The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who took office on January 5, 2019.
The structure of the government of South Dakota is based on that of the federal government, with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The structure of the state government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended either by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative.
The South Dakota Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, which has 70 members. The two houses are similar in most respects; the Senate alone holds the right to confirm gubernatorial appointments to certain offices. In addition, the Senate votes by roll call vote, whereas the larger house uses an electronic voting system.
The 2010 United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota took place on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Voters selected a representative for their single At-Large district, who run on a statewide ballot. On June 8, 2010, the Republicans nominated Kristi Noem, Assistant Majority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives and the Democrats nominated the incumbent Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. B. Thomas Marking ran as an Independent candidate. In the general election, Noem defeated Herseth Sandlin, winning 48.1 percent of the vote to 45.9 percent for Herseth Sandlin.
Kristi Lynn Noem is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2019, and a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district from 2007 to 2011.
Larry Rhoden is an American politician and businessman serving as the 39th lieutenant governor of South Dakota since 2019.
Patrick Allan Kirschman was an American politician and a Democratic member of the South Dakota House of Representatives who represented District 15 from 2009 to 2017.
Dan Lederman is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the South Dakota Senate representing District 16 from January 11, 2011, until he resigned on March 30, 2015. Lederman served consecutively in the South Dakota Legislature from January 2009 until January 11, 2011, in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 16 seat.
Craig Tieszen was an American politician who was a Republican member of the South Dakota Senate, representing District 34 from January 2009 to January 2017, and represented District 34 in the South Dakota House of Representatives from January 2017 to his death 10 months later. Tieszen was a volunteer for the Peace Corps and served as the chief of police for the Rapid City Police Department.
The 2018 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Dennis Daugaard was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.
Steven Haugaard is an American politician and attorney. He has served as a Republican member for the 10th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives since 2015. He was elected Speaker of the House and served in that office from 2019 to 2021. He had been elected as Speaker pro tempore of the South Dakota House of Representatives and served in that office from 2017 to 2019.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota was held on November 6, to elect the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with other statewide, legislative, and local elections.
Jason Richard Ravnsborg is an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he served as Attorney General of South Dakota from 2019 until his removal in 2022. Ravnsborg ran for the U.S. Senate in 2014, losing in the Republican primary to former Governor Mike Rounds, who won the general election.
Tamara St. John is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 1 since January 8, 2019. With her election, St. John became the first and only Native American Republican woman to ever serve in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
Jamie R. Smith is an American politician and a former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives. Smith represented District 15, which covers downtown neighborhoods, including areas around Terrace Park and the Great Plains Zoo, in Sioux Falls. He served as House Minority Leader 2019 to 2023.
The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, electing the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Kristi Noem defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Smith to win a second term.
Casey Crabtree is an American politician serving as a member of the South Dakota Senate from the 8th district. Crabtree was appointed to office by Governor Kristi Noem on June 19, 2020, succeeding Jordan Youngberg, who resigned to serve with the South Dakota State Treasurer.
Becky Drury is a communications specialist and marketing coordinator with Golden West Communications and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives since January 12, 2021.
Kameron Nelson is an American politician who has been a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing district 10, covering a portion of Sioux Falls in Minnehaha County, since January 10, 2023. He has also served a minority whip. He is the first openly gay man to serve in the South Dakota legislature. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He worked for several years in philanthropy and in 2024 became CEO of Lost&Found, a suicide prevention nonprofit.
The 2024 South Dakota House of Representatives elections will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect all 70 seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives. The elections will coincide with the Presidential, U.S. House, and State Senate elections. The primary elections were held on June 4, 2024.
