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United States · Election results history · 1956 governors · South Dakota
Election 1956 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1956 South Dakota governor election

Joe Foss (Republican) beat Ralph Herseth (Democrat) in South Dakota in 1956, 54.4% to 45.6%, a margin of 8.8 points and 25,621 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 1954, when Joe Foss also won.

Republicans led in 52 of the 67 counties as they stood then and Democrats in 15. The largest, Minnehaha, cast 35,093 votes and went to the Republican by 0.6 points. The closest was Hanson, where 4 votes separated the two parties.

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Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Governor

CandidatePartyVotesShare
Joe Foss won Republican 158,819 54.4%
Ralph Herseth Democratic 133,198 45.6%
Total292,017

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Minnehaha 17,446 49.7% 17,647 50.3% 35,093 R+0.6
Pennington 5,840 36.1% 10,355 63.9% 16,195 R+27.9
Brown 8,348 54.5% 6,967 45.5% 15,315 D+9.0
Beadle 4,470 45.9% 5,260 54.1% 9,730 R+8.1
Codington 3,620 41.0% 5,203 59.0% 8,823 R+17.9
Brookings 3,305 42.0% 4,573 58.0% 7,878 R+16.1
Davison 3,601 45.8% 4,258 54.2% 7,859 R+8.4
Yankton 3,343 47.7% 3,659 52.3% 7,002 R+4.5
Lawrence 2,268 34.7% 4,275 65.3% 6,543 R+30.7
Roberts 3,184 52.4% 2,889 47.6% 6,073 D+4.9
Lincoln 2,631 45.2% 3,190 54.8% 5,821 R+9.6
Turner 2,672 46.4% 3,089 53.6% 5,761 R+7.2
Day 2,931 52.6% 2,642 47.4% 5,573 D+5.2
Spink 2,737 49.6% 2,776 50.4% 5,513 R+0.7
Lake 2,418 44.8% 2,976 55.2% 5,394 R+10.3
Charles Mix 3,096 58.5% 2,196 41.5% 5,292 D+17.0
Hutchinson 1,755 33.3% 3,515 66.7% 5,270 R+33.4
Union 2,238 46.3% 2,594 53.7% 4,832 R+7.4
Bon Homme 2,332 49.0% 2,431 51.0% 4,763 R+2.1
Grant 2,465 51.9% 2,285 48.1% 4,750 D+3.8
Hughes 1,675 36.4% 2,923 63.6% 4,598 R+27.1
Kingsbury 1,851 41.1% 2,649 58.9% 4,500 R+17.7
Clay 1,968 43.8% 2,521 56.2% 4,489 R+12.3
McCook 2,163 52.7% 1,943 47.3% 4,106 D+5.4
Moody 2,375 60.6% 1,541 39.4% 3,916 D+21.3
Tripp 1,899 48.9% 1,987 51.1% 3,886 R+2.3
Meade 1,371 35.9% 2,447 64.1% 3,818 R+28.2
Clark 1,566 42.1% 2,155 57.9% 3,721 R+15.8
Gregory 1,776 47.8% 1,943 52.2% 3,719 R+4.5
Fall River 1,415 39.5% 2,167 60.5% 3,582 R+21.0
Walworth 1,356 38.9% 2,132 61.1% 3,488 R+22.2
Hamlin 1,406 41.6% 1,973 58.4% 3,379 R+16.8
Butte 1,117 33.8% 2,189 66.2% 3,306 R+32.4
Hand 1,458 44.4% 1,824 55.6% 3,282 R+11.2
Marshall 1,697 52.2% 1,555 47.8% 3,252 D+4.4
Edmunds 1,646 50.8% 1,593 49.2% 3,239 D+1.6
Brule 1,893 58.8% 1,327 41.2% 3,220 D+17.6
Deuel 1,489 49.7% 1,505 50.3% 2,994 R+0.5
Miner 1,615 54.8% 1,332 45.2% 2,947 D+9.6
Perkins 1,235 42.2% 1,691 57.8% 2,926 R+15.6
McPherson 670 23.6% 2,170 76.4% 2,840 R+52.8
Sanborn 1,199 46.3% 1,393 53.7% 2,592 R+7.5
Douglas 851 33.9% 1,660 66.1% 2,511 R+32.2
Corson 1,149 46.0% 1,347 54.0% 2,496 R+7.9
Faulk 1,081 44.4% 1,351 55.6% 2,432 R+11.1
Aurora 1,429 59.0% 994 41.0% 2,423 D+18.0
Custer 902 38.2% 1,458 61.8% 2,360 R+23.6
Potter 823 36.2% 1,450 63.8% 2,273 R+27.6
Hanson 1,108 49.9% 1,112 50.1% 2,220 R+0.2
Jerauld 957 44.5% 1,195 55.5% 2,152 R+11.1
Dewey 863 41.6% 1,214 58.4% 2,077 R+16.9
Lyman 800 40.2% 1,191 59.8% 1,991 R+19.6
Todd 735 47.3% 820 52.7% 1,555 R+5.5
Campbell 243 15.6% 1,310 84.4% 1,553 R+68.7
Shannon 820 53.4% 716 46.6% 1,536 D+6.8
Haakon 726 47.4% 805 52.6% 1,531 R+5.2
Bennett 665 46.1% 776 53.9% 1,441 R+7.7
Hyde 585 42.4% 795 57.6% 1,380 R+15.2
Sully 508 39.6% 774 60.4% 1,282 R+20.7
Stanley 615 51.0% 590 49.0% 1,205 D+2.1
Mellette 533 45.9% 627 54.1% 1,160 R+8.1
Ziebach 466 42.9% 619 57.1% 1,085 R+14.1
Jones 555 51.4% 525 48.6% 1,080 D+2.8
Harding 322 31.0% 718 69.0% 1,040 R+38.1
Jackson 431 48.5% 458 51.5% 889 R+3.0
Buffalo 298 48.2% 320 51.8% 618 R+3.6
Washabaugh (Ext) 193 43.2% 254 56.8% 447 R+13.6

