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South Dakota held an election for treasurer on November 6, 2018.
In South Dakota, political parties nominate state executive candidates at their conventions instead of holding a primary. The only office this does not apply to is governor. The Democratic Party state convention was held from June 15 to June 16. The Republican Party state convention was held from June 20 to June 23. The Libertarian Party held its state convention on April 14.
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the South Dakota Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in South Dakota every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), South Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
61.5% |  Hillary Clinton |
31.7% | 29.8% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
57.9% | Barack Obama |
39.9% | 18.0% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
53.1% | Barack Obama |
44.8% | 8.3% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
59.9% | John Kerry |
38.4% | 21.5% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
60.3% | Al Gore |
37.6% | 22.7% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), South Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | John Thune |
71.8% | Jay Williams |
28.2% | 43.6% |
| 2014 | Mike Rounds |
50.4% | Rick Weiland |
29.5% | 20.9% |
| 2010 | John Thune |
100.0% | No candidate |
100.0% | |
| 2008 | Tim Johnson |
62.5% | Joel Dykstra |
37.5% | 25.0% |
| 2004 | John Thune |
50.6% | Tom Daschle |
49.4% | 1.2% |
| 2002 | Tim Johnson |
49.6% | John Thune |
49.5% | 0.1% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in South Dakota.
Election results (Governor), South Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dennis Daugaard |
70.5% | Susan Wismer |
25.4% | 45.1% |
| 2010 | Dennis Daugaard |
61.5% | Scott Heidepreim |
38.5% | 23.0% |
| 2006 | Mike Rounds |
61.7% | Jack Billion |
36.1% | 25.6% |
| 2002 | Mike Rounds |
56.8% | Jim Abbott |
41.9% | 14.9% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent South Dakota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, South Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2002 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2020
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Demographic data for South Dakota
| South Dakota | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 857,919 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 75,811 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 49.8% | 50.8% |
| 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) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Dakota. | ||
As of July 2016, South Dakota's three largest cities were Sioux Falls (pop. est. 177,000), Rapid City (pop. est. 74,000), and Aberdeen (pop. est. 28,000).
