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South Dakota State Senate elections, 2016
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| 2016 South Dakota Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
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| Primary | June 7, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Election Results | |
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| 2016 Elections | |
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All 35 seats in the South Dakota State Senate were up for election in 2016. Republicans gained two seats in the chamber after the November 2016 election.
Introduction
Elections for the South Dakota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the South Dakota State Senate:
| South Dakota State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 8 | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 29 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Incumbents retiring
A total of fifteen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| David Novstrup | Senate District 3 | |
| Jim Peterson | Senate District 4 | |
| Ried Holien | Senate District 5 | |
| David Omdahl | Senate District 11 | |
| Phyllis Heineman | Senate District 13 | |
| Angie Buhl O'Donnell | Senate District 15 | |
| William Shorma | Senate District 16 | |
| Bernie Hunhoff | Senate District 18 | |
| Bill Van Gerpen | Senate District 19 | |
| Mike Vehle | Senate District 20 | |
| Corey Brown | Senate District 23 | |
| Scott Fiegen | Senate District 25 | |
| James Bradford | Senate District 27 | |
| Betty Olson | Senate District 28 | |
| Craig Tieszen | Senate District 34 |
2016 election competitiveness
South Dakota sees improvement in electoral competitiveness.
Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well South Dakota performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »
- In the South Dakota State Senate, there were 8 Democratic incumbents and 27 Republican incumbents. No incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. There were six primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- In the House, there were 12 Democratic incumbents and 58 Republican incumbents. No state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were twelve primary challenges in the Republican primary.
- Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.
- The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.
- South Dakota generally has more open seats than the U.S. average. However, nearly half of legislators who retired in 2016 were forced out by term limits, making the state's rate of open seats less impressive.
- More details on electoral competitiveness in South Dakota can be found below.
List of candidates
General election
| 2016 South Dakota Senate general election candidates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | |||
| 1 | Jason Frerichs: 6,849 (I) |
No candidate | |
| 2 | No candidate | Brock Greenfield: 7,839 (I) |
|
| 3 | Cory Heidelberger: 4,031 | Al Novstrup: 6,364 |
|
| 4 | Kathy Tyler: 4,416 | John Wiik: 6,739 |
|
| 5 | No candidate | Neal Tapio: 6,838 |
|
| 6 | Kyle Boese: 3,482 | Ernie Otten: 7,697 (I) |
|
| 7 | Mary Perpich: 2,887 | Larry Tidemann: 5,569 (I) |
|
| 8 | Scott Parsley: 5,776 (I) | Jordan Youngberg: 5,870 |
|
| 9 | John Koch: 3,398 | Deb Peters: 6,426 (I) |
|
| 10 | Jim Powers: 4,141 | Jenna Haggar: 6,205 (I) |
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| 11 | Tom Cool: 4,481 | Jim Stalzer: 6,944 |
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| 12 | Jim Sanden: 4,432 | Blake Curd: 6,221 (I) |
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| 13 | Denny Pierson: 4,502 | Jack Kolbeck: 6,997 |
|
| 14 | No candidate | Deb Soholt: 7,747 (I) |
Tyler Swanger: 3,536 (Ind.) |
| 15 | Reynold Nesiba: 3,666 |
No candidate | |
| 16 | Chad Skiles: 3,122 | Jim Bolin: 8,274 |
|
| 17 | Shane Merrill: 3,965 | Arthur Rusch: 5,023 (I) |
|
| 18 | Craig Kennedy: 5,765 |
No candidate | |
| 19 | Russell Graeff: 2,408 | Stace Nelson: 8,636 |
|
| 20 | Quinten Burg: 3,644 | Joshua Klumb: 6,666 |
|
| 21 | Billie Sutton: 6,701 (I) |
No candidate | |
| 22 | Eric Bliss: 2,408 | Jim White: 6,754 (I) |
|
| 23 | No candidate | Justin Cronin: 8,445 |
|
| 24 | No candidate | Jeff Monroe: 8,124 (I) |
|
| 25 | Jeff Barth: 4,301 | Kris Langer: 7,254 |
|
| 26 | Troy Heinert: 4,601 (I) |
No candidate | |
| 27 | Kevin Killer: 3,940 |
No candidate | |
| 28 | No candidate | Ryan Maher: 6,989 |
|
| 29 | No candidate | Gary Cammack: 6,557 (I) |
LeRoy Kindler: 3,522 (Ind.) |
| 30 | Karla R. LaRive: 3,653 | Lance Russell: 9,176 |
|
| 31 | No candidate | Bob Ewing: 8,681 (I) |
|
| 32 | David A. Hubbard: 3,359 | Alan Solano: 6,764 (I) |
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| 33 | Haven Stuck: 4,767 | Phil Jensen: 7,651 (I) |
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| 34 | Jay C. Shultz: 3,889 | Jeff Partridge: 7,292 |
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| 35 | No candidate | Terri Haverly: 6,137 (I) |
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Notes:
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Primary election
Races we watched
Ballotpedia identified five notable South Dakota state primary races in 2016, three of which were state Senate contests.
Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable South Dakota races »
Primary contests
- District 9 featured a candidate rematch.
- ☑ Deb Peters (Inc.) ☐ Lora Hubbel
- The Republican incumbent faced a primary challenger over education funding.
- ☐ Bruce Rampelberg (Inc.) ☑ Lance Russell
- The Republican incumbent faced a primary challenger over education funding.
