2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota
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The 2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of South Dakota. Incumbent three-term Republican U.S. Senator John Thune, who was the Senate Minority Whip, was first elected in 2004, defeating Democratic incumbent Tom Daschle, the then-Senate Minority Leader. He ran for reelection to a fourth term.[1] The Democratic nominee was 26-year Navy, Air Force JAG Corps veteran, and former college professor Brian Bengs. Thune was ultimately reelected, becoming the first Senator from South Dakota to be elected to a fourth term since Karl Mundt in 1966, and only the second to do so after Mundt.[2]
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November 8, 2022
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 County results Thune: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bengs: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
On December 23, 2020, then-President Donald Trump said Thune would face a primary challenger after Thune refused to support a challenge of the 2020 Electoral College results, tweeting:[3] "Republicans in the Senate so quickly forget. Right now they would be down 8 seats without my backing them in the last Election. RINO John Thune, 'Mitch's boy', should just let it play out. South Dakota doesn't like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!" South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem stated she would not challenge Thune for the seat.[4] On January 1, 2021, Trump tweeted that Noem should challenge Thune in a primary, despite Noem previously saying she would not do so, instead running for re-election as Governor in 2022.[5]
Candidates
Nominee
- John Thune, incumbent U.S. Senator (2005–present) and Senate Minority Whip (2021–2025)[1]
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Mowry, musician and rancher[6]
- Bruce Buffalo Dreamer Whalen, Oglala Sioux tribal administrator, former chair of the Oglala Lakota County Republican Party, and nominee for South Dakota's at-large congressional district in 2006[7]
Withdrew
- Patrick Schubert, software executive[8]
Declined
- Marty Jackley, former South Dakota Attorney General (2009–2019) and candidate for governor of South Dakota in 2018 (ran for Attorney General)[9][10]
- Dusty Johnson, U.S. Representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2019–present) (ran for re-election)[11]
- Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota (2019–2025) and former U.S. Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2011–2019) (ran for re-election)[4]
Endorsements
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mark Mowry |
John Thune |
Bruce Whalen |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University[14] | May 2–15, 2022 | – (LV) | ± 3.0% | 4% | 46% | 10% | 41% |
Results
Thune
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Thune (incumbent) | 85,613 | 72.24% | |
| Republican | Bruce Whalen | 24,071 | 20.31% | |
| Republican | Mark Mowry | 8,827 | 7.45% | |
| Total votes | 118,511 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Brian Bengs, U.S. Navy and Air Force veteran, and former Northern State University political science professor[17]
Declined
- Troy Heinert, Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate (2019–2023) from the 26th district (2015–2023)[18]
- Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota (2009–2015) and son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson[19]
- Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president of Augustana University (2017–present) and former U.S. Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2004–2011)[19]
