South Dakota's at-large congressional district Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

South Dakota's at-large congressional district

Representative

Dusty Johnson
R–Mitchell

Area

75,885 sq mi (196,540 km²)

Distribution

55.8% urban
44.2% rural

Population (2022)

909,824

Median income

$69,728

Ethnicity

79.6% White
2.0% Black
1.5% Asian
4.4% Hispanic
8.4% Native American
0.3% other
3.9% Multi

Cook PVI

R+16

South Dakota's at-large congressional district is the only district for the state of South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives. An "at-large" district means that the entire state is one big area represented by a single person in Congress. This district is the fourth largest in the United States based on its size.

Currently, Dusty Johnson represents South Dakota in this district.

How the District Started
Who Votes in South Dakota?
How South Dakota Votes in Presidential Elections
Important Elections
People Who Have Represented South Dakota
- 1889–1913: Two Representatives
- 1983–Present: One Representative
Images for kids
See also

How the District Started

South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. At that time, it had two representatives in the U.S. House. After the 1910 national count of people (census), South Dakota gained a third representative. The state then divided itself into three separate areas, or districts, each with its own representative.

Later, after the 1930 census, the third district was removed. This meant South Dakota went back to having two representatives. Then, after the 1980 census, the second representative was also removed. Since 1983, South Dakota has had only one "at-large" congressional district. This means the whole state votes for just one person to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Who Votes in South Dakota?

Here's a look at how people in South Dakota are registered to vote. This information is from November 8, 2022.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of November 8, 2022
Party		Total voters	Percentage
	Democratic	151,415	25.34%
	Republican	296,463	49.65%
	Libertarian	2,801	0.01%
	IND/NPA	145,004	24.29%
Total		597,069	100%

How South Dakota Votes in Presidential Elections

This table shows how South Dakota has voted in recent presidential elections. The results are for the entire state.

Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Bush 60% - Gore 38%
2004	President	Bush 60% - Kerry 38%
2008	President	McCain 53% - Obama 45%
2012	President	Romney 58% - Obama 40%
2016	President	Trump 62% - Clinton 32%
2020	President	Trump 62% - Biden 36%

Important Elections

Some elections for South Dakota's congressional district have been very important.

The 2004 Special Election

In 2004, the representative at the time, Bill Janklow, left his position. This meant a special election had to be held quickly to choose a new representative. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a Democrat, won this special election on June 1, 2004. She became the first Democrat to represent South Dakota in Congress in a long time.

The First Woman to Win a Full Term

After winning the special election, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin also won the regular election in November 2004. This made her the first woman in South Dakota's history to win a full term in the U.S. Congress. Both her special and general elections were very close. People across the country watched these elections closely.

Recent Elections

Since 2010, the Republican Party has won the elections for South Dakota's at-large congressional district.

In 2010, Kristi Noem won the election. She served as the representative until 2019.
In 2018, Dusty Johnson won the election. He has been re-elected in 2020 and 2022.

People Who Have Represented South Dakota

South Dakota has had different numbers of representatives over the years.

1889–1913: Two Representatives

When South Dakota became a state, it had two representatives. They were elected "at-large," meaning the whole state voted for both of them.

Years	Cong ress	Representative 1			Representative 2
Years	Cong ress	Name	Party	What happened	Name	Party	What happened
November 2, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	John Pickler (Faulkton)	Republican	Elected in 1889. Re-elected several times. Then retired.	Oscar S. Gifford (Canton)	Republican	Elected in 1889. Did not run again.
March 4, 1891 – August 14, 1891	52nd				John Rankin Gamble (Yankton)	Republican	Elected in 1890. Passed away while in office.
August 14, 1891 – December 7, 1891					Empty
December 7, 1891 – March 3, 1893					John L. Jolley (Vermillion)	Republican	Elected to finish Gamble's term. Then retired.
March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895	53rd				William V. Lucas (Hot Springs)	Republican	Elected in 1892. Did not run again.
March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th				Robert J. Gamble (Yankton)	Republican	Elected in 1894. Lost his re-election bid.
March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	John Edward Kelley (Flandreau)	Populist	Elected in 1896. Lost his re-election bid.	Freeman Knowles (Deadwood)	Populist	Elected in 1896. Lost his re-election bid.
March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901	56th	Charles H. Burke (Pierre)	Republican	Elected in 1898. Re-elected several times. Did not run again for this seat.	Robert J. Gamble (Yankton)	Republican	Elected in 1898. Ran for U.S. Senator instead.
March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1907		Charles H. Burke (Pierre)	Republican		Eben Martin (Deadwood)	Republican	Elected in 1900. Re-elected several times. Ran for U.S. Senator instead.
March 4, 1907 – June 26, 1908	60th	Philo Hall (Brookings)	Republican	Elected in 1906. Did not run again.	William H. Parker (Deadwood)	Republican	Elected in 1906. Passed away while in office.
June 26, 1908 – November 3, 1908					Empty
November 3, 1908 – March 3, 1909					Eben Martin (Deadwood)	Republican	Elected to finish Parker's term. Also elected for the next full term. Re-elected in 1910. Moved to a new district.
March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1913		Charles H. Burke (Pierre)	Republican	Elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Moved to a new district.

In 1913, South Dakota was divided into three separate districts. There were no "at-large" representatives until 1983.

1983–Present: One Representative

By 1983, South Dakota had only one representative left. This person represents the entire state as one "at-large" district.

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	What happened
Tom Daschle (Aberdeen)	Democratic	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987		Was already a representative. Re-elected in 1982 and 1984. Ran for U.S. Senator instead.
Tim Johnson (Vermillion)	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1997		Elected in 1986. Re-elected many times. Ran for U.S. Senator instead.
John Thune (Pierre)	Republican	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003		Elected in 1996. Re-elected several times. Ran for U.S. Senator instead.
Bill Janklow (Brandon)	Republican	January 3, 2003 – January 20, 2004	108th	Elected in 2002. Resigned due to legal issues.
Empty		January 20, 2004 – June 3, 2004	108th
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Brookings)	Democratic	June 3, 2004 – January 3, 2011		Elected to finish Janklow's term. Re-elected several times. Lost her re-election bid.
Kristi Noem (Castlewood)	Republican	January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019		Elected in 2010. Re-elected many times. Ran for Governor of South Dakota instead.
Dusty Johnson (Mitchell)	Republican	January 3, 2019 – present		Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020 and 2022.