With Republican control of Legislature assured, Democrats target competitive districts

It’s no secret that Republicans will keep control of the South Dakota Legislature this election year. The questions heading into the Nov. 5 election are whether the results will widen the party’s internal fracturing and whether Democrats will improve their meager numbers.

All 105 seats in the Legislature are up for election, and Democrats currently hold only 11 of those positions. Republicans are already guaranteed a near majority in both the House and Senate next year, due to Democrats’ failure to field candidates in some districts.

“There’s 12 or 15 races that are going to basically shape what the composition of the Legislature in terms of partisan split will look like,” said House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre.

Of South Dakota’s 66 counties, those that include Native American reservations have the strongest share of Democratic voter registrations in the state. While nine of the 14 seats representing reservation lands have been won by Republicans in recent years, high turnout expected because of this year’s presidential race could change that.



https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/10/17/south-dakota-election-legislative-candidates-republican-democrat-senate-house-target-competitive-districts/