John E. Olson, Gubernatorial candidate

John E. Olson

Gubernatorial candidate
Home state
South Dakota
Party
Republican
On the ballot
1974

Photo: Shiftb, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

0-1
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Olson129,077
Opponents149,151
1
Elections run

John E. Olson, a Republican politician from South Dakota, ran once for U.S. office, losing the 1974 governor election in South Dakota to Richard F. Kneip, receiving 129,077 votes (46.4%).

Browse every governor election in South Dakota or all 1974 governor races.

How many votes has John E. Olson received?

John E. Olson has received 129,077 popular votes across 1 U.S. election, with a career record of 0–1.

Election history

John E. Olson’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1974GovernorSouth DakotaLost129,07746.4%Richard F. Kneip
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “John E. Olson: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/john-e-olson. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.