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United States · Election results history · 1972 governors · South Dakota
Election 1972 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.

1972 South Dakota governor election

Richard F. Kneip (Democrat) beat Carveth Thompson (Republican) in South Dakota in 1972, 60.0% to 40.0%, a margin of 20.1 points and 61,847 votes.

The Democratic hold continued from 1970, when Richard F. Kneip also won.

Democrats led in 59 of the 67 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 8. The largest, Minnehaha, cast 44,605 votes and went to the Democrat by 18.3 points. The closest was Corson, where 18 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
Richard F. Kneip won Democratic 185,012 60.0%
Carveth Thompson Republican 123,165 40.0%
Total308,177

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Minnehaha 26,390 59.2% 18,215 40.8% 44,605 D+18.3
Pennington 14,027 61.6% 8,734 38.4% 22,761 D+23.3
Brown 10,118 60.6% 6,586 39.4% 16,704 D+21.1
Beadle 6,040 59.6% 4,096 40.4% 10,136 D+19.2
Brookings 6,917 69.5% 3,035 30.5% 9,952 D+39.0
Codington 6,109 63.6% 3,502 36.4% 9,611 D+27.1
Davison 5,337 63.0% 3,135 37.0% 8,472 D+26.0
Yankton 5,216 63.5% 3,002 36.5% 8,218 D+26.9
Lawrence 3,912 52.7% 3,506 47.3% 7,418 D+5.5
Hughes 3,521 55.8% 2,794 44.2% 6,315 D+11.5
Lincoln 3,258 55.7% 2,589 44.3% 5,847 D+11.4
Lake 3,899 67.3% 1,897 32.7% 5,796 D+34.5
Hutchinson 2,860 53.1% 2,531 46.9% 5,391 D+6.1
Clay 3,674 68.3% 1,703 31.7% 5,377 D+36.7
Meade 3,087 59.5% 2,102 40.5% 5,189 D+19.0
Roberts 3,499 67.7% 1,671 32.3% 5,170 D+35.4
Turner 2,617 52.8% 2,337 47.2% 4,954 D+5.7
Spink 3,068 63.0% 1,798 37.0% 4,866 D+26.1
Union 2,902 60.4% 1,901 39.6% 4,803 D+20.8
Charles Mix 3,228 68.3% 1,501 31.7% 4,729 D+36.5
Day 3,110 65.9% 1,606 34.1% 4,716 D+31.9
Bon Homme 2,797 62.4% 1,684 37.6% 4,481 D+24.8
Grant 2,716 61.2% 1,724 38.8% 4,440 D+22.3
Tripp 2,355 56.4% 1,818 43.6% 4,173 D+12.9
McCook 2,589 65.0% 1,393 35.0% 3,982 D+30.0
Kingsbury 2,304 58.2% 1,656 41.8% 3,960 D+16.4
Walworth 1,783 47.8% 1,945 52.2% 3,728 R+4.3
Butte 1,794 49.7% 1,814 50.3% 3,608 R+0.6
Moody 2,400 67.2% 1,170 32.8% 3,570 D+34.5
Fall River 1,738 49.7% 1,757 50.3% 3,495 R+0.5
Gregory 2,030 62.7% 1,207 37.3% 3,237 D+25.4
Edmunds 1,966 61.1% 1,254 38.9% 3,220 D+22.1
Hand 1,868 59.3% 1,283 40.7% 3,151 D+18.6
Marshall 1,915 61.4% 1,206 38.6% 3,121 D+22.7
Brule 2,007 64.4% 1,109 35.6% 3,116 D+28.8
Clark 1,817 59.8% 1,220 40.2% 3,037 D+19.7
Hamlin 1,790 60.1% 1,190 39.9% 2,980 D+20.1
Deuel 1,849 67.9% 876 32.1% 2,725 D+35.7
Perkins 1,139 43.9% 1,454 56.1% 2,593 R+12.1
McPherson 860 33.5% 1,705 66.5% 2,565 R+32.9
Miner 1,641 67.1% 804 32.9% 2,445 D+34.2
Aurora 1,583 67.0% 779 33.0% 2,362 D+34.0
Douglas 1,186 50.6% 1,157 49.4% 2,343 D+1.2
Custer 1,247 54.3% 1,049 45.7% 2,296 D+8.6
Potter 1,221 54.1% 1,037 45.9% 2,258 D+8.1
Sanborn 1,292 60.0% 860 40.0% 2,152 D+20.1
Faulk 1,242 61.6% 774 38.4% 2,016 D+23.2
Lyman 1,124 57.2% 842 42.8% 1,966 D+14.3
Hanson 1,250 65.2% 666 34.8% 1,916 D+30.5
Jerauld 1,088 59.9% 728 40.1% 1,816 D+19.8
Corson 870 49.5% 888 50.5% 1,758 R+1.0
Todd 1,122 65.4% 593 34.6% 1,715 D+30.8
Dewey 914 53.7% 787 46.3% 1,701 D+7.5
Shannon 1,216 79.3% 318 20.7% 1,534 D+58.5
Campbell 531 35.7% 957 64.3% 1,488 R+28.6
Haakon 786 55.5% 631 44.5% 1,417 D+10.9
Hyde 813 60.0% 541 40.0% 1,354 D+20.1
Stanley 775 60.0% 517 40.0% 1,292 D+20.0
Bennett 698 54.2% 591 45.8% 1,289 D+8.3
Sully 676 56.7% 516 43.3% 1,192 D+13.4
Mellette 591 55.3% 478 44.7% 1,069 D+10.6
Jones 635 62.8% 376 37.2% 1,011 D+25.6
Harding 413 45.8% 488 54.2% 901 R+8.3
Ziebach 549 62.7% 326 37.3% 875 D+25.5
Jackson 444 51.7% 414 48.3% 858 D+3.5
Buffalo 332 66.5% 167 33.5% 499 D+33.1
Washabaugh (Ext) 267 60.4% 175 39.6% 442 D+20.8

Counties as they stood in 1972; 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