Election Results
Donald Trump carried South Dakota with 63.4% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election, reflecting the state's strongly Republican lean.
Democratic presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
Republican presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican vote share (%) | 63.4 | 49.8 |
- •South Dakota has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968.
Governors
Larry Rhoden became Governor of South Dakota in 2025 after Kristi Noem resigned to join the federal cabinet, continuing Republican control of the governorship.
| Governor | Party | In office |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Rhoden | Republican | 2025–present |
| Dennis Daugaard | Republican | 2011–2019 |
| Mike Rounds | Republican | 2003–2011 |
| Walter D. Miller | Republican | 1993–1995 |
| George S. Mickelson | Republican | 1987–1993 |
| Harvey Wollman | Democratic | 1978–1979 |
| Richard Francis Kneip | Democratic | 1971–1978 |
| Frank Leroy Farrar | Republican | 1969–1971 |
| Nils Andreas Boe | Republican | 1965–1969 |
| Archie Gubbrud | Republican | 1961–1965 |
| Ralph E. Herseth | Democratic | 1959–1961 |
| Joseph Jacob Foss | Republican | 1955–1959 |
| Sigurd Anderson | Republican | 1951–1955 |
| George T. Mickelson | Republican | 1947–1951 |
| Merrell Quentin Sharpe | Republican | 1943–1947 |
| Harlan John Bushfield | Republican | 1939–1943 |
| Leslie Jensen | Republican | 1937–1939 |
| Thomas Matthew Berry | Democratic | 1933–1937 |
| Warren Everett Green | Republican | 1931–1933 |
| William John Bulow | Democratic | 1927–1931 |
| Carl Gunderson | Republican | 1925–1927 |
| William Henry McMaster | Republican | 1921–1925 |
| Peter Norbeck | Republican | 1917–1921 |
| Frank M. Byrne | Republican | 1913–1917 |
| Robert Scadden Vessey | Republican | 1909–1913 |
| Coe Isaac Crawford | Republican | 1907–1909 |
| Samuel Harrison Elrod | Republican | 1905–1907 |
| Charles N. Herreid | Republican | 1901–1905 |
| Charles Henry Sheldon | Republican | 1893–1897 |
| Arthur Calvin Mellette | Republican | 1889–1893 |
Source: National Governors Association, current and former governors.
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican governorship (years held) | 1 | 0 |
- •Kristi Noem resigned as South Dakota's governor in 2025 to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Senators
South Dakota's two U.S. Senators are John Thune and Mike Rounds, both Republicans, with Thune serving as Senate Majority Leader.
Democratic vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1978–2022MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse). Regular-term races; special elections only when no regular race was held. Independents (e.g. caucusing with Democrats) are not counted as Democratic; years without a Democratic nominee are omitted.
Republican vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1978–2022MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Senators | 2 | 53 |
- •John Thune became U.S. Senate Majority Leader in January 2025.
Representatives
South Dakota has one at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, since the state's population entitles it to only a single congressional district.
U.S. House seats apportioned to South Dakota
1910–2020U.S. Census Bureau, decennial apportionment counts.
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. House seats | 1 | 435 |
- •South Dakota is one of six states with only one U.S. House seat.
Voting Trends
South Dakota has trended consistently Republican for decades, with the 2024 Republican presidential margin reaching 63.4%, up from prior cycles.
Total votes cast for president
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican vote share (%) | 63.4 | 49.8 |
- •South Dakota's Republican vote share has grown in each of the last three presidential elections.
Party Distribution
South Dakota's congressional delegation and governorship are entirely Republican-held, reflecting the party's dominance in the state's politics.
| Indicator | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Republican federal delegation seats | 3 | 0 |
- •South Dakota's state legislature is also overwhelmingly Republican-controlled.