South Dakota
Before votes are counted, Republicans already have a near-majority in the Legislature • South Dakota Searchlight
Before South Dakotans began early voting Friday for the Nov. 5 general election, the Republican Party already had a near-majority in next year’s Legislature.
Seventeen Republicans are running unopposed for the 35-member Senate, which has one winner in each district.
Republicans are guaranteed another 35 seats in the 70-member House, which has two winners in each district. The guaranteed Republican seats are in districts where two candidates are running and both are Republicans, and in districts where three candidates are running and two are Republicans.
There’s one unopposed Democrat running for Senate, and the Democratic Party is guaranteed at least two seats in the House.
All 105 seats in the Legislature are up for grabs in the election, and 43% of the them are already decided — an increase from 42% headed into the 2022 election.
Seventeen of the 45 unchallenged legislative candidates on the November ballot also went unchallenged in their party’s June primary election. There were 44 Republican legislative primary races in June and one Democratic primary race.
Sixty-one candidates running for a state legislative seat in Nov. 5 election are women, while 98 are men.
Voters in South Dakota have plenty of other choices to make beyond legislative races. Ballots are lengthy, with seven statewide ballot questions, a U.S. House race and a Public Utilities Commission race, plus local races.
Uncontested races and guaranteed seats
The 45 unchallenged candidates for the Legislature in the Nov. 5 election:
- District 1 Senate (Brown, Day, Marshall, Roberts counties): Michael Rohl, Republican
- District 2 Senate (Minnehaha County): Steve Kolbeck, Republican
- District 2 House (Minnehaha County): David Kull and John Sjaarda, Republican
- District 3 Senate (Brown County): Carl Perry, Republican
- District 4 Senate (Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Roberts counties): Stephanie Sauder, Republican
- District 4 House (Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Roberts counties): Kent Rose and Dylan Jordan, Republican
- District 6 Senate (Lincoln County): Ernie Otten, Republican
- District 7 Senate (Brookings County): Tim Reed, Republican
- District 8 Senate (Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner counties): Casey Crabtree, Republican
- District 9 Senate (Minnehaha County): Joy Hohn, Republican
- District 10 Senate (Minnehaha County): Liz Larson, Democrat
- District 13 House (Lincoln and Minnehaha counties): Tony Venhuizen and John Hughes, Republican
- District 16 Senate (Lincoln, Turner, Union counties): Kevin Jensen, Republican
- District 17 Senate (Clay and Union counties): Sydney Davis, Republican
- District 19 House (Bon Homme, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, Turner counties): Drew Peterson and Jessica Bahmuller, Republican
- District 20 Senate (Davison, Jerauld, Miner, Sanborn counties): Paul Miskimins, Republican
- District 20 House (Davison, Jerauld, Miner, Sanborn counties): Jeff Bathke and Kaley Nolz, Republican
- District 21 House (Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, Tripp counties): Jim Halverson and Marty Overweg, Republican
- District 22 House (Beadle, Clark, Spink counties): Kevin Van Diepen and Lana Greenfield, Republican
- District 23 Senate (Brown, Campbell, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, McPherson, Potter, Walworth counties): Mark Lapka, Republican
- District 23 House (Brown, Campbell, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, McPherson, Potter, Walworth counties): Scott Moore and Spencer Gosch, Republican
- District 24 Senate (Haakon, Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, Sully counties): Jeff Mehlhaff, Republican
- District 24 House (Haakon, Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, Sully counties): Will Mortenson and Mike Weisgram, Republican
- District 25 House (Minnehaha and Moody counties): Les Heinemann and Jon Hansen, Republican
- District 28B House (Butte, Harding, Perkins counties): Travis Ismay, Republican
- District 29 Senate (Meade County): John Carley, Republican
- District 29 House (Meade County): Kathy Rice and Terri Jorgenson, Republican
- District 31 Senate (Lawrence County): Randy Deibert, Republican
- District 33 Senate (Meade and Pennington counties): Curt Voight, Republican
- District 33 House (Meade and Pennington counties): Curt Massie and Phil Jensen, Republican
- District 34 House (Pennington County): Mike Derby and Heather Baxter, Republican
- District 35 Senate (Pennington County): Greg Blanc, Republican
The 10 House districts where one party has two of the three candidates in a two-winner race, thereby guaranteeing at least one seat for that party:
