South Dakota presidential election results
Recent lean
Republicanin every election since 1976
Bellwether record
7 of 1354% backed the eventual winner
Party flips
0never flipped since 1976
Won by
R 13 · D 0since 1976
In the 13 presidential elections since 1976, South Dakota has gone Republican 13 times and Democratic 0 times. It has voted Republican in every election in this span. South Dakota sided with the candidate who won the White House 7 of 13 times (54%).
| Year | Won the state | Runner-up | Margin | Picked the winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Donald Trump R 63.4% | Kamala Harris D 34.2% | +29.2 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 2020 | Donald Trump R 61.8% | Joe Biden D 35.6% | +26.2 pts | No |
| 2016 | Donald Trump R 61.5% | Hillary Clinton D 31.7% also Gary Johnson L 5.6% | +29.8 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney R 57.9% | Barack Obama D 39.9% | +18.0 pts | No |
| 2008 | John McCain R 53.2% | Barack Obama D 44.8% | +8.4 pts | No |
| 2004 | George W. Bush R 59.9% | John Kerry D 38.4% | +21.5 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 2000 | George W. Bush R 60.3% | Al Gore D 37.6% | +22.7 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 1996 | Bob Dole R 46.5% | Bill Clinton D 43.0% | +3.5 pts | No |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush R 40.7% | Bill Clinton D 37.1% | +3.5 pts | No |
| 1988 | George H. W. Bush R 52.9% | Michael Dukakis D 46.5% | +6.3 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan R 63.0% | Walter Mondale D 36.5% | +26.5 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan R 60.5% | Jimmy Carter D 31.7% | +28.8 pts | ✓ Yes |
| 1976 | Gerald Ford R 50.4% | Jimmy Carter D 48.9% | +1.5 pts | No |
How this page is measured
“Recent lean” is the party South Dakota has carried in every presidential election back to 1976. “Bellwether record” counts how often the state's winner went on to win the presidency. “Party flips” counts how many times the winning party changed from one election to the next, 1976–2024. State-level popular vote shown; the national popular and electoral totals for each race are on its election page.