South Dakota Attorney General election, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2022 →
← 2014
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| South Dakota Attorney General |
|---|
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 27, 2018 |
| Primary: N/A General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Marty J. Jackley (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in South Dakota |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| South Dakota executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant governor |
South Dakota held an election for attorney general on November 6, 2018.
In South Dakota, political parties nominate state executive candidates at their conventions instead of holding a primary. The only office this does not apply to is governor. The Democratic Party state convention was held from June 15 to June 16. The Republican Party state convention was held from June 20 to June 23. The Libertarian Party held its state convention on April 14.[1]
For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Attorney General of South Dakota
Jason Ravnsborg defeated Randy Seiler in the general election for Attorney General of South Dakota on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jason Ravnsborg (R) | 55.2 | 179,071 |
 | Randy Seiler (D) | 44.8 | 145,558 | |
| Total votes: 324,629 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Tatewin Means (D)
- John Fitzgerald (R)
Endorsements
Jason Ravnsborg
- Forty South Dakota county sheriffs[2]
- South Dakota Right to Life PAC
- NRA Political Victory Fund
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in South Dakota heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in South Dakota.
- Republicans held the at-large U.S. House seat in South Dakota.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held 10 of 14 state executive positions and the remaining four positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of South Dakota was Republican Dennis Daugaard. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the South Dakota General Assembly. They had a 59-10 majority in the state House and a 29-6 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- South Dakota was under a Republican state government trifecta, meaning Republicans held the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house.
2018 elections
- See also: South Dakota elections, 2018
South Dakota held elections for the following positions in 2018:
Demographics
| 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. | ||
As of July 2016, South Dakota's three largest cities were Sioux Falls (pop. est. 177,000), Rapid City (pop. est. 74,000), and Aberdeen (pop. est. 28,000).[3]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the South Dakota Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in South Dakota every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
61.5% |  Hillary Clinton |
31.7% | 29.8% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
57.9% | Barack Obama |
39.9% | 18.0% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
53.1% | Barack Obama |
44.8% | 8.3% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
59.9% | John Kerry |
38.4% | 21.5% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
60.3% | Al Gore |
37.6% | 22.7% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in South Dakota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | John Thune |
71.8% | Jay Williams |
28.2% | 43.6% |
| 2014 | Mike Rounds |
50.4% | Rick Weiland |
29.5% | 20.9% |
| 2010 | John Thune |
100.0% | No candidate |
100.0% | |
| 2008 | Tim Johnson |
62.5% | Joel Dykstra |
37.5% | 25.0% |
| 2004 | John Thune |
50.6% | Tom Daschle |
49.4% | 1.2% |
| 2002 | Tim Johnson |
49.6% | John Thune |
49.5% | 0.1% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in South Dakota.
| Election results (Governor), South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Dennis Daugaard |
70.5% | Susan Wismer |
25.4% | 45.1% |
| 2010 | Dennis Daugaard |
61.5% | Scott Heidepreim |
38.5% | 23.0% |
| 2006 | Mike Rounds |
61.7% | Jack Billion |
36.1% | 25.6% |
| 2002 | Mike Rounds |
56.8% | Jim Abbott |
41.9% | 14.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent South Dakota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, South Dakota 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | D+1 |
| 2002 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 66 South Dakota counties—7.6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Corson County, South Dakota | 4.51% | 11.08% | 21.48% | ||||
