South Dakota breaks record for number of women elected to state Legislature

A record number of women will serve in the South Dakota Legislature in 2025, based on unofficial election results from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Thirty-nine female lawmakers plan to arrive in Pierre when the legislative session starts in January, besting the previous record from the 2023-2024 Legislature by eight.The representation still doesn’t reflect South Dakota’s population. Thirty-seven percent of lawmakers next session will be female, while the state’s population is 49.2% female, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The growth in female representation in South Dakota is part of a trend nationally, though most legislatures don’t have gender parity. In 2023, women represented at least half of the lawmakers in two states, Nevada and Colorado.

Kelly Dittmar, the director of research for the Center for American Women and Politics and an associate professor of political science at Rutgers University, said an increase in female representation can have a tangible impact on the Legislature’s culture and policies it discusses.

“There’s lots of research showing that it makes a difference to have women in office in terms of the actual policy agenda that comes to the table,” Dittmar said. “Not only what’s on the agenda, but the voices and perspectives brought to debates around those policy items.”

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Women are more likely to be primary caregivers to children and the elderly, Dittmar said, and can offer a different perspective in legislative debates and votes on issues affecting those groups as a result. Women also have greater knowledge about female anatomy and health care, which can inform their male colleagues’ decisions.Thirty-three of the female lawmakers elected in South Dakota on Tuesday are Republican. Since the Republican Party holds a supermajority in the Capitol, those women will have more influence on policy decisions. Female representation in legislative staff, party leadership, local governance and lobbying help present a stronger voice on women’s issues in state politics, Dittmar said. Gov. Kristi Noem was the first female elected as governor in the state.

The jump in female representation in South Dakota came despite voters’ rejection of Amendment E. The ballot measure would have updated the state constitution to replace male pronouns (such as “he,” “him” and “his”) with neutral words and phrases such as “the governor,” “the lieutenant governor,” “the officer,” “the elector,” “the accused,” and so on. The Legislature voted to put the measure on  the ballot earlier this year. The measure failed with a 58% vote against.

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Yankton Republican Sen. Jean Hunhoff, the longest-serving female lawmaker in the state, lost in her primary bid to another female candidate. She served 24 years in the Legislature. Republican Rep. Liz May from Kyle, who was re-elected Tuesday, is the second longest-serving female lawmaker in the state. If she serves out her full 2025-2026 term, she’ll have served 12 years.2025 South Dakota female lawmakers

• 12 women were elected to the Senate, making up 34% of the chamber:

• Stephanie Sauder, R-Bryant

• Joy Hohn, R-Hartford

• Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls

• Sue Peterson, R-Sioux Falls

• Sydney Davis, R-Burbank

• Lauren Nelson, R-Yankton

• Mykala Voita, R-Vonesteel

• Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule

• Red Dawn Foster, D-Pine Ridge

• Amber Hulse, R-Hot Springs

• Helene Duhamel, R-Rapid City

• Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City

27 women* were elected to the House of Representatives, making up just under 39% of the chamber:

• Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen

• Josephine Garcia, R-Watertown

• Mellissa Heermann, R-Brookings

• Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls

• Tesa Schwans, R-Hartford

• Erin Healy, D-Sioux Falls

• Bobbi Andera, R-Sioux Falls

• Keri Weems, R-Sioux Falls

• Amber Arlint, R-Sioux Falls

• Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls

• Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls

• Karla Lems, R-Canton

• Julie Auch, R-Lesterville

• Jessica Bahmuller, R-Alexandria

• Kaley Nolz, R-Mitchell

• Lana Greenfield, R-Doland

• Rebecca Reimer, R-Chamberlain

• Peri Pourier, D-Pine Ridge

• Liz May, R-Kyle

• Jana Hunt, R-Dupree

• Kathy Rice, R-Black Hawk

• Terri Jorgenson, R-Piedmont

• Trish Ladner, R-Hot Springs

• Mary Fitzgerald, R-Spearfish

• Nicole Uhre-Balk, D-Rapid City

• Heather Baxter, R-Rapid City

• Tina Mulally, R-Rapid City

*Republican Joni Tschetter lost by nine votes to Democrat Erik Muckey in the District 15 House race in Sioux Falls. The results may be subject to a recount. If the outcome changes, it will increase female representation in the Legislature by one.

South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota Legislature sees record number of women elected this term