Polling for South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy, Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy finds that likely South Dakota voters who recognize that Donald Trump has hurt the state’s economy outnumber the MAGAts clinging to the fantasy that Trump is helping anyone but himself by more than two to one:
Mason-Dixon finds Trump’s approval in South Dakota evenly split, 49–49, with stronger disapproval among voters under 35 and over 64. Northern State University political scientist Dr. Jon Schaff expresses his interest in that phenomenon:
Schaff said that while Trump still maintains relatively even approval and disapproval ratings in the state and strong favorability among Republicans, the precedent of previous elections means those numbers could – and maybe should – be higher.
“In the more rural parts, even if you look at the west river numbers, Trump is kind of underwater in the state. If he’s at 50/50, that’s not great in a state as red as South Dakota, a very pro-Trump state,” Schaff said.
“The farmers are very angry at Donald Trump. These farmers are Donald Trump fans. They voted for Donald Trump, and they are mad at Donald Trump. When he talked about importing Argentinian beef, they were mad about that. I think the fact that he’s losing the support of rural voters in South Dakota is itself interesting” [Wetsch and DeCock, 2026.10.28].
I hear in Schaff’s comment a shade of the broader thesis signaled by Trump-trash hawkers and buyers, that Trump’s time has passed:
When the Trump merchandise store here announced it was closing earlier this year, Wes Alker, a Trump superfan and retired auto mechanic, came by for some nostalgia and the going-out-of-business deals. They included everything from “Trump Won” caps for $9.99 to Trump pool floats for $19.99.
Trump stores first emerged during the 2016 campaign. But with the president now in his second and final term, store owners say there isn’t as much to fire up the consumer fan base and sales have softened.
At least four stores have closed this year. The MAGA Mall, a big online retailer and wholesaler, reports sales of MAGA gear are down 30% compared to a presidential election year when Trump is on the ballot.
“He’s no longer a viable business model for entrepreneurs because he has peaked,” said Alker… [Frank Langfritt, “Trump Merchandise Stores Are Closing: ‘He Has Peaked’,” NPR: All Things Considered, 2026.10.22].
Trump as a business model is sinking, and he’s taking South Dakota’s businesses down with him. South Dakota voters recognize that Trump is bad for business, yet they aren’t flocking to candidates like Nikki Gronli who’ve been stating that fact all through this election season. What’s it going to take to get South Dakotans to stop marking R, a full-tilt Depression?
Take off your (discounted, made-in-China) red hats, South Dakota, and align your votes with your recognition that Trump and his Republican facilitators on your ballot have made the economy worse for South Dakota.