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

Dems duck Dusty, again

In 2020, Congressman Dusty Johnson made history by running for U.S. house from South Dakota without a major party opponent. … 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

Five Guvs at the State Capitol

The South Dakota State Capitol is a special place. It’s a place where South Dakotans gather to discuss issues and … More

Reaction to Gov. Wollman’s death

South Dakota political leaders have offered their condolences on the passing of Harvey Wollman, 26th Governor of South Dakota. Gov. … More

Tom Lawrence on Harvey Wollman

Tom Lawrence is a longtime political reporter and columnist in South Dakota. His current publication, The South Dakota Standard, is … More

Official statement from Gov. Wollman’s family

Note: This statement was issued on behalf of the Wollman family by Jody Severson, who served in Governor Wollman’s administration … More

Gov. Harvey Wollman 1935-2022

Harvey Lowell Wollman, twenty-sixth Governor of South Dakota, died Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at the age of 87. His death … More

Gordon Mydland passes on

The news comes of the passing of Gordon Mydland, a former South Dakota attorney general and circuit court judge. Mydland, … More

“History 605” podcast features Plains Political Tradition, Vol. 4

The “History 605” podcast debuted last year, an innovation of Dr. Ben Jones, the state historian and host. Each episode … 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

Joe Kirby writes on “The Artist in the South Dakota Penitentiary”

Yesterday on his personal blog, Joe Kirby wrote an interesting post about Frederick H. Morse, a portrait painter who spent … More

The Plains Political Tradition, Vol. 4 is released

Today is the release date for The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture, Volume 4. This is … 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

South Dakota and the Queen

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday is major worldwide news. Although a constitutional monarch, she is a major world … More

SoDakGovs: As Seen in “The Dakota Scout”

The Dakota Scout, a new newspaper published by longtime political reporters Jonathan Ellis and Joe Sneve, released today its second … More

Plains Political Tradition vol. 4 available for pre-order

The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture, Volume 4 is now available for pre-order from the South … More

SD Legislative Districts, 1889-2021

Recently, legislative redistricting enthusiast Cully Williams shared on Twitter every South Dakota legislative district map since statehood in 1889. Maps … More

George McGovern at 100

One hundred years ago today, George Stanley McGovern was born in the small South Dakota town of Avon. McGovern’s life … More

SD’s “Million Vote Club”

Updated to reflect the results of the 2022 and 2024 general elections. There are many ways to measure South Dakota’s … More

Jackley joins a short list of unopposed nominees

A permanent version of this page, which will be kept up-to-date, is here. The South Dakota Democratic Party held its … 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

Noem releases autobiography

Governor Kristi Noem released yesterday her autobiography, Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland. The book is a first … More

Noem picks Mark Vargo for AG

Governor Kristi Noem today announced that she will appoint Mark A. Vargo to serve as South Dakota’s thirty-second attorney general. … More

LG selection through the years

The recent 2022 State Republican Convention in Watertown featured a rare contested ballot for the lieutenant governor nomination. Lt. Governor … 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

Ravnsborg removed in historic impeachment trial

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was removed today from his office, and barred from serving in state office, following a trial … More

Three new statues complete Trail of Governors

This morning, three new statues were unveiled for the Trail of Governors in Pierre: Andrew E. Lee, Frank M. Byrne, … More

2022 Trail of Governors preview

This Friday, the Trail of Governors in Pierre will unveil and place three new statues. The unveiling is at 10 … More

LG-stakes 2022

With the primary elections behind us, attention now turns to the upcoming Republican and Democratic party conventions. Governor Kristi Noem … More

Noem wins most votes for governor in SD primary history

The 2022 primary season is over, as Governor Kristi Noem, U.S. Senator John Thune, and Congressman Dusty Johnson all fended … More

Daugaard selected for SD Hall of Fame

The South Dakota Hall of Fame this week announced its class of inductees for 2022. The Hall, which is located … More

Rounds upset Barnett and Kirby, 20 years ago today

Twenty years ago today – June 4, 2002 – Mike Rounds achieved one of the biggest upsets in South Dakota … More

Farewell to Red Allen

The news comes that Carrol “Red” Allen passed away on May 3, 2022. Allen, a Democrat, served a total of … More

State House passes first-ever impeachment

Today, the State House of Representatives voted, 36-31, to impeach Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. The impeachment resolution, which included two … More