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United States · Election results history · 2002 governors · South Dakota
Election 2002 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.

2002 South Dakota governor election

Mike Rounds (Republican) beat Jim Abbott (Democrat) in South Dakota in 2002, 56.8% to 41.9%, a margin of 14.8 points and 49,657 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 1998, when William J. Janklow won.

Republicans led in 55 of the 66 counties and Democrats in 11. The largest, Minnehaha, cast 65,233 votes and went to the Republican by 11.2 points. The closest was Aurora, where 24 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
Mike Rounds won Republican 189,920 56.8%
Jim Abbott Democratic 140,263 41.9%
All other candidates 4,376 1.3%
Total334,559

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Minnehaha 28,617 43.9% 35,923 55.1% 693 65,233 R+11.2
Pennington 13,672 38.1% 21,634 60.4% 538 35,844 R+22.2
Brown 7,520 44.0% 9,398 54.9% 189 17,107 R+11.0
Lincoln 4,856 38.9% 7,529 60.3% 91 12,476 R+21.4
Brookings 4,859 42.6% 6,409 56.2% 136 11,404 R+13.6
Codington 4,692 41.5% 6,519 57.7% 91 11,302 R+16.2
Lawrence 3,731 38.5% 5,747 59.3% 214 9,692 R+20.8
Yankton 4,768 51.7% 4,334 47.0% 115 9,217 D+4.7
Meade 3,045 33.8% 5,816 64.6% 149 9,010 R+30.8
Hughes 2,190 26.2% 6,144 73.4% 38 8,372 R+47.2
Beadle 2,946 37.3% 4,876 61.8% 68 7,890 R+24.5
Davison 3,187 40.4% 4,616 58.5% 81 7,884 R+18.1
Lake 2,529 46.1% 2,897 52.9% 55 5,481 R+6.7
Union 2,358 44.9% 2,795 53.2% 100 5,253 R+8.3
Clay 3,135 59.8% 2,014 38.4% 90 5,239 D+21.4
Roberts 2,379 54.5% 1,919 44.0% 67 4,365 D+10.5
Turner 1,801 42.1% 2,433 56.9% 40 4,274 R+14.8
Charles Mix 1,880 44.2% 2,345 55.1% 28 4,253 R+10.9
Grant 1,762 45.8% 2,019 52.5% 66 3,847 R+6.7
Hutchinson 1,303 34.6% 2,435 64.7% 28 3,766 R+30.1
Spink 1,543 42.9% 2,036 56.6% 20 3,599 R+13.7
Custer 1,162 32.3% 2,339 65.1% 92 3,593 R+32.8
Butte 1,248 34.9% 2,257 63.2% 67 3,572 R+28.2
Day 1,772 52.8% 1,551 46.2% 31 3,354 D+6.6
Bon Homme 1,511 46.9% 1,665 51.7% 44 3,220 R+4.8
Fall River 1,150 36.6% 1,852 59.0% 136 3,138 R+22.4
Moody 1,325 43.6% 1,678 55.2% 35 3,038 R+11.6
Tripp 1,082 36.0% 1,903 63.2% 24 3,009 R+27.3
Kingsbury 1,037 35.1% 1,876 63.6% 39 2,952 R+28.4
Oglala Lakota 2,535 86.0% 256 8.7% 155 2,946 D+77.4
McCook 1,326 45.1% 1,586 53.9% 29 2,941 R+8.8
Hamlin 1,035 36.1% 1,798 62.7% 34 2,867 R+26.6
Walworth 873 32.5% 1,783 66.3% 33 2,689 R+33.8
Brule 997 40.3% 1,463 59.1% 16 2,476 R+18.8
Todd 1,825 75.6% 533 22.1% 57 2,415 D+53.5
Gregory 884 37.6% 1,448 61.5% 22 2,354 R+24.0
Hand 974 41.6% 1,348 57.6% 18 2,340 R+16.0
Dewey 1,380 61.4% 812 36.1% 55 2,247 D+25.3
Clark 879 39.7% 1,318 59.5% 18 2,215 R+19.8
Edmunds 758 34.4% 1,416 64.3% 27 2,201 R+29.9
Deuel 1,036 47.4% 1,122 51.3% 28 2,186 R+3.9
Marshall 1,052 49.0% 1,083 50.5% 11 2,146 R+1.4
Lyman 837 42.9% 1,103 56.5% 13 1,953 R+13.6
Douglas 463 25.0% 1,372 74.2% 14 1,849 R+49.2
Hanson 612 33.3% 1,198 65.2% 28 1,838 R+31.9
Potter 452 28.4% 1,125 70.7% 15 1,592 R+42.3
McPherson 345 21.9% 1,212 76.8% 21 1,578 R+54.9
Perkins 455 28.8% 1,069 67.7% 54 1,578 R+38.9
Aurora 767 48.6% 791 50.2% 19 1,577 R+1.5
Corson 819 53.6% 653 42.8% 55 1,527 D+10.9
Bennett 789 52.4% 670 44.5% 47 1,506 D+7.9
Stanley 503 33.9% 974 65.6% 7 1,484 R+31.7
Sanborn 671 47.6% 724 51.3% 16 1,411 R+3.8
Miner 636 45.1% 756 53.7% 17 1,409 R+8.5
Faulk 443 32.6% 903 66.5% 11 1,357 R+33.9
Jerauld 577 45.9% 651 51.8% 29 1,257 R+5.9
Haakon 302 24.9% 900 74.1% 12 1,214 R+49.3
Jackson 429 38.0% 667 59.0% 34 1,130 R+21.1
Campbell 247 25.6% 707 73.3% 11 965 R+47.7
Sully 263 27.8% 676 71.5% 7 946 R+43.7
Ziebach 522 55.2% 392 41.5% 31 945 D+13.8
Hyde 280 30.9% 618 68.3% 7 905 R+37.3
Mellette 359 41.9% 469 54.7% 29 857 R+12.8
Harding 122 15.6% 651 83.1% 10 783 R+67.6
Buffalo 583 75.3% 177 22.9% 14 774 D+52.5
Jones 173 24.1% 537 74.9% 7 717 R+50.8

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