South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 2 Republican primary)

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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.
Voting in South Dakota

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
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
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor
Commissioner of School and Public Lands
Treasurer
Public Utilities Commission


Incumbent Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, and Dusty Johnson are running in the Republican primary for governor of South Dakota on June 2, 2026. If no candidate wins 35% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a July 28, 2026, runoff election.

Rhoden was formerly lieutenant governor and replaced former Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on January 25, 2025, when Noem became the secretary of homeland security under Donald Trump (R).[1] South Dakota Searchlight's editor-in-chief Seth Tupper said: "[P]eople are viewing this as an open seat. Kristi Noem resigned, and yes, the Lieutenant Governor came in and you could call him an incumbent, sort of, not really, but kind of. ... And I think a lot of people underestimated Governor Rhoden's ability to campaign for this seat. ... [B]ut I don't think it caused anybody to say, oh, I'm not going to run now, because open seats don't come along very often, obviously, in South Dakota Republican politics."[2]

Rhoden is the governor of South Dakota. He says, "I want to keep South Dakota strong – strong families, strong businesses, and strong institutions. I want to keep South Dakota safe – with low crime and respect for law enforcement. And I want to keep South Dakota free – freedom will continue to be our calling card as long as I am governor."[3]

Doeden is a car dealership and rental property owner.[4] He says, "As governor, I will stop the reckless spending and fight back against crushing property taxes so everyone can own a home, and work with President Trump to round up illegal immigrants and get deadly drugs off our streets."[5]

Hansen is the speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives and a lawyer.[4] He says, "As Governor, [I] will lower your property taxes, root out corruption, stop wasteful government spending, preserve the South Dakota way of life, and keep South Dakota free, safe, and sane."[6]

Johnson represents South Dakota's At-Large Congressional District. He says, "It’s time for a new chapter—a chapter that drives South Dakota to a brighter future where we build better schools and safer communities, a chapter that governs with conservative principles to create new jobs, new businesses, and new opportunities in every community, and a chapter where being a workhorse, not a show horse, still means something."[7]

Property taxes are a major campaign issue setting the candidates apart. Both Rhoden and Johnson, who present as moderate Republicans according to University of South Dakota professor Julia Hellwege, propose reforms to the system.[4] Rhoden suggests that counties could decide on replacing property taxes with a half-cent sales tax increase.[8] Johnson's proposal would exempt first-time homebuyers from paying property taxes for two years and provide a $400 property tax credit to owner-occupied properties via a planned increase in the statewide sales tax.[8] Hansen, who belongs to the populist branch of the Republican Party, also proposes a property tax relief program for owner-occupied single-family dwellings via the increased statewide sales tax.[9][10][11] Doeden wants to immediately eliminate property taxes.[8] According to Hellwege, Doeden is running a populist campaign and describes himself as a political outsider, which could possibly shift the other candidates rightward on this and other issues.[4][12]

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.

This page focuses on South Dakota's Republican Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on South Dakota's Democratic gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Recent updates

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election, such as debates, polls, and noteworthy endorsements. Know of something we missed? Let us know.

  • Oct. 27, 2025

    Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy published results from a poll they had conducted of 502 registered Republican voters, showing Johnson winning 28% of the vote, Rhoden 27%, Doeden 15%, and Hansen 10%. The margin of error was ± 4.5.[14]

  • April 28, 2025

    Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy published results from a poll they had conducted of 500 registered Republican voters, showing Johnson winning 28% of the vote, Rhoden 27%, Doeden 4%, and Hansen 2%. The margin of error was ± 4.5.[13]


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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota

Incumbent Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, and Dusty Johnson are running in the Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 2, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Larry Rhoden
Larry Rhoden
Image of Toby Doeden
Toby Doeden
Image of Jon Hansen
Jon Hansen
Image of Dusty Johnson
Dusty Johnson

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = 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.

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Election information in South Dakota: June 2, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: May 18, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 18, 2026
  • Online: N/A

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: June 1, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 1, 2026
  • Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: June 2, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 2, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 17, 2026 to June 1, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CT/MT)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Larry Rhoden

Image of Larry Rhoden

FacebookX

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 



Biography:  Following his graduation from high school at Sunshine Bible Academy in 1977, Rhoden joined the South Dakota National Guard, serving for six years. Rhoden's work experience included welding and operating a ranch.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

As governor, Rhoden said he was "fighting for property rights, standing up for law enforcement, [and] creating opportunities for South Dakota’s next generation."