- Billie Sutton, former Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate (2015–2019) from the 21st district (2011–2019) and nominee for governor in 2018[20]
Libertarian convention
Candidates
Nominee
- Tamara Lesnar, small business owner[21]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[22] | Solid R | November 19, 2021 |
| Inside Elections[23] | Solid R | January 7, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[24] | Safe R | November 3, 2021 |
| Politico[25] | Solid R | April 1, 2022 |
| RCP[26] | Safe R | January 10, 2022 |
| Fox News[27] | Solid R | May 12, 2022 |
| DDHQ[28] | Solid R | July 20, 2022 |
| 538[29] | Solid R | June 30, 2022 |
| The Economist[30] | Safe R | September 7, 2022 |
Post-primary endorsements
Brian Bengs (D)
Organizations
- National Association of Social Workers[31]
- Let America Vote[32]
- End Citizens United[33]
- Common Defense[34]
- Sisters United - South Dakota.[35]
- Teamsters Local 120 [36]
U.S. Senators
- Doug Jones, U.S. Senator from Alabama (2018–2021)[37]
John Thune (R)
Organizations
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
John Thune (R) |
Brian Bengs (D) |
Tamara Lesnar (L) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University[42] | September 28 – October 10, 2022 | 565 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 53% | 28% | – | 20% |
| Lake Research Partners (D)[43] | September 6–11, 2022 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 46% | 33% | 8% | 11% |
| Moore Information Group (R)[44] | March 14–19, 2022 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 59% | 24% | 6% | 11% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Thune (incumbent) | 242,316 | 69.63% | −2.20% | |
| Democratic | Brian Bengs | 91,007 | 26.15% | −2.02% | |
| Libertarian | Tamara Lesnar | 14,697 | 4.22% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 348,020 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County[45] | John Thune Republican |
Brian Bengs Democratic |
Tamara Lesnar Libertarian |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Aurora | 978 | 80.56% | 170 | 14.00% | 66 | 5.44% | 808 | 66.56% | 1,214 |
| Beadle | 4,441 | 76.08% | 1,214 | 20.80% | 182 | 3.12% | 3,227 | 55.29% | 5,837 |
| Bennett | 684 | 67.06% | 295 | 28.92% | 41 | 4.02% | 389 | 38.14% | 1,020 |
| Bon Homme | 2,010 | 78.70% | 453 | 17.74% | 91 | 3.56% | 1,557 | 60.96% | 2,554 |
| Brookings | 7,990 | 64.69% | 3,816 | 30.90% | 545 | 4.41% | 4,174 | 33.79% | 12,351 |
| Brown | 9,577 | 68.80% | 3,893 | 27.96% | 451 | 3.24% | 5,684 | 40.83% | 13,921 |
| Brule | 1,573 | 74.98% | 428 | 20.40% | 97 | 4.62% | 1,145 | 54.58% | 2,098 |
| Buffalo | 173 | 44.36% | 202 | 51.79% | 15 | 3.85% | -29 | -7.44% | 390 |
| Butte | 3,269 | 78.62% | 597 | 14.36% | 292 | 7.02% | 2,672 | 64.26% | 4,158 |
| Campbell | 571 | 86.12% | 66 | 9.95% | 26 | 3.92% | 505 | 76.17% | 663 |
| Charles Mix | 2,323 | 75.20% | 666 | 21.56% | 100 | 3.24% | 1,657 | 53.64% | 3,089 |
| Clark | 1,307 | 82.05% | 230 | 14.44% | 56 | 3.52% | 1,077 | 67.61% | 1,593 |
| Clay | 2,522 | 53.51% | 2,042 | 43.33% | 149 | 3.16% | 480 | 10.18% | 4,713 |
| Codington | 8,279 | 75.24% | 2,265 | 20.58% | 460 | 4.18% | 6,014 | 54.65% | 11,004 |
| Corson | 534 | 57.73% | 334 | 36.11% | 57 | 6.16% | 200 | 21.62% | 925 |
| Custer | 3,756 | 74.52% | 1,017 | 20.18% | 267 | 5.30% | 2,739 | 54.35% | 5,040 |
| Davison | 5,420 | 75.17% | 1,524 | 21.14% | 266 | 3.69% | 3,896 | 54.04% | 7,210 |
| Day | 1,796 | 71.44% | 602 | 23.95% | 116 | 4.61% | 1,194 | 47.49% | 2,514 |
| Deuel | 1,548 | 77.95% | 346 | 17.42% | 92 | 4.63% | 1,202 | 60.52% | 1,986 |
| Dewey | 770 | 49.36% | 720 | 46.15% | 70 | 4.49% | 50 | 3.21% | 1,560 |
| Douglas | 1,308 | 89.16% | 117 | 7.98% | 42 | 2.86% | 1,191 | 81.19% | 1,467 |
