If the South Dakota Democratic Party had candidates running for seats in 83% of South Dakota’s Legislative districts a couple weeks ago, several of those candidates must have changed their minds. As of this morning, the Secretary of State’s primary candidate website shows only 41 Democrats running for House or Senate seats in 26 districts. That’s 74% of the 35 districts into which South Dakota is gerrymandered.
If today’s figures hold, the South Dakota Democratic Party may claim progress over 2024, when Democrats appeared on the general election ballot for Legislative seats in 25 districts, 71% of the 35.
But by seat count, Democrats have retreated. Democrats have fielded full slates of candidates—at least one for Senate and two for House—in only four Districts: 10, 15, 18, and 26.
Democratic candidates are contending for 10 Senate seats, down from 16 in 2024. That’s only 29% of the Senate’s 35 seats. If every Democratic Senate candidate wins, Democrats would still not have enough votes to block spending bills or emergency clauses, which require two-thirds support.
Democratic candidates have filed for 30 seats in the House, down from 31 in 2024. That’s 43% of the House’s 70 seats, enough if all of them won to block measures requiring a two-thirds vote, but still six seats shy of a majority.
Petitions were due in the Secretary of State’s office by 5 p.m. Central Tuesday, March 31. The Secretary of State may still be processing some petitions and waiting for petitions that were sent by registered mail before the deadline. But as of this morning, it appears the South Dakota Democratic Party is once again conceding control of the Legislature to Republicans before any votes are cast.
Democrats last had a mathematical chance of blocking Republican control of a chamber in 2022, when the SDDP managed to put 35 House candidates on the general election ballot. Democrats ran for and 43 House seats in 2020. In 2018, 32 Democrats ran for Senate and 65 ran for House. It has thus been eight years since Democrats fielded enough candidates to have a shot at majorities in both chambers.
Democrats have one Senate primary, in District 26, where Troy “Luke” Linderman is trying to prevent Shawn Bordeaux’s bid to return to Pierre. Democrats have no House primaries.
Republicans are leaving only one Senate seat uncontested, in District 15. They have 59 Senate candidates, triggering Senate primaries in 24 districts.
Republicans have filed to run for all but four House seats, leaving one freebie for Dems in District 15, another in District 32, and both seats unchallenged in District 27… but Democrats have only one House candidate in District 32, and so far, the SOS has certified no Democratic petitions for District 27 House. The GOP has 108 House candidates, sparking primaries in 26 districts.
Less Democrats more Rinos. Same old, same old. Six of one sort of thing.
Convince either Brian Bengs or Julian Beaudion to drop out.
It would be a blast to see giant Brian Bengs standing next to short guy Earth hater, Reich Mike Rounds.