Rhoden proposed a property tax reform where counties could decide on replacing property taxes with a half-cent sales tax increase. He said, "It's government at its best, government close to its people. It's up to those individual counties and the people in those counties to decide, and we left as much flexibility of that as we could."

Rhoden said he would "empower South Dakotans to take control of their future, protect individual freedoms, and keep South Dakota open for opportunity across every corner of the state."

Show sources

Sources: Larry Rhoden 2026 campaign website, "About," accessed March 2, 2026, South Dakota News Watch, "Assessing SD gubernatorial candidates' property tax proposals," February 9, 2026, Larry Rhoden 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 2, 2026; South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden, "About," accessed March 2, 2026

Toby Doeden

Image of Toby Doeden

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Doeden graduated from Groton High School in 1993. As of the election, he was a car dealership and rental property owner.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Doeden said he would create a South Dakota Department of Government Efficiency. He added, "So we’re going to lower the overhead. We’re going to get rid of the fat and the pork. We’re going to bring in amazing companies and stimulate this economy like it’s never been before, and then thirdly, we are going to go harvest this external revenue."

On his property tax proposal, Doeden said, "On day one ... the Doeden administration is going to begin the long, tedious process of working with the counties and the legislature to completely eliminate all property taxes."

Doeden described himself as a political outsider and said, "I am running for Governor to fight for the people who built this state, NOT the powerful few who control it."

Show sources

Sources: KELOLAND, "Property taxes and SD’s 2026 GOP gubernatorial race," November 21, 2025, Facebook, "Toby Doeden for South Dakota," March 2, 2026; Dakota News Now, "Toby Doeden makes the political establishment nervous. So what’s his next move?" April 19, 2025

Jon Hansen

Image of Jon Hansen

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Hansen received a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Sioux Falls in 2013 and a J.D. from the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law in 2016. As of the election, Hansen was a lawyer and speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Referring to his time in the state House, Hansen said he "holds an A+ pro-gun rating from the NRA, a perfect pro-family voting record, a 100% pro-property rights voting record, [and] an A rating on securing our elections."

Hansen proposed a property tax relief program for owner-occupied single-family dwellings via the increased statewide sales tax. He additionally proposed transferring "$55.6 million from state government’s reserves for a one-time reduction to property owners before the sales-tax rate goes back up 0.3%."

As reported by the South Dakota Searchlight: "If elected, Hansen pledged to 'clean up' the system by cutting state government and spending ... create 'education choice grants' for alternative and private school education, and sign an executive order to 'define man and woman, end the woke and restore common sense.' Hansen said he plans to stop offering 'corporate welfare' as well."

Show sources

Sources: Jon Hansen 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 3, 2026, KELOLAND, "Property taxes and SD’s 2026 GOP gubernatorial race," November 21, 2025, South Dakota Searchlight, "First candidate for governor focuses on property rights, spending and halting ‘corporate welfare’," April 24, 2025, KELOLAND, "Hansen wants to use sales tax for property-tax relief," March 2, 2026; LinkedIn, "Jon Hansen," accessed March 3, 2026

Dusty Johnson

Image of Dusty Johnson

Facebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Johnson received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Dakota in 1999 and an M.P.A. from the University of Kansas in 2002. Before his election to the U.S. House, Johnson was a business executive and co-owner of a telecommunications engineering firm.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

As a member of Congress, Johnson said he "rolled up his sleeves and got things moving in the right direction. He helped cut trillions in wasteful spending, stood with President Trump to secure our border, got tough on China, and fought for our commonsense South Dakota conservative values."

Johnson said he would exempt first-time homebuyers from paying property taxes for two years and provide a $400 property tax credit to owner-occupied properties. He added, "We do need to bring down property taxes ... But unlike some of the candidates, I’m going to do it in a responsible way that makes sure we do not impact students, roads and public safety."

As reported by NewsCenter1: "If elected governor, Johnson listed his top priorities as reducing property taxes responsibly, addressing drug addiction to make communities safer, making college and technical education more affordable, and growing the economy through new industries and job creation."

