South Dakota State Senate District 14
| South Dakota State Senate District 14 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Deb Soholt  | |
South Dakota's fourteenth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Deb Soholt.
South Dakota state senators represent an average of 23,262 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 21,567 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the South Dakota State Senate 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, 2025[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,348/year | $178/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 senators are subject to term limits of no more than four consecutive two-year terms, or eight consecutive years. State senators 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
Elections
2018
General election
General election for South Dakota State Senate District 14
Incumbent Deb Soholt defeated Justyn Hauck in the general election for South Dakota State Senate District 14 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Deb Soholt (R) | 60.5 | 6,531 |
 | Justyn Hauck (D) | 39.5 | 4,268 | |
| Total votes: 10,799 | |||
 = 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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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 14
Justyn Hauck advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 14 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Justyn Hauck |
| ||||
| = 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 State Senate District 14
Incumbent Deb Soholt defeated Tyler Swanger in the Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 14 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Deb Soholt | 61.7 | 1,535 |
 | Tyler Swanger | 38.3 | 951 | |
| Total votes: 2,486 | |||
| = 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 State Senate 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.
Incumbent Deb Soholt defeated Tyler Swanger in the South Dakota State Senate District 14 general election.[8][9]
| South Dakota State Senate, District 14 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Deb Soholt Incumbent |
68.66% | 7,747 | |
| Independent | Tyler Swanger | 31.34% | 3,536 | |
| Total Votes | 11,283 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Deb Soholt ran unopposed in the South Dakota State Senate District 14 Republican primary.[10][11]
| South Dakota State Senate, District 14 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Deb Soholt Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
The general elections for the office of South Dakota State Senate took place on November 4, 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Brian Kaatz was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Deb Soholt was unopposed in the Republican primary. Kaatz withdrew after the primary, and Soholt was unopposed in the general election.[12][13][14]
2012
Elections for the office of South Dakota State Senate 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. Deb Soholt (R) defeated Brian Kaatz (D) in the general election and defeated David B. Rose in the Republican primary. Kaatz filed after the Democratic primary.[15][16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Soholt |
55.5% | 6,251 | |
| Democratic | Brian Kaatz | 44.5% | 5,008 | |
| Total Votes | 11,259 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Deb Soholt Incumbent |
54.1% | 836 |
| David B. Rose | 45.9% | 708 |
| Total Votes | 1,544 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for South Dakota State Senate District 14 raised a total of $496,184. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $29,187 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, South Dakota State Senate District 14 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $39,839 | 2 | $19,920 | |
| 2014 | $10,575 | 2 | $5,288 | |
| 2012 * | $25,399 | 3 | $8,466 | |
| 2010 | $21,453 | 1 | $21,453 | |
| 2008 | $279,792 | 2 | $139,896 | |
| 2006 | $53,143 | 3 | $17,714 | |
| 2004 | $32,418 | 1 | $32,418 | |
| 2002 | $2,750 | 1 | $2,750 | |
| 2000 | $30,815 | 2 | $15,408 | |
| Total | $496,184 | 17 | $29,187 | |
| * Campaign finance data for 2012 is incomplete for this district. | ||||
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, 2205
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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, "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, "Current Candidates for Primary Election," accessed May 2, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State - Official General Election Results
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," June 12, 2012
