2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, electing the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican Governor Kristi Noem defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Smith to win a second term.[1]
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November 8, 2022
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| Turnout | 59.40%  | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Noem: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Smith: 50–60% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Despite speculation about this race potentially being competitive, Noem improved on her 2018 performance by 11 percentage points and won 17 counties that she lost in 2018. She also received over 44,000 more raw votes than she did in 2018, setting a record for the most votes received by a candidate for governor in South Dakota.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kristi Noem, incumbent governor[2]
- Running mate: Larry Rhoden, incumbent lieutenant governor[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Steven Haugaard, state representative and former Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives[4]
Declined
- Lora Hubbel, former state representative, former chair of the Minnehaha County Republican Party and the South Dakota Constitution Party, and candidate for governor in 2014 and 2018[5] (running as an independent)
- Mark Mickelson, former Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives[6]
Endorsements
Kristi Noem
U.S. executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)[7]
U.S. representatives
- Dusty Johnson, U.S. representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2019–present)[8]
State officials
- Marty Jackley, former attorney general of South Dakota (2009–2019) and candidate for Governor of South Dakota in 2018[9]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Steven Haugaard |
Kristi Noem |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University[10] | May 2–15, 2022 | – (LV) | ± 3.0% | 17% | 61% | 22% |
Results
Noem
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem (incumbent) | 91,661 | 76.4 | |
| Republican | Steven Haugaard | 28,315 | 23.6 | |
| Total votes | 119,976 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jamie Smith, Minority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives[12]
- Running mate: Jennifer Healy Keintz, state representative[13]
Declined
- Dan Ahlers, former state representative and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020[14]
- Remi Bald Eagle, former official for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and nominee for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in 2020[15]
- Kooper Caraway, president of the South Dakota Federation of Labor[16]
- Troy Heinert, Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate[17]
- Steve Hildebrand, political strategist[14]
- Mike Huether, former mayor of Sioux Falls[14]
- Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota and son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson[18]
- Peri Pourier, state representative[15]
- Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president of Augustana University and former U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district[18]
- Randy Seiler, chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party, former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, and nominee for attorney general in 2018[19]
- Billie Sutton, former Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate and nominee for governor in 2018[20]
- Bob Sutton, businessman[14]
Libertarian convention
Independents
Candidates
Withdrew
- Lora Hubbel, former state representative, former chair of the Minnehaha County Republican Party and the South Dakota Constitution Party, and candidate for governor in 2014 and 2018[5] (running for State Senate)[22]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[23] | Solid R | March 4, 2022 |
