South Dakota 2022 Election Results

Ballot Measures, June 7, 2022

South Dakota voters decided 1 statewide ballot measure on June 7, 2022.

Ballot measures

General Election, November 8, 2022

South Dakota held its general election on November 8, 2022, deciding 105 legislative seats across 72 districts and 7 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Republicans kept overwhelming supermajorities in both chambers and every statewide office on the ballot, but voters split from them on policy, writing Medicaid expansion into the state constitution while rejecting legal marijuana.
• Gov. Kristi Noem (R) won a second term by about 27 points over House Minority Leader Jamie Smith (D), a wider margin than a fall poll that showed a three-point race. Smith cast Noem's frequent travel for other candidates as a sign of national ambitions. Noem weathered an August ethics-board review and campaigned on cutting the state sales tax on food, an idea Smith had pushed as a legislator.
• The legislature barely moved. Democrats picked up a Senate seat in Sioux Falls, where Liz Larson (D) unseated Sen. Margaret Sutton (R) in Senate District 10 by about 13 points. They lost one in the House, where Julie Auch (R) took one of House District 18's two seats in Yankton from Rep. Ryan Cwach (D) by about 150 votes. Three other House races were especially close:
  • in House District 15 in Sioux Falls, Kadyn Wittman (D) won the district's second seat over Joni Tschetter (R) by fewer than 100 votes;
  • in House District 32 in Rapid City, Rep. Becky Drury (R) held the district's second seat over school board member Christine Stephenson (D) by about 135 votes;
  • in the single-seat House District 28A in rural West River, Rep. Oren Lesmeister (D) squeaked by Ralph Lyon (R) by about 40 votes.
• Down the ballot, Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) won on Noem's ticket and Treasurer Josh Haeder (R) was re-elected. Monae Johnson (R), who had ousted Secretary of State Steve Barnett at the party convention, won that office, and former Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) had no opponent in returning to the job, which had opened when the state Senate removed Jason Ravnsborg in June.
• In 21 legislative races, only one candidate was on the ballot, and every one of those unopposed winners was a Republican.
• Constitutional Amendment D passed with about 56%, expanding Medicaid to people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, an idea nearly eight years in the making since former Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) first proposed it. Initiated Measure 27, which would have legalized recreational marijuana, failed with about 47% support, two years after voters approved a legalization amendment that was tossed out in the courts.

Legislature

• House (70 seats): 8 D, 62 R before the election, 7 D, 63 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
• Senate (35 seats): 3 D, 32 R before the election, 4 D, 31 R after; control stayed with Republicans.

Statewide races

Legislative races

Ballot measures