Show sources

Sources: Dusty Johnson 2026 campaign website, "Meet Dusty," accessed March 3, 2026, KELOLAND, "Property taxes and SD’s 2026 GOP gubernatorial race," November 21, 2025, South Dakota News Watch, "Assessing SD gubernatorial candidates' property tax proposals," February 9, 2026, NewsCenter1, "Congressman Dusty Johnson announces he will run for governor job," June 30, 2025; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "JOHNSON, Dustin (Dusty)," accessed March 3, 2026, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, "Speakers," accessed March 3, 2026, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, "Twenty-Eight-Year-Old Dusty Johnson State GOP's Newest Face," December 4, 2004

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:

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Larry Rhoden

View more ads here:

Republican Party Toby Doeden


Family
Forgotten
Toby Doeden For South Dakota: Safety and Security

View more ads here:


Republican Party Jon Hansen

View more ads here:


Republican Party Dusty Johnson


Plans
Hard Worker
Dusty Johnson

View more ads here:

Debates and forums

If you are aware of any debates, candidate forums, or other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated, please email us.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Republican Party primary endorsements
Endorser Republican Party Toby Doeden Republican Party Jon Hansen Republican Party Dusty Johnson
Government officials
State Sen. Sydney Davis (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Taffy Howard (R)  source ✔    
State Sen. Steve Kolbeck (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Paul Miskimins (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Lauren Nelson (R)  source   ✔  
State Sen. Tim Reed (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Michael Rohl (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Stephanie Sauder (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Kyle Schoenfish (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Glen Vilhauer (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. MyKala Voita (R)  source   ✔  
State Sen. Brandon Wipf (R)  source     ✔
State Sen. Larry P. Zikmund (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Bobbi Andera (R)  source ✔    
State Rep. Amber Arlint (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Julie Auch (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Jeff Bathke (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Tim Czmowski (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Roger DeGroot (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Steve Duffy (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Tim Goodwin (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Spencer Gosch (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Jim Halverson (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Mellissa Heermann (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Leslie J. Heinemann (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Jana Hunt (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Travis Ismay (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Phil Jensen (R)  source ✔    
State Rep. Chris Kassin (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. David Kull (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Trish Ladner (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Logan Manhart (R)  source ✔    
State Rep. Curt Massie (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Will Mortenson (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Brian Mulder (R)  source     ✔
State House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Marty Overweg (R)  source   ✔  
State Rep. Drew Peterson (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Taylor Rae Rehfeldt (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Rebecca Reimer (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Tim Reisch (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Matt Roby (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Kent Roe (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. William Shorma (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Mike Stevens (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Kevin Van Diepen (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Tim Walburg (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Keri Weems (R)  source     ✔
State Rep. Mike Weisgram (R)  source     ✔
Individuals
Frmr. Gov. Dennis Daugaard  source     ✔

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[15] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[16] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.


South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 polls
PollDatesDoedenHansenJohnsonRhodenUndecidedSample sizeMargin of errorSponsor
Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy
–
1510282721
502 RV
± 4.5%
Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota and South Dakota News Watch
Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy
Note

Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) received 18%.

–
42282720
500 RV
± 4.5%
Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota and South Dakota News Watch
Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

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.[17]
  • 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.[18][19][20]

Race ratings: South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
3/10/20263/3/20262/24/20262/17/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe 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.

Campaign finance

Candidate spending

This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the South Dakota Secretary of State in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in South Dakota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for South Dakota, 2026
DistrictIncumbentPVI
South Dakota's At-LargeDusty JohnsonR+15

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, South Dakota
DistrictKamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
South Dakota's At-Large34.0%63.0%
Source: The Downballot

2016-2024

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2024 presidential election, 94.8% of South Dakotans lived in one of the state's 60 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 4.9% lived in one of 5 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Dakota following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

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[21] 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

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Dakota.

U.S. Senate election results in South Dakota
RaceWinnerRunner up
202269.6%Republican Party26.1%Democratic Party
202065.7%Republican Party34.3%Democratic Party
201671.8%Republican Party28.2%Republican Party
201450.4%Republican Party29.5%Democratic Party
2010100%Republican PartyUncontested
Average71.529.5

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Dakota.

Gubernatorial election results in South Dakota
RaceWinnerRunner up
202262.0%Republican Party35.2%Democratic Party
201851.0%Republican Party47.6%Democratic Party
201470.5%Republican Party25.4%Democratic Party
201061.5%Republican Party38.5%Democratic Party
200661.7%Republican Party36.1%Democratic Party
Average61.336.6
See also: Party control of South Dakota state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Dakota's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Dakota
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 0 0
Republican 2 1 3
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 1 3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Dakota's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in South Dakota, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Larry Rhoden
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Tony Venhuizen
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Monae Johnson
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Marty J. Jackley

State legislature

South Dakota State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 3
     Republican Party 32
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

South Dakota House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 5
     Republican Party 65
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 70

Trifecta control

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

The table below details demographic data in South Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.

