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1972 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 1972 Governor race

Who won the 1972 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election?

Richard F. Kneip won the 1972 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election. Richard F. Kneip received 185,012 popular votes (60%). The main challenger was Carveth Thompson (40%).

See the full head-to-head between Kneip and Thompson

Kneip +20.0 pts · won by 61,847 votes
Richard F. KneipDemocraticWINNER60%
185,012 votes
Carveth ThompsonRepublican40%
123,165 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.