- ☑ Phil Jensen (Inc.) ☐ Jacqueline Sly
Margins of victory
The average margin of victory for contested races in the South Dakota State Senate in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 35 races in the South Dakota State Senate in 2016, 22 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 29 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[2]
| Only Republican candidates in the South Dakota State Senate had contested races in 2016. Republicans won 29 races. In the 22 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 29.0 percent. Democrats won six races in 2016. All six were unopposed. |
| More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. One of the 22 contested races in 2016—4.5 percent—saw a margin of victory that was 10 percent or less. It was won by a Republican. |
South Dakota State Senate: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent District Winning Party Margin of Victory District 8 R 0.8 percent
| The average margin of victory for incumbents in the South Dakota State Senate who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was lower than the national average. Eighteen incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 11 winning South Dakota State Senate incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 29.1 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent. |
South Dakota State Senate: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis Party Elections won Average margin of victory[3] Races with incumbent victories Average margin of victory for incumbents[3] Unopposed incumbents Unopposed races Percent unopposed Democratic 6 Unopposed 3 Unopposed 3 6 100.0 percent Republican 29 29.0 percent 15 29.1 percent 4 7 24.1 percent Total 35 29.0 percent 18 29.1 percent 7 13 37.1 percent
Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in South Dakota State Senate districts in 2016.
| South Dakota State Senate: 2016 Margin of Victory by District | ||
|---|---|---|
| District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory |
| District 1 | D | Unopposed |
| District 2 | R | Unopposed |
| District 3 | R | 22.4 percent |
| District 4 | R | 20.8 percent |
| District 5 | R | Unopposed |
| District 6 | R | 37.7 percent |
| District 7 | R | 31.7 percent |
| District 8 | R | 0.8 percent |
| District 9 | R | 30.8 percent |
| District 10 | R | 20.0 percent |
| District 11 | R | 21.6 percent |
| District 12 | R | 16.8 percent |
| District 13 | R | 21.7 percent |
| District 14 | R | 37.3 percent |
| District 15 | D | Unopposed |
| District 16 | R | 45.2 percent |
| District 17 | R | 11.8 percent |
| District 18 | D | Unopposed |
| District 19 | R | 56.4 percent |
| District 20 | R | 29.3 percent |
| District 21 | D | Unopposed |
| District 22 | R | 47.4 percent |
| District 23 | R | Unopposed |
| District 24 | R | Unopposed |
| District 25 | R | 25.6 percent |
| District 26 | D | Unopposed |
| District 27 | D | Unopposed |
| District 28 | R | Unopposed |
| District 29 | R | 30.1 percent |
| District 30 | R | 43.1 percent |
| District 31 | R | Unopposed |
| District 32 | R | 33.6 percent |
| District 33 | R | 23.2 percent |
| District 34 | R | 30.4 percent |
| District 35 | R | Unopposed |
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: South Dakota elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in South Dakota in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| January 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Candidate petition circulation period begins | |
| March 29, 2016 | Ballot access | Primary candidate filing deadline | |
| April 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Independent candidate filing deadline | |
| May 27, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-primary campaign finance report due | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| August 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-primary campaign finance report due for candidates who will not be on the ballot in the general election | |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-general campaign finance report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| February 6, 2017 | Campaign finance | 2016 year-end campaign finance report due | |
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Calendar," accessed August 7, 2015 | |||
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 15 (42.8%) of the 35 districts that were up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of six Democrats and nine Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 20 (57.1%) of the 35 districts up for election.
Primary challenges
A total of six incumbents, all Republican, faced primary competition on June 7. Fifteen incumbents did not seek re-election in 2016 and another 14 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The following incumbent was defeated in the primary election:
- District 30: Incumbent Bruce Rampelberg was defeated by state Rep. Lance Russell in the Republican primary.
Retired incumbents
Fifteen incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 20 (57.1%) of the current 35 incumbents ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, four Democrats and eleven Republicans, can be found above.
Impact of term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The South Dakota State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since South Dakota voters approved Ballot Issue A in 1992, an initiated constitutional amendment. This amendment became part of Section 6 of Article III of the South Dakota Constitution and limits the amount of time that a South Dakota State Senator can stay in office to no more than four consecutive two-year terms. Altogether, there are 35 South Dakota State Senators. In 2016, four of them who were current members, one Democrat and three Republicans, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
The state senators who were term-limited in 2016 were:
Democrats (1):
Republicans (3):
Results from 2014
There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.
Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.
| Overall Competitiveness | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Competitiveness Index | 36.2 | 35.8 | 31.4 |
| % Open Seats | 18.6% | 21.2% | 17.0% |
| % Incumbent with primary challenge | 22.7% | 24.6% | 20.1% |
| % Candidates with major party opposition | 67.3% | 61.7% | 57.0% |
The following table details South Dakota's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.
| South Dakota State Legislature 2014 Competitiveness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Open Seats | % Incumbent with primary challenge | % Candidates with major party opposition | Competitiveness Index | Overall rank |
| 30.5% | 23.3% | 40.95% | 31.58 | 17 |
Campaign contributions
The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State Senate in South Dakota in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State Senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[4]
| South Dakota State Senate Donations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates | Amount |
| 2014 | 65 | $983,000 |
| 2012 | 70 | $1,417,920 |
| 2010 | 65 | $1,090,194 |
| 2008 | 92 | $2,178,223 |
| 2006 | 89 | $1,804,821 |
State comparison
The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state senates. The average contributions raised by state senate candidates in 2014 was $148,144. South Dakota, at $15,123 per candidate, is ranked 38 of 42 for state senate chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s senate candidates in 2014.[4][5]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Dakota Senate, a candidate must be:[6]
- A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
- 21 years old at the filing deadline time
- A two-year resident of South Dakota at the filing deadline time
- May not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken "public moneys"
- A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:
- * A U.S. citizen
- * Reside in South Dakota
- * At least 18 years old old on or before the next election
- * Not serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
- * Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
- * Not have served 4 consecutive terms
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
- ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in South Dakota," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
- ↑ Qualifications for running for South Dakota Senate
