Richard Francis Kneip was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 25th governor of South Dakota from 1971 until 1978 and the 6th United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the first Catholic Governor of South Dakota.
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.
Arthur Calvin Mellette was the last Governor of Dakota Territory, the first Governor of the State of South Dakota, and an American Civil War veteran.
Peter Norbeck was an American politician from South Dakota. After serving two terms as the ninth Governor of South Dakota, he was elected to three consecutive terms as a United States Senator. Norbeck was the first native-born Governor of South Dakota to serve in office, and the first native-born U.S. Senator from South Dakota. He is best remembered as "Mount Rushmore's great political patron", for promoting the construction of the giant sculpture at Mount Rushmore and securing federal funding for it.
The South Dakota State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of South Dakota. Housing the South Dakota State Legislature, it is located in the state capital of Pierre at 500 East Capitol Avenue. The building houses the offices of most state officials, including the Governor of South Dakota.
Dennis Martin Daugaard is an American attorney and politician who served as the 32nd governor of South Dakota from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first chief executive of a U.S. state to be the child of deaf parents. Before being elected governor, he was a lawyer, banker, development director for a nonprofit organization; he also served as a state senator from 1997 to 2003 and the 37th lieutenant governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011.
The lieutenant governor of South Dakota is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of South Dakota state government and also serves as presiding officer of the South Dakota Senate. The lieutenant governor succeeds to the governorship if the office becomes vacant, and may also serve as acting governor if the governor is incapacitated or absent from the state.
The attorney general of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an executive position as the state's chief legal officer. In 1992, the voters approved a constitutional amendment to limit all constitutional officers and the governor to two consecutive four-year terms.
In the United States, a governor serves as the chief executive and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as head of state and head of government therein. While like all officials in the United States, checks and balances are placed on the office of the governor, significant powers may include ceremonial head of state, executive, legislative, judicial, and military. As such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. As state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. Governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. A majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
The structure of the government of South Dakota is based on that of the federal government, with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The structure of the state government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended either by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of South Dakota:
Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician 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. In November 2024, Donald Trump selected Noem to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security in his second term.
Brendan Van Johnson is an American attorney who served as the 40th United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota. He is the son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson and currently is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP, where he serves as the Chair of the Firm's National Business Litigation Group and Member of the Firm's Executive Board. In 2024, Johnson was recognized as one of America's Top 200 Lawyers for his litigation work and representation of Native American tribes.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the U.S. representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district, who would represent the state of South Dakota in the 114th United States Congress. The election coincided with the elections of a U.S. Senator from South Dakota, the Governor of South Dakota and other federal and state offices. Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Kristi Noem won reelection.
The 1986 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the Governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Bill Janklow was term-limited, so the field for the new governor was open. Republican nominee George S. Mickelson was elected, defeating Democratic nominee Ralph Lars Herseth.
The 2018 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Dennis Daugaard was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.
The Trail of Governors is series of life-size bronze statues of former governors of South Dakota in Pierre, the state capital. After installing its first statues in 2012, the project completed its goal of placing statues of every former governor ten years later with the 2022 unveiling. Future governors, beginning with incumbent Governor Kristi Noem, will be added after they leave office. Sculptors who have created statues for the project include John Lopez, James Van Nuys, James Michael Maher, Lee Leuning and Sherry Treeby.
The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, electing the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Kristi Noem defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Smith to win a second term.
Marty Overweg is an American politician and businessman serving as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 19th district. A member of the Republican Party, Overweg assumed office on January 6, 2020 after being nominated by Governor Kristi Noem to succeed Kyle Schoenfish, who was appointed to the State Senate.
