Governor of South Dakota

South Dakota Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$121,578
2024 FY Budget:	$108,634,234
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	South Dakota Constitution, Article IV, Section I
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of South Dakota Kristi L. Noem Republican Party Assumed office: January 5, 2019
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other South Dakota Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Commissioner of School and Public Lands • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in South Dakota. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

South Dakota has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

South Dakota has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: South Dakota State Legislature, South Dakota House of Representatives, South Dakota State Senate

Current officeholder

The 33rd and current governor is Kristi Noem, a Republican elected in 2018. She assumed office in January 2019.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section I:

The executive power of the state is vested in the Governor.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

A candidate for the office of the governor must be:

• a citizen of the United States
• at least 21 years old
• a resident of South Dakota for at least two years as of the election

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article IV, Section 6.

Any time the Governor dies, resigns, is removed, or convicted, the Lieutenant Governor succeeds to the office with the full powers and duties of the Governor.

If the Governor is absent or unable to discharge the office, the Lieutenant Governor serves as Governor until the disability is removed or for the residue of the term.

In matters of determining that the Governor is continuously absent or unable to discharge for the office, the Supreme Court of South Dakota shall have "original and exclusive jurisdiction."

Duties

The governor serves as a spokesperson for the state, oversees the executive branch, appoints the members of the cabinet, is the commander-in-chief of the South Dakota National Guard, and may grant pardons to those convicted of criminal offenses under state law, except in cases of treason and impeachment (§ 3).

The governor is also actively involved in the legislative process. He or she may introduce legislation and has the power to veto bills passed by the legislature (§ 4).

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Commissioning all offices of the state (§ 3)

• Requiring written information from any state officer on any aspect of her office and duties (§ 3)

• Addressing the General Assembly at the beginning of each regular session and at other times he or she deems necessary on the state of the state and making recommendations for legislation (§ 3)

• Convening special sessions of the legislature or of either chamber alone (§ 3)

• Making changes in the organization of "offices, boards, commissions, agencies and instrumentalities, and in allocation of their functions, powers and duties, as he considers necessary for efficient administration" (§ 8)

• Acting as supervisor of each principle department in the executive branch and appointing the executive to each department (§ 9)

• Appointing all offices not otherwise provided for, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and making interim appointments when the Senate is in recess (§ 9)

Elections

South Dakota state government organizational chart

South Dakota elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For South Dakota, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.

2022

See also: South Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

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.
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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)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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.
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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

---

	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

---

	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)

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

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

South Dakota governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office.

South Dakota Constitution, Article IV, Section 2

Commencing with the 1974 general election, no person shall be elected to more than two consecutive terms as Governor...

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of South Dakota governors from 1992 to 2013.

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota, click [show] to expand the section.

South Dakota's Governors and Lieutenant Governors run on the same ticket. 2010 On November 2, 2010, Dennis Daugaard/Matt Michels won election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota. They defeated Scott Heidepriem/Ben Arndt in the general election. Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Dennis Daugaard/Matt Michels 61.5% 195,046      Democratic Scott Heidepriem/Ben Arndt 38.5% 122,037 Total Votes 317,083 Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State. 2006 On November 7, 2006, Mike Rounds/Dennis Daugaard won re-election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota. They defeated Jack Billion/Eric Abrahamson, Steven J. Willis/Larry Johnsen and Tom Gerber/Bette Rose Ryan in the general election. Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Mike Rounds/Dennis Daugaard Incumbent 61.7% 206,990      Democratic Jack Billion/Eric Abrahamson 36.1% 121,226      Constitution Steven J. Willis/Larry Johnsen 1.2% 4,010      Libertarian Tom Gerber/Bette Rose Ryan 1% 3,282 Total Votes 335,508 Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State. 2002 On November 5, 2002, Mike Rounds/Dennis Daugaard won election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota. They defeated Jim Abbott/Mike Wilson, James P. Carlson/Ron Bosch and Nathan A. Barton/Eric Risty in the general election. Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Mike Rounds/Dennis Daugaard 56.8% 189,920      Democratic Jim Abbott/Mike Wilson 41.9% 140,263      Independent James P. Carlson/Ron Bosch 0.7% 2,393      Libertarian Nathan A. Barton/Eric Risty 0.6% 1,983 Total Votes 334,559 Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State.

Click here to view a large-scale image of the South Dakota Governor's office organizational chart, as of April 2013.

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of South Dakota has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: South Dakota state budget and finances

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies between June and July of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor by August 31.
3. Agency hearings are held in September.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in December.
5. The legislature typically adopts a budget in March or April. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins July 1.

