2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota

2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota

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Nominee John Thune Brian Bengs Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 242,316 91,007 Percentage 69.63% 26.15%

County results Thune:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Bengs:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

U.S. senator before election John Thune Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Thune Republican

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 is 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]

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–present) ^[1]

Eliminated in primary

Oglala tribal administrator Bruce Whalen proved the most significant primary challenger to Thune since his election in 2004, garnering votes primarily from the West River region.

• 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–present) and former U.S. Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2011–2019) (ran for re-election) ^[4]

Endorsements

John Thune

Organizations

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee ^[12]
• Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions ^[13]
• NRA Political Victory Fund ^[12]

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%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Dusty Johnson	Kristi Noem	John Thune	Undecided
Fabrizio Lee (R) [15] [A]	January 2022	400 (LV)	± 4.9%	30%	–	47%	23%
				–	49%	40%	10%

Results

Results by county

  Thune

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

Republican primary results ^[16]

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–present) from the 26th district (2015–present) ^[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

• Animal Wellness Action ^[38]
• International Franchise Association ^[39]
• National Right to Life Committee ^[40]
• National Wildlife Federation ^[41]

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

2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota ^[45]

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	100.0%	N/A
	Republican hold

See also

• 2022 United States Senate elections
• 2022 South Dakota elections

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

Partisan clients

1. This poll was sponsored by the American Potential Fund

References

1. Levine, Marianne (January 8, 2022). "Senate Minority Whip John Thune to run for reelection". Politico . Retrieved January 8, 2022.
2. "South Dakota's Thune wins reelection to 4th U.S. Senate term". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 9, 2022.
3. Williams, Jordan (December 22, 2020). "Trump attacks Thune: 'He will be primaried in 2022'". The Hill . Retrieved December 23, 2020.
4. Budryk, Zack (December 23, 2020). "Noem rules out Thune challenge after Trump criticizes senator". The Hill . Retrieved December 23, 2020.
5. Coleman, Justine (January 1, 2021). "Trump again calls for Noem to primary Thune despite her refusal". The Hill . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
6. "Mowry to challenge Thune in 2022 primary". Rapid City Journal . June 22, 2021. ISSN   1079-3410. OCLC   2250546. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
7. Goss, Austin (July 27, 2021). "State Rep. Taffy Howard expected to announce bid for US Congress". KEVN.
8. "Two West River men to challenge Thune in 2022 Republican primary". August 25, 2021.
9. "Ellis: Thune retirement could cause GOP bedlam in South Dakota".
10. Bartels, Deb (March 2, 2021). "Marty Jackley running for his old job of attorney general". www.capjournal.com. Capital Journal . Retrieved December 28, 2021.
11. Heemstra, Jody (January 31, 2022). "Dusty Johnson announces he is running for re-election". DRG News. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
12. "John Thune's Ratings and Endorsements - Vote Smart". justfacts.votesmart.org. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
13. "Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Announces Second Round of Congressional Endorsements for the 2022 Election Cycle". cresenergy.com. Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. May 4, 2022. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
14. South Dakota State University
15. Fabrizio Lee (R)
16. "2022 Primary Election Official State Canvass Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of South Dakota . June 14, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
17. Sand, Elisa (November 12, 2021). "'Democracy has to be the answer': Aberdeen man announces intention to run for U.S. Senate". Aberdeen News . Retrieved December 1, 2021.
18. "South Dakota Minority Leader Heinert passes on run for Governor, joining private sector after term". December 16, 2021.
19. Lawrence, Tom (November 29, 2020). "Is it just a South Dakota political legend or eerie fate: Will Sen. John Thune end the 'Curse of Karl' in 2022?". The South Dakota Standard . Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
20. Woster, Kevin (February 23, 2022). "Sutton's political time will come again, but not just yet". South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
21. "Libertarian House candidate, Sturgis rancher Collin Duprel: I am running to give South Dakota voters a choice". Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
22. "2022 Senate Race ratings". The Cook Political Report . Retrieved January 14, 2021.
23. "Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
24. "2022 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
25. "South Dakota Senate Race 2022". Politico . April 1, 2022.
26. "Battle for the Senate 2022". RCP. January 10, 2022.
27. "2022 Election Forecast". Fox News. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
28. "2022 Election Forecast". DDHQ. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
29. "2022 Election Forecast". FiveThirtyEight . June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
30. "Economist's 2022 Senate forecast". The Economist . September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
31. "2022 PACE Endorsements". www.socialworkers.org. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
32. "Endorsements".
33. "Endorsements".
34. "Endorsements".
35. "Endorsements".
36. "Endorsements".
37. "Endorsements".
38. "Endorsed Candidates". animalwellnessaction.org. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
39. "INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES JUNE 2022 CONGRESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS". www.franchise.org. May 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
40. "National Right to Life Endorses John Thune in South Dakota Senate Race". www.nrlc.org. July 21, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
41. "National Wildlife Federation Action Fund Endorses Sen. Thune for Re-Election". nwfactionfund.org. August 11, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
42. South Dakota State University
43. Lake Research Partners (D)
44. Moore Information Group (R)
45. "2022 General Election Official State Canvass Results" (PDF). sdsos.gov.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Brian Bengs (D) for Senate
• John Thune (R) for Senate