Updated to reflect results of 2018 election, the 2019 appointment of Justice Devaney, and the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections.…
Presidential visits to South Dakota
An updated version of this post has been added here. Fifteen sitting presidents have made a total of twenty-five visits…
New Trail of Governors statues placed
The 2018 class of new Trail of Governors statues were placed on Tuesday, July 24:
Noem and Sutton a historically rural matchup
The 2018 gubernatorial election has had a noticeably rural feel. Candidates Kristi Noem, Billie Sutton and Marty Jackley have all…
Farewell to Dave Kranz
I posted this on Facebook and thought I would share it here as well. I was sorry just now to…
2018 SD GOP looks to extend its winning streak
This is an update of a post that was done prior to the 2016 general election. The South Dakota Republican…
The many mustaches of SD Lt. Gov’s
South Dakota has had thirty-eight lieutenant governors. Twelve of them, or nearly one third, sported a mustache (using the Senate…
Larry Rhoden is Noem’s running mate
Kristi Noem announced today her selection of Larry R. Rhoden as her running mate. She will ask the the State…
New Trail of Governors statues
New statues (L to R in first picture) are Ralph Herseth, M. Q. Sharpe, and William McMaster.
Michelle Lavallee is Sutton’s running mate
Today, Billie Sutton announced that he will ask the State Democratic Convention to nominate Michelle Lavallee, of Sioux Falls, for…
Gov. Ralph Herseth: Trail of Governors Class of 2018
On Friday, June 15, 2018, the Trail of Governors unveiled three new statues: William H. McMaster, M. Q. Sharpe, and Ralph…
Gov. M. Q. Sharpe: Trail of Governors Class of 2018
On Friday, June 15, 2018, the Trail of Governors unveiled three new statues: William H. McMaster, M. Q. Sharpe, and…
Gov. William H. McMaster: Trail of Governors Class of 2018
On Friday, June 15, 2018, the Trail of Governors unveiled three new statues: William H. McMaster, M. Q. Sharpe, and…
Libertarians and the modern history of minor party candidates for SD Governor
This weekend, the Libertarian Party of South Dakota made itself the first in 2018 to complete a gubernatorial ticket, nominating…
Kristi and Dusty win: A few observations
Kristi Noem is the Republican nominee for Governor of South Dakota, and Dusty Johnson is the nominee for U. S.…
Counties to watch on primary night
The 2018 Republican primary is fast approaching, and the gubernatorial matchup between Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Attorney General Marty Jackley is…
History in the making: 2018 primary
Here’s a look at some of the history that could be made in Tuesday’s GOP gubernatorial primary. If Kristi Noem…
Closest gubernatorial primaries
With the 2018 Republican primary for governor one week away, the Argus Leader and Keloland-TV report a dead heat between…
Uncontested nomination for Sutton
With the current focus on the Jackley–Noem primary in a few weeks, it is easy to forget that a third…
SD Gov Nominees from West River
Billie Sutton, the Democratic Senate Minority Leader from Burke, is uncontested in the June primary for his party’s nomination to…
MAPS! (of SD GOP gubernatorial primaries)
It is just over three weeks until the South Dakota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, which pits Congresswoman Kristi Noem against Attorney…
Dusty and Shantel try to make history
Kristi Noem’s pursuit of the Governor’s Office leaves an open seat in Washington. Three Republicans – former Public Utilities Commissioner…
AG’s and US Rep’s running for governor
The 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary pits Congresswoman Kristi Noem against Attorney General Marty Jackley. If elected, both would achieve certain…
Those we lost on April 19, 1993
April 19, 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the crash of the state plane near Dubuque, Iowa. The plane was…
SD Attorneys General at the U.S. Supreme Court
Updated June 21, 2018 to reflect the State of South Dakota’s victory in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. On April 17,…