South Dakota is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2024 was $108,634,234.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

See statutes: SD Codified L § 3-8-2.1 (2014)

The governor's annual compensation is set by Title 3, Chapter 8, Section 2 (§ 3-8-2.1) of the South Dakota Codified Laws and it may not be raised or diminished effective during his term in office, pursuant to Article XII, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution.

As is the case for all of South Dakota's elected executives, the governor's base salary is subject to annual rate increases under the General Appropriations Act for each corresponding year.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $121,578, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $118,728, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor’s salary was increased to $116,400, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor’s salary was increased to $113,961, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor’s salary was $112,214, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor’s salary was increased to $112,214, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor’s salary was increased to $109,264, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor’s salary was increased to $107,121, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $104,002, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary was decreased to $100,972, according to the Council of State Governments..

2010

In 2010, the Governor of South Dakota was paid $115,331 a year, the 33rd highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.

Historical officeholders

There have been 33 governors of South Dakota since 1889. Of the 33 officeholders, 27 were Republican, five were Democratic, and one was People's Party/Fusion Party.

List of officeholders from 1889-present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Arthur Calvin Mellette	1889 - 1893	Republican
2	Charles Henry Sheldon	1893 - 1897	Republican
3	Andrew Ericson Lee	1897 - 1901	People's Party/Fusion Party
4	Charles N. Herreid	1901 - 1905	Republican
5	Samuel Harrison Elrod	1905 - 1907	Republican
6	Coe Isaac Crawford	1907 - 1909	Republican
7	Robert Scadden Vessey	1909 - 1913	Republican
8	Frank M. Byrne	1913 - 1917	Republican
9	Peter Norbeck	1917 - 1921	Republican
10	William Henry McMaster	1921 - 1925	Republican
11	Carl Gunderson	1925 - 1927	Republican
12	William John Bulow	1927 - 1931	Democratic
13	Warren Everett Green	1931 - 1933	Republican
14	Thomas Matthew Berry	1933 - 1937	Democratic
15	Leslie Jensen	1937 - 1939	Republican
16	Harlan John Bushfield	1939 - 1943	Republican
17	Merrell Quentin Sharpe	1943 - 1947	Republican
18	George T. Mickelson	1947 - 1951	Republican
19	Sigurd Anderson	1951 - 1955	Republican
20	Joseph Jacob Foss	1955 - 1959	Republican
21	Ralph E. Herseth	1959 - 1961	Democratic
22	Archie Gubbrud	1961 - 1965	Republican
23	Nils Andreas Boe	1965 - 1969	Republican
24	Frank Leroy Farrar	1969 - 1971	Republican
25	Richard Francis Kneip	1971 - 1978	Democratic
26	Harvey Wollman	1978 - 1979	Democratic
27	William J. Janklow	1978 - 1987	Republican
28	George S. Mickelson	1987 - 1993	Republican
29	Walter D. Miller	1993 - 1995	Republican
30	William J. Janklow	1995 – 2003	Republican
31	Mike Rounds	2003 – 2011	Republican
32	Dennis Daugaard	2011 – 2019	Republican
33	Kristi Noem	2019 – present	Republican

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, South Dakota

Partisan breakdown of the South Dakota governorship from 1992-2013

During every year from 1992-2013, there were Republican governors in office for South Dakota. South Dakota is one of eight states that were run by a Republican governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. South Dakota was under Republican trifectas for the final 19 years of the study.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of South Dakota, the South Dakota State Senate and the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the South Dakota state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. For all but two years of the study, South Dakota had Republican trifectas. For over half the years of the study, South Dakota was ranked in the top-10. Its best ranking, finishing 5th, occurred in 2010, and its worst, finishing 14th, occurred in 2000.

Chart displaying the partisanship of the South Dakota government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

State profile

Demographic data for South Dakota
	South Dakota	U.S.
Total population:	857,919	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	75,811	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	85%	73.6%
Black/African American:	1.6%	12.6%
Asian:	1.2%	5.1%
Native American:	8.6%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.6%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.3%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	90.9%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$50,957	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	15.3%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Dakota. **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.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Dakota

South Dakota voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Dakota, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Dakota had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More South Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in South Dakota
• United States congressional delegations from South Dakota
• Public policy in South Dakota
• Endorsers in South Dakota
• South Dakota fact checks
• More...

Contact information

Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: 605.773.3212
Fax: 605.773.4711

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the South Dakota Governor