New this week, the Online Almanac of South Dakota Politics has added county-by-county maps depicting the results of every general … More
Tag: Elections
Women and tribal members reach new highs in solidly Republican SD Legislature
The 2022 general election is in the books, and voters have once again elected Republican supermajorities to the South Dakota … More
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. This site’s Online Almanac now includes county maps of every … 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