South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the second oldest continually operating university in the state, trailing the University of South Dakota which was founded in 1862. The university is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs the state's six public universities and two special schools.
Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 121st-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County to the south, which continues up to the Iowa state line. The population was 192,517 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 202,078. According to city officials, the estimated population had grown to 213,891 as of early 2024. The Sioux Falls metro area accounts for more than 30% of the state's population. Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, the city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of interstates 29 and 90.
The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship university for the state of South Dakota and the state's oldest public university. It occupies a 274 acres (1.11 km2) campus located in southeastern South Dakota, approximately 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Sioux Falls, 39 miles (63 km) northwest of Sioux City, Iowa, and north of the Missouri River.
Marion Michael Rounds is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011.
Stephanie Marie Herseth Sandlin is an American attorney, university administrator, and politician from the Democratic Party. She represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2004 until 2011. Sandlin was first elected to Congress in a July 2004 special election and won three full terms before losing to Republican Kristi Noem in 2010. She was the youngest female member of the House, and the first woman elected to the House from South Dakota. Before her 2007 marriage to Max Sandlin, she was known as Stephanie Herseth. She is a Democrat and a member of the Herseth family of South Dakota. She and Senator Tim Johnson are the last Democrats to win a statewide and/or federal election in South Dakota.
Daniel Paul Ahlers is an American businessman and politician who was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in South Dakota in the 2020 election, which he lost to Republican incumbent Mike Rounds. Ahlers was a Democratic member of the South Dakota House of Representatives and of the South Dakota Senate (2008–10), representing District 25, which encompasses Dell Rapids and areas north and northeast of Sioux Falls.
Andrew Kötting is a British artist, writer, and filmmaker.
Kristi Lynn Noem is an American politician, farmer, and author who has served since 2019 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district from 2007 to 2011.
Jason Thomas Smith is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district comprises 30 counties, covering just under 20,000 square miles of southeastern and southern Missouri.
David Ellwood Lust was an American politician who served as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 34 from January 2007 until January 2015 and again from September 2016 until January 2019.
The 2020 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of South Dakota, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Mike Rounds was reelected to a second term in office, overperforming Donald Trump in the concurrent presidential election by 4.93 points.
Dustin Michael Johnson is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner from 2005 to 2011, when he was appointed chief of staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard, a position he held until 2014. Between his state political career and congressional service, Johnson was the vice president of Vantage Point Solutions in Mitchell, South Dakota.
Kelly Michael Armstrong is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district from 2012 to 2018 and chair of the North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 until 2018. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek re-election to the House, and would instead run in the 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election. Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11, 2024, and defeated Democratic nominee Merrill Piepkorn in the general election.
Spencer Gosch is an American politician who served in the South Dakota House of Representatives. He served as the Speaker of the House during the 96th and 97th Legislative Sessions. Prior to that, he served as Speaker pro tempore during the 94th and 95th Legislative Sessions.
Jon Hansen serves as a representative for the 25th Legislative District in the South Dakota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he formerly served as the Speaker pro tempore of the South Dakota House of Representatives.
Kathy Ellen Manning is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina, presently representing the state's 6th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, her district is in the heart of the Piedmont Triad and includes Greensboro and most of Winston-Salem. She was the nominee for North Carolina's 13th congressional district in the 2018 election, and ran for and won the neighboring 6th in the 2020 election after court-ordered redistricting.
Taylor Rae Rehfeldt is an American politician and registered nurse anesthetist serving as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 14th district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 12, 2021.
Lynn Schneider is an American politician serving as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 22nd district. He was appointed to the House by Governor Kristi Noem on May 8, 2020, succeeding Bob Glanzer.
Steven D. Hansen is an American politician. He was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for District 1 from 1987 to 1995. He was then elected to the Iowa Senate from District 1 between 1995 and 2003. Hansen returned to the state house in 2021, representing District 14.
South Dakota's 6th legislative district is one of 35 districts in the South Dakota Legislature. Each district is represented by 1 senator and 2 representatives. In the Senate, it has been represented by Republican Herman Otten since 2021. In the House, it has been represented by Republicans Aaron Aylward and Ernie Otten since 2021.