- District 3 House (Brown County): Democrat Erin Rudner and Republicans Brandei Schaefbauer and Al Novstrup
- District 6 House (Lincoln County): Democrat Garret Campbell and Republicans Herman Otten and Aaron Aylward
- District 8 House (Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner counties): Libertarian Greg Zimmerman and Republicans Rim Reisch and Tim Walburg
- District 9 House (Minnehaha County): Democrat Beverly Froslie Johnson and Republicans Bethany Soye and Tesa Schwans
- District 10 House (Minnehaha County): Republican Bobbi Andera and Democrats Kameron Nelson and Erin Healy
- District 16 House (Lincoln, Turner, Union counties): Democrat Matthew Carl Ness and Republicans Karla Lems and Richard Vasgaard
- District 17 House (Clay and Union counties): Democrat Ray Ring and Republicans Bill Shorma and Chris Kassin
- District 27 House (Bennett, Jackson, Pennington, Oglala Lakota counties): Republican Liz May and Democrats Peri Pourier and Elsie Meeks
- District 30 House (Custer, Fall River, Pennington counties): Democrat Susan Scheirbeck and Republicans Trish Ladner and Tim Goodwin
- District 32 House (Pennington County): Democrat Nicole Uhre-Balk and Republicans Steve Duffy and Brook Kaufman
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Department of Transportation is reminding the public that political campaign and ballot-issue signs are not allowed on state highway rights-of-way.
“This time of year, it is common to find election signs placed along the state’s roadways,” says Craig Smith, Director of Operations.
“Illegal signs create a safety hazard and may distract motorists from seeing important regulatory or directional signage.”
The right-of-way is for official highway signage only.
Signs not required for traffic control, as per SDCL 31-28-14, are prohibited and will be removed by SDDOT crews.
Municipal ordinances on campaign signs do not take precedence over state jurisdiction over state highway rights-of-way.
You can learn more about sign placement guidelines here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 22, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 22 drawing
24-29-32-49-63, Powerball: 11, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from April 22 drawing
15-20-32-46-48, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from April 22 drawing
05-06-09-14-32
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 22 drawing
17-26-43-44-53, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The University of South Dakota announced on Wednesday, April 22, that Athletic Director Jon Schemmel has received a five-year contract extension running through the 2030-31 academic year.
Schemmel has been in his position since January 2024 and was South Dakota’s senior associate athletic director for development from 2012-2017.
Advertisement
“The University of South Dakota and Vermillion community is where our family wants to be,” Schemmel said in a press release. “I am humbled and grateful for the continued trust from President (Sheila) Gestring and the South Dakota Board of Regents to continue leading this athletics program. Coyote Nation has the best fans and donors, and we have a group of coaches, staff and student-athletes who are committed to competing for championships and continuing their excellence in the classroom and community.”
The athletics department has raised $49 million since Schemmel took over as AD, including $35 million in the 2025-26 academic year.
The Coyotes have won a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and Summit League volleyball and men’s indoor track and field titles with Schemmel at the helm.
“USD’s athletic programs continue to thrive under Jon’s leadership,” Gestring said. “His knowledge of Division I athletics, forward-thinking vision for our teams and strength in fundraising have all been assets to our university. Our program is in great hands, and I am looking forward to seeing what Jon, his staff and our student-athletes achieve in the next five years.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota extends AD Jon Schemmel through 2030-31 academic year
-
Kentucky2 minutes agoIntrepido horse trainer, jockey, owner for Kentucky Derby 2026
-
Louisiana8 minutes ago2 critical, multiple hurt following mass shooting at Mall of Louisiana
-
Maine14 minutes agoSouthern Maine’s 5 boys track teams to watch
-
Maryland20 minutes agoVirginia, Pennsylvania breweries dominate World Beer Cup; MD medals
-
Michigan26 minutes agoLSU big man Jalen Reed commits to Michigan | UM Hoops.com
-
Massachusetts32 minutes agoMassachusetts tops U.S. in AI job loss risk, Tufts report says
-
Minnesota38 minutes agoMinnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say
-
Mississippi44 minutes agoJackson council reviews water authority as Horhn offers few details on plan