The 2022 general election is in the books, and voters have once again elected Republican supermajorities to the South Dakota … More
Tag: Elections
Noem wins big as Republicans dominate in SD
The storyline from Election Day 2022 is a familiar one in South Dakota – a big win for Republicans up … More
A historic win for John Thune
U.S. Senator John Thune celebrated a big reelection win yesterday, winning a fourth term against challenger Brian Bengs with approximately … More
SoDakGovs debuts Online Almanac of South Dakota politics
Just in time for the 2022 general election, SoDakGovs is launching an Online Almanac of South Dakota politics. Since this … More
Republicans gain in voter registration
The lead-up to the 2022 general election has generated renewed discussion about the Republican Party’s advantage in voter registration in … More
2022 Election Preview
This Tuesday, November 8 is Election Day. Every election makes history, and this year’s election will be no exception. The … More
Partisan control of the South Dakota State Legislature (2022)
This is an update of a post first written prior to the 2016 general election, and last updated with the … More
John Thune set to make history
With Election Day just over a week away, U.S. Senator John Thune is strongly favored to win reelection, with a … More
Can a Sioux Falls candidate get elected governor?
South Dakota voters head to the polls in less than two weeks, and the marquee race is the contest between … More
Will the SD GOP winning streak continue in 2022?
This is an update of a post that was written prior to the 2020 general election. The 2022 election marks twelve years … More
History in the Making: 2022 Gubernatorial Milestones
The 2022 gubernatorial election is little more than a month away. Voters will choose between the incumbent governor, Republican Kristi … More
Campaigning on Crutches
Governor Kristi Noem announced this morning that, following a back injury a few weeks ago, she underwent back surgery at … More
SD’s “Million Vote Club”
Updated to reflect the results of the 2022 general election. There are many ways to measure South Dakota’s top political … More
Jackley joins a short list of unopposed nominees
The South Dakota Democratic Party held its state convention this weekend to adopt its platform and nominate candidates for statewide … More
Jennifer Keintz is Jamie Smith’s running mate
Today, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jamie Smith announced that he will ask the State Democratic Convention to nominate Jennifer Healy Keintz, … More
LG selection through the years
The recent State Republican Convention in Watertown featured a rare contested ballot for the lieutenant governor nomination. Lt. Governor Larry … More
SD GOP looks to November
The South Dakota Republican Party held its state convention in Watertown June 23-25, 2022. News outlets have noted a record-setting … More
The Dem Dozen
This week, House Minority Leader Jamie Smith launched his 2022 candidacy for governor. Smith joins a Democratic Party field that … More
Haugaard takes on Noem, and history
The news today reports that Steven G. Haugaard will challenge Governor Kristi Noem in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. The … More
Historic milestones Biden achieves
Every election offers a new opportunity for “firsts” and other milestones. Four years ago, this blog wrote about the many milestones … More
Presidential comebacks
Americans living today have never seen a former president seek a return to the Oval Office. The two-term limit is … More
Women reach all-time high as SD Legislature most Republican in decades
The 2020 election results are in and, as expected, Republicans have maintained control of both the State Senate and the … More
A big win for Dusty Johnson
To no one’s great surprise, first-term Congressman Dusty Johnson, a Republican, was easily reelected on Tuesday night. Johnson, after all, … More
Mike Rounds on a historic path
Mike Rounds was reelected to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, handily winning a second term against Democratic challenger Dan Ahlers. … More
2020 Election Preview
This Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. Every election makes history, and this blog has written several blog posts looking … More
Partisan control of the South Dakota State Legislature
This is an update of a post written prior to the 2016 general election. It was updated prior to the … More
Mike Rounds and the biggest U.S. Senate wins
Update: Unofficial election results indicate that Rounds was reelected with 65.7% of the vote, placing him fifth all-time among U.S. … More
Will Trump keep the Rushmore State red?
This is an update of a post written prior to the 2016 election. Unofficial election results indicate Trump/Pence carried South … More
Will the SD GOP winning streak continue in 2020?
This is an update of a post that was written prior to the 2018 general election. The 2020 election marks … More
Will Dusty be unopposed in November?
(Post updated May 13, 2020 to reflect filing deadlines.) Pending the result of the June Republican primary, Congressman Dusty Johnson … More
Noem is SD’s first female governor
Kristi Lynn Noem has been elected the 33rd Governor of South Dakota. The Hamlin County Republican and her running mate, … More
Turner County is SD GOV bellwether
During the primary, this blog identified Beadle and Davison counties as the best bellwethers for a Republican gubernatorial primary. That … More
MAPS! (of general elections for SD Governor)
Updated to include a map of the 2022 general election. The general election contest between Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Democratic Senate Minority … More
Closest elections for South Dakota governor
This post has been updated to include the results of the 2018 election. The closest gubernatorial election in South Dakota history … More
Noem and Sutton a historically rural matchup
The 2018 gubernatorial election has had a noticeably rural feel. Candidates Kristi Noem, Billie Sutton and Marty Jackley have all … More
2018 SD GOP looks to extend its winning streak
This is an update of a post that was done prior to the 2016 general election. The South Dakota Republican … More
Michelle Lavallee is Sutton’s running mate
Today, Billie Sutton announced that he will ask the State Democratic Convention to nominate Michelle Lavallee, of Sioux Falls, for … More
Libertarians and the modern history of minor party candidates for SD Governor
This weekend, the Libertarian Party of South Dakota made itself the first in 2018 to complete a gubernatorial ticket, nominating … More
Kristi and Dusty win: A few observations
Kristi Noem is the Republican nominee for Governor of South Dakota, and Dusty Johnson is the nominee for U. S. … More
Counties to watch on primary night
The 2018 Republican primary is fast approaching, and the gubernatorial matchup between Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Attorney General Marty Jackley is … More
Uncontested nomination for Sutton
With the current focus on the Jackley–Noem primary in a few weeks, it is easy to forget that a third … More
SD Gov Nominees from West River
Billie Sutton, the Democratic Senate Minority Leader from Burke, is uncontested in the June primary for his party’s nomination to … More
MAPS! (of SD GOP gubernatorial primaries)
It is just over three weeks until the South Dakota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, which pits Congresswoman Kristi Noem against Attorney … More
Dusty and Shantel try to make history
Kristi Noem’s pursuit of the Governor’s Office leaves an open seat in Washington. Three Republicans – former Public Utilities Commissioner … More
LG-stakes: What history tells us about 2018 running mates
With the 2018 gubernatorial campaign coming into full swing, it’s not too early to start speculating about the candidates’ potential … More
Dennis Daugaard historical milestones
As Governor Daugaard serves out his final year in office, here are some the historical milestones he has set. A number … More
Presidential milestones, great and small: 2016
Every election offers a new opportunity for “firsts” and other milestones. Some are historic in their nature; others are useful only … More
History made in 2016
Every general election makes history, in some way. Here are a few historical notes on the 2016 election in South … More
Top election performers, all-time: UPDATED
The following post has been revised to include the results from the 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 general elections. The … More
2016 Election Preview: GOP winning streak may continue, but it’s nowhere close to historic highs.
This is the fourth of several posts previewing the Tuesday election through a historical lens. The first part was an introduction; the second … More
SoDak Governors 