Counties as they stood in 1956; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

South Dakota governor elections we hold

YearWinnerMargin
2022 Kristi Noem (R) R+26.8
2018 Kristi Noem (R) R+3.4
2014 Dennis Daugaard (R) R+45.0
2010 Dennis Daugaard (R) R+23.0
2006 Mike Rounds (R) R+25.6
2002 Mike Rounds (R) R+14.8
1998 William J. Janklow (R) R+31.2
1994 William J. Janklow (R) R+14.8
1990 George S. Mickelson (R) R+17.8
1986 George S. Mickelson (R) R+3.6
1982 William J. Janklow (R) R+41.7
1978 William J. Janklow (R) R+13.3
1974 Richard F. Kneip (D) D+7.2
1972 Richard F. Kneip (D) D+20.1
1970 Richard F. Kneip (D) D+9.7
1968 Frank Farrar (R) R+15.3
1966 Nils Boe (R) R+15.4
1964 Nils A. Boe (R) R+3.3
1962 Archie M. Gubbrud (R) R+12.2
1960 Archie M. Gubbrud (R) R+1.5
1958 Ralph Herseth (D) D+2.8
1956 Joe Foss (R) R+8.8
1954 Joe Foss (R) R+13.3
1952 Sigurd Anderson (R) R+40.3
1950 Sigurd Anderson (R) R+21.8
1948 George T. Mickelson (R) R+22.2
1946 George T. Mickelson (R) R+34.3
1944 Merrell Q. Sharpe (R) R+31.0
1942 Merrell Q. Sharpe (R) R+23.0
1940 Harlan J. Bushfield (R) R+10.3
1938 Harlan J. Bushfield (R) R+7.9
1936 Leslie Jensen (R) R+3.2
1934 Tom Berry (D) D+17.9
1932 Tom Berry (D) D+13.2
1930 Warren E. Green (R) R+6.7
1928 William J. Bulow (D) D+5.5
1926 William J. Bulow (D) D+7.1
1924 Carl Gunderson (R) R+31.0
1922 William H. McMaster (R) R+16.3
1920 William H. McMaster (R) R+39.0
1918 Peter Norbeck (R) R+34.6
1916 Peter Norbeck (R) R+17.3
1914 Frank M. Byrne (R) R+14.9
1912 Frank M. Byrne (R) R+2.8
1910 Robert S. Vessey (R) R+22.5
1908 Robert S. Vessey (R) R+15.9
1906 Coe I. Crawford (R) R+38.6
1904 Samuel H. Elrod (R) R+43.6
1902 Charles N. Herreid (R) R+36.0
1900 Charles N. Herreid (R) R+14.4
1898 Andrew E. Lee (other)
1896 Andrew E. Lee (other)
1894 Charles H. Sheldon (R) R+41.2
1892 Charles H. Sheldon (R) R+26.9
1890 Arthur C. Mellette (R) R+20.6
1889 Arthur C. Mellette (R) R+38.7