, Sec. 10
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
South Dakota enacted new state legislative districts after the legislature approved a compromise between two competing proposals. Both chambers voted to approve the final proposal, known as the Sparrow map, on November 10, 2021. The House approved the new districts in a 37-31 vote and the Senate by a vote of 30-2. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed the proposal into law later that night.[8]
Both chambers approved their own versions of the final map on the first day of the special legislative session, which began on November 8, 2021. The House passed its Grouse 2.0 plan by a vote of 48-20, and the Senate approved its plan, known as the Blackbird 2.0 map, in a 20-15 vote. The two proposals mainly differed in their approach to Native American reservations and the rural areas around Rapid City, and the Sparrow addressed both preserving Native American districts and reconfiguring the districts covering Rapid City.[8] These maps took effect for South Dakota's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in South Dakota work? South Dakota is home to a single at-large congressional district; as such, congressional redistricting is not necessary. State legislative districts are drawn by the state legislature. A simple majority vote in each chamber is required to pass a redistricting plan, which is subject to veto by the governor.[9]
The South Dakota Constitution mandates that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. State statutes "ask that districts protect communities of interest and respect geographical and political boundaries." Because these latter requirements are statutory, they can be modified by the state legislature at its discretion.[9]
South Dakota House of Representatives District 23
until January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
South Dakota House of Representatives District 23
starting January 10, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Spencer Gosch and incumbent Scott Moore won election in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Spencer Gosch (R) | 51.8 | 7,973 |
| ✔ |  | Scott Moore (R) | 48.2 | 7,420 |
| Total votes: 15,393 | |||
 = 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 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Scott Moore and Spencer Gosch defeated incumbent James Wangsness in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Moore | 41.8 | 2,889 |
| ✔ | | Spencer Gosch | 37.5 | 2,589 |
 | James Wangsness | 20.7 | 1,427 | |
| Total votes: 6,905 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Scott Moore and James Wangsness won election in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Moore (R) | 58.7 | 6,965 |
| ✔ | | James Wangsness (R) | 41.3 | 4,893 |
| Total votes: 11,858 | |||
| = 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 23 (2 seats)
Scott Moore and James Wangsness defeated Gregory Brooks and Brandon Black in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Moore | 41.7 | 3,421 |
| ✔ | | James Wangsness | 35.0 | 2,867 |
| Gregory Brooks | 15.2 | 1,248 | ||
| Brandon Black | 8.1 | 660 | ||
| Total votes: 8,196 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Spencer Gosch and Charles Hoffman won election in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Gosch (R) | 55.1 | 8,325 |
| ✔ |  | Charles Hoffman (R) | 44.9 | 6,791 |
| Total votes: 15,116 | |||
| = 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 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Spencer Gosch and Charles Hoffman defeated incumbent James Wangsness and Kevin Watts in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Gosch | 40.7 | 3,107 |
| ✔ | | Charles Hoffman | 35.4 | 2,709 |
| James Wangsness | 14.0 | 1,072 | |
| Kevin Watts | 9.9 | 755 | ||
| Total votes: 7,643 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Spencer Gosch and incumbent John Lake defeated Eleanor Iverson and Margaret Ann Walsh in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Gosch (R) | 41.0 | 7,115 |
| ✔ |  | John Lake (R) | 37.0 | 6,435 |
| Eleanor Iverson (D) | 12.1 | 2,105 | ||
| Margaret Ann Walsh (D) | 9.9 | 1,717 | ||
| Total votes: 17,372 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Philip Testerman (D)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Eleanor Iverson and Philip Testerman advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Eleanor Iverson | |
| ✔ | Philip Testerman | |
| ||||
| = 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 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Spencer Gosch and incumbent John Lake advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Gosch |
| ✔ | | John Lake |
| ||||
| = 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. Incumbents Justin Cronin (R) and Michele Harrison (R) did not seek re-election.
Spencer Gosch and John Lake were unopposed in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 general election.[10][11]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 23 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Spencer Gosch |
53.81% | 7,099 | |
| Republican | John Lake |
46.19% | 6,094 | |
| Total Votes | 13,193 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
John Lake and Spencer Gosch defeated Charles Hoffman and incumbent Dick Werner in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 Republican primary.[12][13]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John Lake |
31.16% | 2,466 | |
| Republican | Spencer Gosch |
26.98% | 2,135 | |
| Republican | Charles Hoffman | 21.55% | 1,705 | |
| Republican | Dick Werner Incumbent | 20.31% | 1,607 | |
| Total Votes | 7,913 | |||
2014
Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Incumbent Justin Cronin and Michele Harrison defeated Larry Nielson, Dale Hargens and Gene Toennies in the Republican primary. Cronin and Harrison were unopposed in the general election.[14][15][16]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Justin Cronin Incumbent |
36.2% | 2,578 |
| Michele Harrison |
20.8% | 1,480 |
| Larry Nielson | 18.2% | 1,293 |
| Gene Toennies | 12.6% | 897 |
| Dale Hargens | 12.3% | 874 |
| Total Votes | 7,122 | |
2012
Elections for the office of South Dakota House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on June 5, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 27, 2011. Incumbents Justin Cronin (R) and Charles Hoffman (R) were unopposed in the general election.[17][18]
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 raised a total of $264,046. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $5,868 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $62,467 | 3 | $20,822 |
| 2022 | $24,665 | 4 | $6,166 |
| 2020 | $37,150 | 4 | $9,287 |
| 2018 | $17,718 | 5 | $3,544 |
| 2016 | $36,943 | 4 | $9,236 |
| 2014 | $27,265 | 5 | $5,453 |
| 2012 | $9,350 | 2 | $4,675 |
| 2010 | $5,996 | 2 | $2,998 |
| 2008 | $12,929 | 3 | $4,310 |
| 2006 | $5,409 | 2 | $2,705 |
| 2004 | $1,550 | 2 | $775 |
| 2002 | $14,551 | 5 | $2,910 |
| 2000 | $8,053 | 4 | $2,013 |
| Total | $264,046 | 45 | $5,868 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ termlimits.org, "List of state legislative term limits," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ South Dakota Constitution, "Article 3, Section 7," accessed February 16, 2021
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Qualification to Hold Office & Term Limitations," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ South Dakota State Legislature, "Legislative Terms of Office," accessed February 16, 2021
- ↑ South Dakota Legislature, "South Dakota Constitution Article III, Section 10," accessed February 3, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Black Hills Fox, "South Dakota lawmakers compromise on redistricting map in special session," November 10, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 All About Redistricting, "South Dakota," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ 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
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "State primary results," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Current Candidates for Primary Election," May 2, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Primary Election - Official Results," accessed June 4, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results - November 4, 2014," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ "South Dakota Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," June 12, 2012