LG-stakes: What history tells us about 2018 running mates
With the 2018 gubernatorial campaign coming into full swing, it’s not too early to start speculating about the candidates’ potential…
Running mates in the primary
The campaign between Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Attorney General Marty Jackley for the Republican gubernatorial nomination is heating up, and…
Frank Farrar sets the pace
April 2, 2018 is Gov. Frank Farrar’s 89th birthday. Remarkably, 2018 is the 50th anniversary of Farrar’s 1968 election as…
George S. Mickelson returns to the House
Updated with pictures of the final bust, which was unveiled on September 11, 2018. In just a few weeks, South…
Dennis Daugaard historical milestones
As Governor Daugaard serves out his final year in office, here are some the historical milestones he has set. A number…
Veterans who became Governor of SD
Thirteen South Dakota governors served in the armed forces. The list included 5 U.S. Army veterans, 3 U.S. Navy veterans,…
Harvey Wollman stands alone
It was good this week to see Gov. Harvey Wollman at the Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park. Gov. Wollman…
Old Bulls of the SD Legislature
Roger McKellips’ death last week was the latest signal of the passing of a by-gone era. Most of the longtime…
Roger D. McKellips 1923-2017
The Argus Leader reports that Roger D. McKellips passed away on Friday, August 18. McKellips, 94, was an Alcester banker…
New Hall of Honor at State Capitol honors Medal of Honor recipients
Recently, the South Dakota Hall of Honor, which recognizes South Dakotans who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, was relocated…
Trail of Governors selects class of 2018
This week, the Trail of Governors announced its class of 2018. Statues of William H. McMaster, M. Q. Sharpe and Ralph…
Lutherans most common among SD Governors
To date, South Dakota’s thirty-three governors have all considered themselves to be Christian. Thirty-one of them have been members of…
SD Governors’ alma maters
Of the 33 men and one woman who have served as Governor of South Dakota, 21 have held at least…
New Trail of Governors statues
On June 16, 2017, the Trail of Governors unveiled new statues of Govs. Tom Berry, Leslie Jensen, Sigurd Anderson, and…
Gov. Sigurd Anderson: Trail of Governors Class of 2017
This Friday, June 16, the Trail of Governors is unveiling four new statues: Tom Berry, Leslie Jensen, Sigurd Anderson and…
Gov. Joe Foss: Trail of Governors Class of 2017
This Friday, June 16, the Trail of Governors is unveiling four new statues: Tom Berry, Leslie Jensen, Sigurd Anderson and…
Gov. Tom Berry: Trail of Governors Class of 2017
This Friday, June 16, the Trail of Governors is unveiling four new statues: Tom Berry, Leslie Jensen, Sigurd Anderson and…
Gov. Leslie Jensen: Trail of Governors Class of 2017
This Friday, June 16, the Trail of Governors is unveiling four new statues: Tom Berry, Leslie Jensen, Sigurd Anderson and…
Oldest and Youngest SD GOV’s
Updated to reflect the result of the primary election. An updated version of this post has been added to the…
On Kneip and Wollman
Earlier today, Cory Heidelberger at Dakota Free Press had a post about the fact that, if elected, Billie Sutton would…
SD GOV 2018: Billie Sutton milestones
The race is on to succeed Dennis Daugaard as the 33rd Governor of South Dakota. Three major candidates have filed: Republican Congresswoman Kristi…
SD GOV 2018: Kristi Noem milestones
The race is on to succeed Dennis Daugaard as the 33rd Governor of South Dakota. Three major candidates have filed: Republican Congresswoman Kristi…
SD GOV 2018: Marty Jackley milestones
The race is on to succeed Dennis Daugaard as the 33rd Governor of South Dakota. Three major candidates have filed: Republican Congresswoman Kristi…
The Three Speakers Mickelson
The 92nd Session of the South Dakota State Legislature convened on January 10, 2017. In the State House of Representatives,…
Lt. Gov. Matt Michels reaches milestone
Governor Dennis Daugaard opened his 2017 State of the State Address by recognizing a milestone reached by Lt. Governor Matt…
SoDak Governors 