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Before votes are counted, Republicans already have a near-majority in the Legislature • South Dakota Searchlight

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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.

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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. 

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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



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SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 8, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 8 drawing

01-31-32-45-52, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

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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.



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Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’

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Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’


Kristi Noem’s stint as governor of South Dakota has come under fresh scrutiny by a former local mayor, who said she “did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” just days after she was fired from her role as Homeland Security secretary.

Noem, who served as governor from 2019 to 2025, became the first cabinet member to be fired by Trump during his second term.

The embarrassing dismissal came amid growing scrutiny of her aggressive immigration operations across the country, DHS’s purchase of multiple luxury jets for staff, major reductions in FEMA staff, and rumors of an affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Mike Levsen, the former mayor of Aberdeen in Noem’s home state of South Dakota, says her dismissal came as no surprise given her “lack of any significant accomplishment” during her time as governor of the state.

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“The Noem governorship covered six years — then did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” Levsen wrote in a blog post, comparing Noem to the former Alaska Gov. who resigned midway through her first term, citing mounting legal fees being brought by various ethics investigations being brought against her. Palin was Senator John McCain’s running mate during the 2008 presidential election.

Kristi Noem’s tenure as governor has come under criticism following her firing as DHS secretary (AFP/Getty)

“Her legacy was minimal involvement with the Legislature, frequent absences, no transparency, repeated operational screwups, soaring turnover and instances of self-dealing for herself and her family,” Levsen wrote.

Levsen criticized Noem’s Covid-era ad campaign, “Freedom Works Here,” as a “Trump-based ploy that likely contributed to South Dakota’s listing high on some periodical per capita death lists.”

The campaign, which attempted to draw new residents to the state, cost $6.5 million, and South Dakota News Watch reported at the time that there were “hurdles” with the campaign.

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Levsen also noted Noem’s “difficult relationship” with tribal governments, as all nine of South Dakota’s indigenous tribes voted in 2024 to ban Noem from their lands, according to CNN.

“Is there a single thing in South Dakota now better as a result of her time in office?” Levsen questioned in the post.

Noem was fired by Trump amidst mounting scrutiny over fallout in Minnesota, following DHS’s disastrous Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which saw two U.S. citizens shot dead in confrontations with federal agents.

Noem described the two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as domestic terrorists. She has refused to apologize for the comments.

She also drew fierce criticism with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with Lewandowski.

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Noem was axed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday (Getty)

Noem was axed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday (Getty)

The final nail in the coffin appears to have been Noem’s congressional testimony this past week, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized her management and judgment.

A day after her second hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Noem was out at DHS — and that he was nominating Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

An administration official told NBC News that the president axed Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.

Before she was fired, Noem defended her performance during her hearings on Capitol Hill.

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She also drew fire for insisting that the $220 million DHS ad campaign had been launched with the president’s approval, which Trump has denied.

Days after her humiliating firing, Trump named Noem as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that Trump says will focus on the Western Hemisphere.



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SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 7, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing

17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from March 7 drawing

06-08-17-18-45, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 7 drawing

01-02-06-22-26

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 7 drawing

10-32-45-53-54, Bonus: 02

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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.



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