| Inside Elections[24] | Solid R | March 4, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[25] | Safe R | January 26, 2022 |
| Politico[26] | Likely R | October 3, 2022 |
| RCP[27] | Likely R | September 25, 2022 |
| Fox News[28] | Solid R | May 12, 2022 |
| 538[29] | Solid R | October 5, 2022 |
| Elections Daily[30] | Safe R | November 7, 2022 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Kristi Noem (R) |
Jamie Smith (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College[31] | October 19–21, 2022 | 1,500 (LV) | ± 2.4% | 56% | 37% | 3%[b] | 4% |
| 57% | 39% | 4%[c] | – | ||||
| South Dakota State University[32] | September 28 – October 10, 2022 | 565 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 45% | 41% | – | 14% |
Post-primary endorsements
Kristi Noem (R)
U.S. representatives
- Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. representative from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district (2013–2021) (Independent)[33]
Statewide officials
- Glenn Youngkin, governor of Virginia (2022–2026)[34]
Organizations
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
|
217,035 | 61.98% | +11.01% | |
| Democratic | 123,148 | 35.17% | −12.43% | ||
| Libertarian |
|
9,983 | 2.85% | +1.42% | |
| Total votes | 350,166 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County[37] | Kristi Noem Republican |
Jamie Smith Democratic |
Tracey Quint Libertarian |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Aurora | 894 | 73.64% | 284 | 23.39% | 36 | 2.97% | 610 | 50.25% | 1,214 |
| Beadle | 3,901 | 66.84% | 1,716 | 29.40% | 219 | 3.75% | 2,185 | 37.44% | 5,836 |
| Bennett | 619 | 60.39% | 368 | 35.90% | 38 | 3.71% | 251 | 24.49% | 1,025 |
| Bon Homme | 1,858 | 72.52% | 650 | 25.37% | 54 | 2.11% | 1,208 | 47.15% | 2,562 |
| Brookings | 6,974 | 56.12% | 5,096 | 41.01% | 357 | 2.87% | 1,878 | 15.11% | 12,427 |
| Brown | 8,456 | 60.56% | 5,167 | 37.00% | 341 | 2.44% | 3,289 | 23.55% | 13,964 |
| Brule | 1,463 | 69.37% | 589 | 27.93% | 57 | 2.70% | 874 | 41.44% | 2,109 |
| Buffalo | 144 | 36.27% | 234 | 58.94% | 19 | 4.79% | -90 | -22.67% | 397 |
| Butte | 3,211 | 76.71% | 823 | 19.66% | 152 | 3.63% | 2,388 | 57.05% | 4,186 |
| Campbell | 561 | 84.11% | 93 | 13.94% | 13 | 1.95% | 468 | 70.16% | 667 |
| Charles Mix | 2,187 | 70.75% | 849 | 27.47% | 55 | 1.78% | 1,338 | 43.29% | 3,091 |
| Clark | 1,223 | 76.44% | 341 | 21.31% | 36 | 2.25% | 882 | 55.13% | 1,600 |
| Clay | 2,054 | 43.29% | 2,581 | 54.39% | 110 | 2.32% | -527 | -11.11% | 4,745 |
| Codington | 7,520 | 67.87% | 3,253 | 29.36% | 307 | 2.77% | 4,267 | 38.51% | 11,080 |
| Corson | 522 | 56.25% | 379 | 40.84% | 27 | 2.91% | 143 | 15.41% | 928 |
| Custer | 3,633 | 71.56% | 1,293 | 25.47% | 151 | 2.97% | 2,340 | 46.09% | 5,077 |
| Davison | 4,887 | 67.51% | 2,179 | 30.10% | 173 | 2.39% | 2,708 | 37.41% | 7,239 |
| Day | 1,599 | 63.43% | 876 | 34.75% | 46 | 1.82% | 723 | 28.68% | 2,521 |
| Deuel | 1,479 | 74.28% | 458 | 23.00% | 54 | 2.71% | 1,021 | 51.28% | 1,991 |
| Dewey | 662 | 42.06% | 862 | 54.76% | 50 | 3.18% | -200 | -12.71% | 1,574 |
| Douglas | 1,272 | 85.71% | 188 | 12.67% | 24 | 1.62% | 1,084 | 73.05% | 1,484 |
| Edmunds | 1,321 | 77.66% | 346 | 20.34% | 34 | 2.00% | 975 | 57.32% | 1,701 |
| Fall River | 2,679 | 73.04% | 859 | 23.42% | 130 | 3.54% | 1,820 | 49.62% | 3,668 |
| Faulk | 771 | 80.73% | 167 | 17.49% | 17 | 1.78% | 604 | 63.25% | 955 |
| Grant | 2,328 | 72.41% | 830 | 25.82% | 57 | 1.77% | 1,498 | 46.59% | 3,215 |
| Gregory | 1,618 | 78.77% | 393 | 19.13% | 43 | 2.09% | 1,225 | 59.64% | 2,054 |
| Haakon | 892 | 90.37% | 82 | 8.31% | 13 | 1.32% | 810 | 82.07% | 987 |
| Hamlin | 2,118 | 77.58% | 548 | 20.07% | 64 | 2.34% | 1,570 | 57.51% | 2,730 |