| Edmunds | 1,385 | 82.10% | 253 | 15.00% | 49 | 2.90% | 1,132 | 67.10% | 1,687 |
| Fall River | 2,754 | 75.64% | 665 | 18.26% | 222 | 6.10% | 2,089 | 57.37% | 3,641 |
| Faulk | 780 | 82.37% | 120 | 12.67% | 47 | 4.96% | 660 | 69.69% | 947 |
| Grant | 2,492 | 77.92% | 601 | 18.79% | 105 | 3.28% | 1,891 | 59.13% | 3,198 |
| Gregory | 1,663 | 82.16% | 279 | 13.78% | 82 | 4.05% | 1,384 | 68.38% | 2,024 |
| Haakon | 864 | 89.07% | 56 | 5.77% | 50 | 5.15% | 808 | 83.30% | 970 |
| Hamlin | 2,214 | 81.91% | 366 | 13.54% | 123 | 4.55% | 1,848 | 68.37% | 2,703 |
| Hand | 1,242 | 82.25% | 198 | 13.11% | 70 | 4.64% | 1,044 | 69.14% | 1,510 |
| Hanson | 1,323 | 81.22% | 254 | 15.59% | 52 | 3.19% | 1,069 | 65.62% | 1,629 |
| Harding | 605 | 90.57% | 22 | 3.29% | 41 | 6.14% | 564 | 84.43% | 668 |
| Hughes | 5,467 | 73.37% | 1,683 | 22.59% | 301 | 4.04% | 3,784 | 50.79% | 7,451 |
| Hutchinson | 2,619 | 83.35% | 417 | 13.27% | 106 | 3.37% | 2,202 | 70.08% | 3,142 |
| Hyde | 484 | 83.45% | 78 | 13.45% | 18 | 3.10% | 406 | 70.00% | 580 |
| Jackson | 617 | 68.63% | 215 | 23.92% | 67 | 7.45% | 402 | 44.72% | 899 |
| Jerauld | 676 | 78.24% | 154 | 17.82% | 34 | 3.94% | 522 | 60.42% | 864 |
| Jones | 383 | 82.37% | 46 | 9.89% | 36 | 7.74% | 337 | 72.47% | 465 |
| Kingsbury | 2,000 | 79.05% | 441 | 17.43% | 89 | 3.52% | 1,559 | 61.62% | 2,530 |
| Lake | 3,615 | 73.51% | 1,139 | 23.16% | 164 | 3.33% | 2,476 | 50.35% | 4,918 |
| Lawrence | 8,439 | 69.48% | 3,061 | 25.20% | 646 | 5.32% | 5,378 | 44.28% | 12,146 |
| Lincoln | 19,703 | 70.42% | 7,365 | 26.32% | 912 | 3.26% | 12,338 | 44.10% | 27,980 |
| Lyman | 944 | 72.67% | 290 | 22.32% | 65 | 5.00% | 654 | 50.35% | 1,299 |
| Marshall | 1,272 | 67.70% | 545 | 29.00% | 62 | 3.30% | 727 | 38.69% | 1,879 |
| McCook | 2,033 | 80.26% | 408 | 16.11% | 92 | 3.63% | 1,625 | 64.15% | 2,533 |
| McPherson | 954 | 86.57% | 108 | 9.80% | 40 | 3.63% | 846 | 76.77% | 1,102 |
| Meade | 8,934 | 75.90% | 2,134 | 18.13% | 702 | 5.96% | 6,800 | 57.77% | 11,770 |
| Mellette | 415 | 66.51% | 165 | 26.44% | 44 | 7.05% | 250 | 40.06% | 624 |
| Miner | 813 | 80.98% | 161 | 16.04% | 30 | 2.99% | 652 | 64.94% | 1,004 |
| Minnehaha | 46,551 | 62.78% | 24,772 | 33.41% | 2,821 | 3.80% | 21,779 | 29.37% | 74,144 |
| Moody | 1,839 | 69.61% | 694 | 26.27% | 109 | 4.13% | 1,145 | 43.34% | 2,642 |
| Oglala Lakota | 422 | 17.30% | 1,889 | 77.42% | 129 | 5.29% | -1,467 | -60.12% | 2,440 |
| Pennington | 30,398 | 67.32% | 12,441 | 27.55% | 2,314 | 5.12% | 17,957 | 39.77% | 45,153 |
| Perkins | 1,141 | 83.35% | 133 | 9.72% | 95 | 6.94% | 1,008 | 73.63% | 1,369 |
| Potter | 937 | 85.73% | 123 | 11.25% | 33 | 3.02% | 814 | 74.47% | 1,093 |
| Roberts | 2,384 | 67.52% | 1,000 | 28.32% | 147 | 4.16% | 1,384 | 39.20% | 3,531 |
| Sanborn | 821 | 81.94% | 154 | 15.37% | 27 | 2.69% | 667 | 66.57% | 1,002 |
| Spink | 2,027 | 76.09% | 546 | 20.50% | 91 | 3.42% | 1,481 | 55.59% | 2,664 |
| Stanley | 1,138 | 78.65% | 245 | 16.93% | 64 | 4.42% | 893 | 61.71% | 1,447 |
| Sully | 622 | 79.44% | 114 | 14.56% | 47 | 6.00% | 508 | 64.88% | 783 |
| Todd | 502 | 26.27% | 1,308 | 68.45% | 101 | 5.29% | -806 | -42.18% | 1,911 |
| Tripp | 1,861 | 83.19% | 263 | 11.76% | 113 | 5.05% | 1,598 | 71.43% | 2,237 |
| Turner | 3,078 | 79.99% | 602 | 15.64% | 168 | 4.37% | 2,476 | 64.35% | 3,848 |
| Union | 4,991 | 74.30% | 1,497 | 22.29% | 229 | 3.41% | 3,494 | 52.02% | 6,717 |
| Walworth | 1,645 | 80.72% | 301 | 14.77% | 92 | 4.51% | 1,344 | 65.95% | 2,038 |
| Yankton | 6,051 | 68.35% | 2,462 | 27.81% | 340 | 3.84% | 3,589 | 40.54% | 8,853 |
| Ziebach | 389 | 57.37% | 242 | 35.69% | 47 | 6.93% | 147 | 21.68% | 678 |
| Totals | 242,316 | 69.63% | 91,007 | 26.15% | 14,697 | 4.22% | 151,309 | 43.48% | 348,020 |