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South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026
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← 2022
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| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 31, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 Primary runoff: July 28, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| South Dakota executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
South Dakota is holding an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 31, 2026.
In South Dakota, the gubernatorial nominee is selected in the primary. The gubernatorial nominee then chooses a lieutenant gubernatorial running mate, and they run together on a single ticket in the general election. In South Dakota, political parties select their state executive candidates at conventions rather than through primaries, with the governor being the only exception. As of October 2025, the dates of the conventions had not yet been announced.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 2 Democratic primary)
- South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 2 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
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
Governor
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Governor of South Dakota
Robert Arnold, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, Dusty Johnson, and Terry Gleason are running in the general election for Governor of South Dakota on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Robert Arnold (D) | ||
 | Toby Doeden (R) | |
 | Jon Hansen (R) | |
 | Dusty Johnson (R) | |
| Terry Gleason (Independent) | ||
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 = 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. | ||||
Lieutenant Governor
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
Karla Lems is running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Karla Lems (R) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Voting information
- See also: Voting in South Dakota
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 | |||||||||
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| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 10/21/2025 | 10/14/2025 | 10/7/2025 | 9/30/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for Governor of South Dakota
Incumbent Kristi L. Noem defeated Jamie Smith and Tracey Quint in the general election for Governor of South Dakota on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kristi L. Noem (R) | 62.0 | 217,035 |
 | Jamie Smith (D) | 35.2 | 123,148 | |
 | Tracey Quint (L) | 2.9 | 9,983 | |
| Total votes: 350,166 | |||
| = 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
- Lora Hubbel (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jamie Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Barry Hulse (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota
Incumbent Kristi L. Noem defeated Steven Haugaard in the Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristi L. Noem | 76.4 | 91,661 |
 | Steven Haugaard | 23.6 | 28,315 | |
| Total votes: 119,976 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Governor of South Dakota
Tracey Quint advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of South Dakota on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Tracey Quint (L) |
| ||||
| = 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 Governor of South Dakota
Kristi L. Noem defeated Billie Sutton and Kurt Evans in the general election for Governor of South Dakota on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristi L. Noem (R) | 51.0 | 172,912 |
 | Billie Sutton (D) | 47.6 | 161,454 | |
 | Kurt Evans (L) | 1.4 | 4,848 | |
| Total votes: 339,214 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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
- CJ Abernathey (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota
Billie Sutton advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Billie Sutton |
| ||||
| = 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 Governor of South Dakota
Kristi L. Noem defeated Marty J. Jackley in the Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristi L. Noem | 56.0 | 57,598 |
 | Marty J. Jackley | 44.0 | 45,174 | |
| Total votes: 102,772 | |||
| = 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
2014
Republican incumbent Dennis Daugaard won re-election on November 4, 2014.
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, 2014 | ||||
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dennis Daugaard/Matthew Michels Incumbent |
70.5% | 195,477 | |
| Democratic | Susan Wismer/Susan Blake | 25.4% | 70,549 | |
| Indpendent | Mike Myers/Lora Hubbel | 4.1% | 11,377 | |
| Total Votes | 277,403 | |||
| Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
See also
| South Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Governor of South Dakota official website
- Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota official website
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
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