2026 results · South Dakota · South Dakota Secretary of State
Heather Baxter, the Republican, is elected South Dakota Secretary of State, a Republican hold
Donald Trump carried South Dakota by 29.2 points in 2024; this year's count is a 6.9-point move toward the Democrats.
| Candidate | Votes | Share | Share of the vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heather BaxterRepublican | 172,365 | 58.4% | |
| Terrence DavisDemocrat | 106,561 | 36.1% | |
| Tamara J. LesnarLibertarian | 16,261 | 5.5% |
Called by Call the Map, Nov 4, 8:45 AM EST · 84% counted.
About 84% of the expected vote counted295,187 votesCount last changed Nov 7, 5:11 PM ESTSource: South Dakota Secretary of State
The map
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What moved most
Scroll through South Dakota, part by part. The parts follow the federal government’s metropolitan areas: each big metro’s core counties, its suburbs and outer suburbs, the smaller metro areas, then the small towns and countryside.
What the count shows
Added together, the 66 counties compared moved 6.9 points toward the Democrats from the 2024 presidential vote.
The counties compared cast 69% as many votes as in 2024, from 77% in Custer County to 54% in Hanson County. Where turnout ran higher, the county moved more toward the Republicans (r = −0.26).
Clay County moved most: D+6.5 for president in 2024, D+16.7 this year
The 10 counties with the largest moves from the 2024 presidential vote, among those with 2,000 or more votes for president in 2024 and a quarter of that counted, and at least half a percent of the state's 2024 vote. Each line runs from the 2024 margin to this year’s.
2024 president 2026
Minnehaha County added 9,478 net votes for Davis against the 2024 margin, 16% of the statewide change
Across the 66 counties compared, the margin moved by 59,418 votes toward Davis: this year’s lead in votes against the 2024 presidential lead in votes, county by county. The figure counts voters who changed sides and differences in who turned out alike; the count cannot tell them apart.
- Minnehaha County+9,478 Davis
- Pennington County+7,940 Davis
- Lincoln County+5,018 Davis
- Meade County+3,054 Davis
- Codington County+2,379 Davis
- Brown County+2,217 Davis
- Lawrence County+1,964 Davis
- Davison County+1,751 Davis
What the places that moved have in common
Each of South Dakota’s counties, set against the Census Bureau’s figures for who lives there. A pattern across counties, not an exit poll: it does not say how any group of people voted.
Urban, suburban and rural counties
2024 president 2026 · Urban: 1,000 or more residents per square mile; suburban: 100 to 999; rural: under 100 (our grouping).
Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 and 2023 Gazetteer; a county joins once its count is substantially in.
South Dakota’s ballot
StatewideRepublicans won all 5 of South Dakota's statewide races.
U.S. HouseBefore the election R 1–0, now R 1–0
won leads, still counting changed party. Margins are the leader’s share minus the runner-up’s, in points.
Every count on this page is the official count published by the South Dakota Secretary of State. Counts are unofficial until the state certifies them. The 2024 comparison is the presidential vote, Kamala Harris against Donald Trump, on the same ground. Margins are the Democrat minus the Republican, in points of all votes.