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1956 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 1956 Governor race

Who won the 1956 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election?

Joe Foss won the 1956 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election. Joe Foss received 158,819 popular votes (54.39%). The main challenger was Ralph Herseth (45.61%).

See the full head-to-head between Foss and Herseth

Foss +8.8 pts · won by 25,621 votes
Joe FossRepublicanWINNER54.39%
158,819 votes
Ralph HersethDemocratic45.61%
133,198 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.