| Hand | 1,177 | 78.36% | 290 | 19.31% | 35 | 2.33% | 887 | 59.05% | 1,502 |
| Hanson | 1,267 | 77.63% | 336 | 20.59% | 29 | 1.78% | 931 | 57.05% | 1,632 |
| Harding | 632 | 93.35% | 33 | 4.87% | 12 | 1.77% | 599 | 88.48% | 677 |
| Hughes | 4,571 | 61.38% | 2,652 | 35.61% | 224 | 3.01% | 1,919 | 25.77% | 7,447 |
| Hutchinson | 2,507 | 78.99% | 604 | 19.03% | 63 | 1.98% | 1,903 | 59.96% | 3,174 |
| Hyde | 460 | 80.00% | 106 | 18.43% | 9 | 1.57% | 354 | 61.57% | 575 |
| Jackson | 623 | 67.79% | 280 | 30.47% | 16 | 1.74% | 343 | 37.32% | 919 |
| Jerauld | 604 | 69.75% | 238 | 27.48% | 24 | 2.77% | 366 | 42.26% | 866 |
| Jones | 395 | 83.69% | 64 | 13.56% | 13 | 2.75% | 331 | 70.13% | 472 |
| Kingsbury | 1,792 | 70.25% | 692 | 27.13% | 67 | 2.63% | 1,100 | 43.12% | 2,551 |
| Lake | 3,131 | 63.05% | 1,720 | 34.64% | 115 | 2.32% | 1,411 | 28.41% | 4,966 |
| Lawrence | 7,749 | 63.28% | 4,041 | 33.00% | 456 | 3.72% | 3,708 | 30.28% | 12,246 |
| Lincoln | 16,828 | 59.76% | 10,727 | 38.09% | 606 | 2.15% | 6,101 | 21.66% | 28,161 |
| Lyman | 879 | 66.69% | 405 | 30.73% | 34 | 2.58% | 474 | 35.96% | 1,318 |
| Marshall | 1,123 | 59.42% | 737 | 38.99% | 30 | 1.59% | 386 | 20.42% | 1,890 |
| McCook | 1,851 | 72.67% | 625 | 24.54% | 71 | 2.79% | 1,226 | 48.14% | 2,547 |
| McPherson | 911 | 82.82% | 167 | 15.18% | 22 | 2.00% | 744 | 67.64% | 1,100 |
| Meade | 8,482 | 71.46% | 2,887 | 24.32% | 501 | 4.22% | 5,595 | 47.14% | 11,870 |
| Mellette | 386 | 61.27% | 214 | 33.97% | 30 | 4.76% | 172 | 27.30% | 630 |
| Miner | 732 | 72.69% | 248 | 24.63% | 27 | 2.68% | 484 | 48.06% | 1,007 |
| Minnehaha | 39,234 | 52.53% | 33,376 | 44.69% | 2,072 | 2.77% | 5,858 | 7.84% | 74,682 |
| Moody | 1,668 | 62.97% | 910 | 34.35% | 71 | 2.68% | 758 | 28.61% | 2,649 |
| Oglala Lakota | 221 | 8.91% | 2,172 | 87.58% | 87 | 3.51% | -1,951 | -78.67% | 2,480 |
| Pennington | 27,586 | 60.78% | 16,215 | 35.73% | 1,587 | 3.50% | 11,371 | 25.05% | 45,388 |
| Perkins | 1,142 | 83.24% | 177 | 12.90% | 53 | 3.86% | 965 | 70.34% | 1,372 |
| Potter | 892 | 81.16% | 187 | 17.02% | 20 | 1.82% | 705 | 64.15% | 1,099 |
| Roberts | 2,164 | 60.70% | 1,315 | 36.89% | 86 | 2.41% | 849 | 23.81% | 3,565 |
| Sanborn | 757 | 75.40% | 226 | 22.51% | 21 | 2.09% | 531 | 52.89% | 1,004 |
| Spink | 1,832 | 68.61% | 765 | 28.65% | 73 | 2.73% | 1,067 | 39.96% | 2,670 |
| Stanley | 999 | 69.04% | 407 | 28.13% | 41 | 2.83% | 592 | 40.91% | 1,447 |
| Sully | 597 | 75.76% | 169 | 21.45% | 22 | 2.79% | 428 | 54.31% | 788 |
| Todd | 402 | 20.87% | 1,444 | 74.97% | 80 | 4.15% | -1,042 | -54.10% | 1,926 |
| Tripp | 1,873 | 82.58% | 364 | 16.05% | 31 | 1.37% | 1,509 | 66.53% | 2,268 |
| Turner | 2,834 | 73.32% | 919 | 23.78% | 112 | 2.90% | 1,915 | 49.55% | 3,865 |
| Union | 4,723 | 70.07% | 1,848 | 27.42% | 169 | 2.51% | 2,875 | 42.66% | 6,740 |
| Walworth | 1,573 | 76.62% | 430 | 20.94% | 50 | 2.44% | 1,143 | 55.67% | 2,053 |
| Yankton | 5,247 | 58.89% | 3,350 | 37.60% | 313 | 3.51% | 1,897 | 21.29% | 8,910 |
| Ziebach | 345 | 50.51% | 304 | 44.51% | 34 | 4.98% | 41 | 6.00% | 683 |
| Totals | 217,035 | 61.98% | 123,148 | 35.17% | 9,983 | 2.85% | 93,887 | 26.81% | 350,166 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Bon Homme (largest city: Springfield)
- Brookings (largest city: Brookings)
- Brown (largest city: Aberdeen)
- Charles Mix (largest city: Lake Andes)
- Corson (largest city: McLaughlin)
- Day (largest city: Webster)
- Hughes (largest city: Pierre)
- Lake (largest city: Madison)
- Marshall (largest city: Britton)
- Mellette (largest city: White River)
- Miner (largest city: Howard)
- Minnehaha (largest city: Sioux Falls)
- Moody (largest city: Flandreau)
- Roberts (largest city: Sisseton)
- Spink (largest city: Redfield)
- Yankton (largest city: Yankton)
- Ziebach (largest city: Dupree)
