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South Dakota State Senate elections, 2026

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2026 South Dakota Senate Election
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Election info

Seats up: 35
Primary: June 2, 2026
General: November 3, 2026

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Elections for the South Dakota State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 31, 2026.

The South Dakota State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Party As of September 2025
     Democratic Party 3
     Republican Party 32
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Candidates

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Primary

General election

South Dakota State Senate general election 2026
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • The list of general election candidates is incomplete pending results from the primary.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1 Primary results pending
District 2 Primary results pending
District 3 Primary results pending
District 4 Primary results pending
District 5 Primary results pending
District 6 Primary results pending
District 7 Primary results pending
District 8 Primary results pending
District 9 Primary results pending
District 10 Primary results pending
District 11 Primary results pending
District 12 Primary results pending
District 13 Primary results pending
District 14 Primary results pending
District 15 Primary results pending
District 16 Primary results pending
District 17 Primary results pending
District 18 Primary results pending
District 19 Primary results pending
District 20 Primary results pending
District 21 Primary results pending
District 22 Primary results pending
District 23 Primary results pending
District 24 Primary results pending
District 25 Primary results pending
District 26 Primary results pending
District 27 Primary results pending
District 28 Primary results pending
District 29 Primary results pending
District 30 Primary results pending
District 31 Primary results pending
District 32 Primary results pending
District 33 Primary results pending
District 34 Primary results pending
District 35 Primary results pending

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.


Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in South Dakota. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in South Dakota

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 19, Chapter 12-6, Title 19, Chapter 12-7 of South Dakota Codified Law

For primary candidates

A primary election candidate must file a petition no earlier than January 1 and no later than the last Tuesday of March at 5 p.m., prior to the primary election. The petition must contain the required signatures and a declaration of candidacy. The declaration of candidacy must be completed before the candidate collects signatures. The declaration must be completed in the presence of an authorized notary public. A petition for a statewide or federal office must be signed by no less than 1 percent of the number of voters who supported the most recent winning gubernatorial candidate. For a state legislative candidate or candidate for county office, the petition must be signed by the lesser of 50 voters or 1 percent of the party's total registered members in that district or county. Any state legislative candidate must be a resident of the district for which he or she is a candidate at the time he or she signs the declaration of candidacy.[1][2][3]

For independent candidates

Any candidate for nonjudicial public office who is not nominated by a primary election may be nominated as an independent candidate by filing with the South Dakota Secretary of State or county auditor. Filing must be completed no earlier than January 1 and no later than the last Tuesday of April at 5:00 p.m., prior to the election. An independent candidate's certificate of nomination must be signed by registered voters within the applicable district or political subdivision. The number of signatures required may not be less than 1 percent of the total combined vote cast for governor at the last certified gubernatorial election within the district or political subdivision. Registered party members cannot sign petitions for independent candidates. No petition or certificate of nomination may be circulated prior to January 1 of the year in which the election will be held. Primary election candidates are prohibited from filing as independent candidates for the same office in the same year. No candidate can file a certificate of nomination for an office for which he or she has been a candidate in the primary election of the same year. Any candidate for office in the state legislature must be a resident of the district for which he or she is a candidate.[3][4][5][6]

For write-in candidates

The relevant statutes do not stipulate that a candidate may run as a write-in candidate. Write-in candidates for president are expressly prohibited.[7]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the South Dakota Senate, a candidate must be:[8]

  • A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
  • 21 years old at the filing deadline time
  • A two-year resident of South Dakota at the filing deadline time
  • May not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken "public moneys"
  • A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:
* A U.S. citizen
* Reside in South Dakota
* At least 18 years old old on or before the next election
* Not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
* Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
* Not have served 4 consecutive terms

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[9]
SalaryPer diem
$13,436/year$166/day for legislators who reside more than 50 miles away from the capitol

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

South Dakota legislators assume office the second Tuesday in January after the general election.[10]

South Dakota political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

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

Presidential politics in South Dakota

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024


Presidential election in South Dakota, 2024
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)
 
63.4
 
272,081 3
Image of
Image of
Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)
 
34.2
 
146,859 0
Image of
Image of
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent)
 
1.7
 
7,204 0
Image of
Image of
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L)
 
0.6
 
2,778 0

There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified.

Total votes: 428,922


2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020


Presidential election in South Dakota, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
61.8
 
261,043 3
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
35.6
 
150,471 0
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
2.6
 
11,095 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 422,609


2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016
U.S. presidential election, South Dakota, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 31.7% 117,458 0
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 61.5% 227,721 3
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 5.6% 20,850 0
     Constitution Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley 1.1% 4,064 0
Total Votes 370,093 3
Election results via: Federal Election Commission


South Dakota presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 3 Democratic wins
  • 28 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[11] R R R R D D R R R R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


Redistricting following the 2020 census

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.[12]


See also

South Dakota State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
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South Dakota State Executive Offices
South Dakota State Legislature
South Dakota Courts
State legislative elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
South Dakota elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015
Primary elections in South Dakota
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-6-4," accessed March 28, 2025
  2. ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Download a petition," accessed March 28, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-7-6," accessed March 28, 2025
  4. ↑ South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-7-1," accessed March 28, 2025
  5. ↑ South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-7-1.1," accessed March 28, 2025
  6. ↑ South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-7-5," accessed March 28, 2025
  7. ↑ South Dakota Codified Law, "Title 12-20-21.2," accessed March 28, 2025
  8. ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Qualification to Hold Office & Term Limitations," accessed December 18, 2013
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  10. ↑ South Dakota Constitution, "Article 3, Section 7," accessed November 20, 2012
  11. ↑ Progressive Party
  12. ↑ Black Hills Fox, "South Dakota lawmakers compromise on redistricting map in special session," November 10, 2021


Current members of the South Dakota State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Jim Mehlhaff
Minority Leader:Liz Larson
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
Tim Reed (R)
District 8
District 9
Joy Hohn (R)
District 10
District 11
District 12
Arch Beal (R)
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
J. Marty (R)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (3)


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