Demographic Data for South Dakota
South Dakota United States
Population 886,667 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 75,807 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 81.5% 63.4%
Black/African American 2.2% 12.4%
Asian 1.4% 5.8%
Native American 7.7% 0.9%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.4%
Other (single race) 1.4% 6.6%
Multiple 5.6% 10.7%
Hispanic/Latino 4.6% 19%
Education
High school graduation rate 93% 89.4%
College graduation rate 31.1% 35%
Income
Median household income $72,421 $78,538
Persons below poverty level 12% 12.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023).
**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.

State profile

Demographic data for South Dakota
 South DakotaU.S.
Total population:857,919316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):75,8113,531,905
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.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Dakota

South Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Dakota, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[22]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Dakota had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More South Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia

Election history

South Dakota gubernatorial election history

2022

See also: South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 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
✔
Image of Kristi L. Noem
Kristi L. Noem (R)
 
62.0
 
217,035
Image of Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith (D)
 
35.2
 
123,148
Image of Tracey Quint
Tracey Quint (L)
 
2.9
 
9,983

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 350,166
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

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

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
✔
Image of Kristi L. Noem
Kristi L. Noem
 
76.4
 
91,661
Image of Steven Haugaard
Steven Haugaard
 
23.6
 
28,315

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 119,976
Candidate Connection = 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
✔
Image of Tracey Quint
Tracey Quint (L)

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

Candidate Connection = 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.

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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
✔
Image of Kristi L. Noem
Kristi L. Noem (R)
 
51.0
 
172,912
Image of Billie Sutton
Billie Sutton (D)
 
47.6
 
161,454
Image of Kurt Evans
Kurt Evans (L)
 
1.4
 
4,848

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

Total votes: 339,214
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

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
✔
Image of Billie Sutton
Billie Sutton

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

Candidate Connection = 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
✔
Image of Kristi L. Noem
Kristi L. Noem
 
56.0
 
57,598
Image of Marty J. Jackley
Marty J. Jackley
 
44.0
 
45,174

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

Total votes: 102,772
Candidate Connection = 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

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDennis 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

Earlier results


Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in South Dakota in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Dakota, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
South Dakota Governor Democratic 1,232 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota Governor Libertarian 741 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota Governor Republican 2,171 N/A 3/31/2026 Source
South Dakota Governor Unaffiliated 3,502 N/A 4/28/2026 Source

2026 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This is a battleground election. Other 2026 battleground elections include:

See also

South Dakota State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Department of Homeland Security, "Secretary of Homeland Security," accessed March 1, 2025
  2. ↑ SDPB Radio, "Analysis: Early 2026 gubernatorial announcements sees similar candidates," June 12, 2025
  3. ↑ Larry Rhoden 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 2, 2026
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 South Dakota News Watch, "Governor poll: Rhoden, Johnson lead but Doeden, Hansen surge," October 27, 2025
  5. ↑ YouTube, "A Governor For The People | Toby Doeden for South Dakota," May 29, 2025
  6. ↑ Hansen 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 2, 2026
  7. ↑ Dakota News Now, "Rep. Dusty Johnson announces bid for South Dakota Governor," June 30, 2025
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 South Dakota News Watch, "Assessing SD gubernatorial candidates' property tax proposals," February 9, 2026
  9. ↑ The Dakota Scout, "Can populist GOP overcome South Dakota history?" April 25, 2025
  10. ↑ Sioux Falls Live, "South Dakota House Speaker will seek GOP nomination for governor," April 17, 2025
  11. ↑ KELOLAND, "Hansen wants to use sales tax for property-tax relief," March 2, 2026
  12. ↑ Dakota News Now, "Gubernatorial race to take center stage in the new year," January 2, 2026
  13. ↑ South Dakota News Watch, "Poll: Johnson, Rhoden set pace in South Dakota governor's race," April 28, 2025
  14. ↑ KOTA Territory, "Governor poll: Rhoden, Johnson lead but Doeden, Hansen surge," October 27, 2025
  15. ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
  16. ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
  17. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  18. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  19. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  20. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  21. ↑ Progressive Party
  22. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.


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