PolitiFinder

1974 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 1974 Governor race

Who won the 1974 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election?

Richard F. Kneip won the 1974 South Dakota Gubernatorial Election. Richard F. Kneip received 149,151 popular votes (53.6%). The main challenger was John E. Olson (46.4%).

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

Kneip +7.2 pts · won by 20,074 votes
Richard F. KneipDemocraticWINNER53.6%
149,151 votes
John E. OlsonRepublican46.4%
129,077 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.