| Day County, South Dakota | 23.77% | 6.16% | 12.89% | ||||
| Marshall County, South Dakota | 15.51% | 8.66% | 16.48% | ||||
| Roberts County, South Dakota | 15.53% | 9.84% | 19.64% | ||||
| Ziebach County, South Dakota | 1.96% | 16.43% | 27.16% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won South Dakota with 61.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 31.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, South Dakota cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 63.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, South Dakota supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 86.7 to 10.0 percent. The state favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in South Dakota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[4][5]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won six out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 19.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won four out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 12.7 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 31 out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 22.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 33 out of 37 state House districts in South Dakota with an average margin of victory of 32.5 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 51.58% | 46.48% | D+5.1 | 37.24% | 57.24% | R+20 | D |
| 2 | 41.78% | 55.63% | R+13.8 | 28.47% | 65.46% | R+37 | R |
| 3 | 44.43% | 52.39% | R+8 | 33.93% | 59.00% | R+25.1 | R |
| 4 | 40.82% | 56.54% | R+15.7 | 27.54% | 66.02% | R+38.5 | R |
| 5 | 39.90% | 58.16% | R+18.3 | 27.89% | 65.65% | R+37.8 | R |
| 6 | 38.47% | 59.68% | R+21.2 | 30.89% | 61.65% | R+30.8 | R |
| 7 | 50.40% | 46.81% | D+3.6 | 43.62% | 47.39% | R+3.8 | D |
| 8 | 43.39% | 54.25% | R+10.9 | 32.58% | 61.26% | R+28.7 | R |
| 9 | 44.78% | 52.69% | R+7.9 | 35.24% | 57.43% | R+22.2 | R |
| 10 | 42.73% | 55.52% | R+12.8 | 34.89% | 58.46% | R+23.6 | R |
| 11 | 42.02% | 56.19% | R+14.2 | 36.63% | 56.47% | R+19.8 | R |
| 12 | 43.37% | 54.72% | R+11.3 | 40.26% | 52.71% | R+12.4 | R |
| 13 | 42.42% | 55.91% | R+13.5 | 42.90% | 50.51% | R+7.6 | R |
| 14 | 45.37% | 53.02% | R+7.7 | 42.55% | 50.96% | R+8.4 | R |
| 15 | 60.76% | 36.19% | D+24.6 | 50.37% | 40.21% | D+10.2 | D |
| 16 | 37.11% | 61.13% | R+24 | 28.21% | 66.43% | R+38.2 | R |
| 17 | 46.23% | 51.48% | R+5.3 | 38.71% | 54.73% | R+16 | D |
| 18 | 42.37% | 55.09% | R+12.7 | 34.30% | 58.81% | R+24.5 | R |
| 19 | 30.80% | 67.46% | R+36.7 | 21.26% | 73.69% | R+52.4 | R |
| 20 | 39.03% | 58.77% | R+19.7 | 28.66% | 65.65% | R+37 | R |
| 21 | 32.69% | 65.58% | R+32.9 | 21.75% | 74.28% | R+52.5 | D |
| 22 | 40.25% | 57.55% | R+17.3 | 28.05% | 65.80% | R+37.8 | R |
| 23 | 27.77% | 70.13% | R+42.4 | 17.94% | 77.32% | R+59.4 | R |
| 24 | 31.98% | 66.03% | R+34.1 | 26.93% | 66.80% | R+39.9 | R |
| 25 | 39.10% | 58.97% | R+19.9 | 31.43% | 61.88% | R+30.4 | D |
| 26A | 71.98% | 26.91% | D+45.1 | 62.07% | 31.66% | D+30.4 | D |
| 26B | 38.65% | 59.41% | R+20.8 | 27.43% | 66.49% | R+39.1 | R |
| 27 | 59.61% | 39.08% | D+20.5 | 51.30% | 43.71% | D+7.6 | R |
| 28A | 59.49% | 38.69% | D+20.8 | 48.66% | 46.00% | D+2.7 | D |
| 28B | 21.01% | 75.69% | R+54.7 | 13.67% | 79.93% | R+66.3 | R |
| 29 | 26.65% | 70.23% | R+43.6 | 18.53% | 73.59% | R+55.1 | R |
| 30 | 28.42% | 68.70% | R+40.3 | 22.14% | 71.69% | R+49.5 | R |
| 31 | 34.98% | 61.85% | R+26.9 | 28.34% | 62.58% | R+34.2 | R |
| 32 | 37.98% | 59.43% | R+21.5 | 33.81% | 56.85% | R+23 | R |
| 33 | 32.89% | 64.91% | R+32 | 28.15% | 64.55% | R+36.4 | R |
| 34 | 34.28% | 63.64% | R+29.4 | 32.46% | 59.35% | R+26.9 | R |
| 35 | 35.21% | 61.55% | R+26.3 | 26.34% | 64.40% | R+38.1 | R |
| Total | 39.87% | 57.89% | R+18 | 31.74% | 61.53% | R+29.8 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms South Dakota attorney general election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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South Dakota government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2018 Political Party State Conventions," accessed April 4, 2018
- ↑ KDLT News, "40 Sheriffs Endorsing Jason Ravnsborg For Attorney General Race," January 2, 2018
- ↑ South Dakota Demographics, "South Dakota Cities by Population," accessed September 8, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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