South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

Elections in South Dakota, 2022

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← 2018
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 29, 2022
Primary: June 7, 2022 Primary runoff: August 16, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Kristi Noem (Republican) Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in South Dakota
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
South Dakota executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer Auditor Public Lands Commissioner Public Utilities Commission

South Dakota held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for August 16, 2022. The filing deadline was March 29, 2022.

Incumbent Kristi L. Noem won election in the general election for Governor of South Dakota.

Incumbent Larry Rhoden won election in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota.

In South Dakota, political parties nominate candidates for some offices at their conventions instead of holding a primary. Candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, commissioner of school and public lands, and public utilities commissioner are nominated by political parties. This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections that took place place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Click here for a map with links to our coverage of all 50 states' responses to the pandemic and here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2022.

Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of South Dakota

Incumbent Kristi L. Noem defeated Jamie Smith and Tracey Quint in the general election for Governor of South Dakota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristi L. Noem (R)	62.0	217,035
		Jamie Smith (D)	35.2	123,148
		Tracey Quint (L)	2.9	9,983

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 350,166
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lora Hubbel (Independent)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jamie Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Barry Hulse (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota

Incumbent Kristi L. Noem defeated Steven Haugaard in the Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristi L. Noem	76.4	91,661
		Steven Haugaard	23.6	28,315

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 119,976
= 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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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of South Dakota

Tracey Quint advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of South Dakota on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Tracey Quint (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.

Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota

Incumbent Larry Rhoden defeated Jennifer Healy Keintz and Ashley Strand in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry Rhoden (R)	62.0	217,035
		Jennifer Healy Keintz (D)	35.2	123,148
		Ashley Strand (L)	2.9	9,983

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 350,166
= 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.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota

Jennifer Healy Keintz advanced from the Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on July 9, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Jennifer Healy Keintz (D)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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 convention

Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota

Incumbent Larry Rhoden defeated Steven Haugaard in the Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on June 25, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Larry Rhoden (R)
		Steven Haugaard (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota

Ashley Strand advanced from the Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on April 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Ashley Strand (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Election information in South Dakota: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
• Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 23, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Election competitiveness

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in South Dakota in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Dakota, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
South Dakota	Governor	Democratic	1,615	N/A	3/29/2022	Source
South Dakota	Governor	Republican	1,730	N/A	3/29/2022	Source
South Dakota	Governor	Libertarian	50	N/A	3/29/2022	Source
South Dakota	Governor	Unaffiliated	3,393	N/A	4/26/2022	Source

Past elections

2018

See also: South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of South Dakota

Kristi L. Noem defeated Billie Sutton and Kurt Evans in the general election for Governor of South Dakota on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristi L. Noem (R)	51.0	172,912
		Billie Sutton (D)	47.6	161,454
		Kurt Evans (L)	1.4	4,848

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 339,214 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• CJ Abernathey (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota

Billie Sutton advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Billie Sutton

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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 Governor of South Dakota

Kristi L. Noem defeated Marty J. Jackley in the Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kristi L. Noem	56.0	57,598
		Marty J. Jackley	44.0	45,174

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 102,772
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Terry Lee Lafleur (R)

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota

Larry Rhoden defeated Michelle Lavallee and Richard Shelatz in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry Rhoden (R)	51.0	172,912
		Michelle Lavallee (D)	47.6	161,454
		Richard Shelatz (L)	1.4	4,848

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 339,214 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

2014

See also: South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2014

Republican incumbent Dennis Daugaard won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dennis Daugaard/Matthew Michels Incumbent	70.5%	195,477
	Democratic	Susan Wismer/Susan Blake	25.4%	70,549
	Indpendent	Mike Myers/Lora Hubbel	4.1%	11,377
Total Votes				277,403
Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Dakota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for South Dakota, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
South Dakota's At-Large	Dusty Johnson	Republican	R+16

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, South Dakota
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
South Dakota's At-Large	35.6%	61.8%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 91.9% of South Dakotans lived in one of the state's 56 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 5.1% lived in one of five Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Dakota following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

South Dakota county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	56	91.9%
Solid Democratic	5	5.1%
Trending Republican	4	2.7%
Battleground Democratic	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	6	5.4%
Total voted Republican	60	94.6%

Historical voting trends

South Dakota presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 3 Democratic wins
• 27 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	P	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Dakota.

U.S. Senate election results in South Dakota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	65.7%	34.3%
2016	71.8%	28.2%
2014	50.4%	29.5%
2010	100%	Uncontested
2008	62.5%	37.5%
Average	62.6	32.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of South Dakota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Dakota.

Gubernatorial election results in South Dakota
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	51.0%	47.6%
2014	70.5%	25.4%
2010	61.5%	38.5%
2006	61.7%	36.1%
2002	56.8%	41.9%
Average	60.3	37.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Dakota's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Dakota, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	1	3
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Dakota's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in South Dakota, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Kristi L. Noem
Lieutenant Governor	Larry Rhoden
Secretary of State	Steve Barnett
Attorney General	Mark Vargo

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the South Dakota State Legislature as of November 2022.

South Dakota State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	3
	Republican Party	32
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

South Dakota House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	8
	Republican Party	62
	Vacancies	0
Total		70

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, South Dakota was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-nine years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

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	21	22
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	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	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	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in South Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for South Dakota
	South Dakota	United States
Population	814,180	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	75,809	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	84.3%	72.5%
Black/African American	2%	12.7%
Asian	1.5%	5.5%
Native American	8.8%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more	2.6%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	3.8%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.7%	88%
College graduation rate	28.8%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$58,275	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	13.1%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of South Dakota official website
• Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota official website