Government of South Dakota
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This article is about the government and politics of the U.S. state of South Dakota
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[edit] Law and government
The state of South Dakota has three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
The current governor is M. Michael Rounds, a Republican from Pierre.
The South Dakota State Legislature is made up of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Currently, there are 35 members of the state Senate and 70 members of the House of Representatives. The state is composed of 35 legislative districts. Voters elect one senator and two representatives from each district. The legislature meets once a year on the second Tuesday in January, and also if the governor calls a special session. The Republican Party currently holds majorities in both houses of the South Dakota Legislature. Currently, the Senate consisted of 20 Republicans and 15 Democrats,[1] while the House of Representatives is made up of 50 Republicans and 20 Democrats.[2]
The state Supreme Court is the highest court in South Dakota and the court of last resort for state appellate actions. The chief justice and four justices comprise the South Dakota Supreme Court. South Dakota is divided into seven judicial circuits. There are 39 circuit judges serving in the seven circuits. Circuit courts are the state's trial courts of general jurisdiction. There are 12 full-time and three part-time magistrate judges in the seven circuits. Magistrate courts assist the circuit courts in disposing of misdemeanor criminal cases and minor civil actions. These courts of limited jurisdiction make the judicial system more accessible to the public by providing a means of direct court contact for the average citizen.
South Dakota is represented at the federal level by Senator Tim Johnson, Senator John Thune, and Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
[edit] Politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 59.91% 232,584 | 38.44% 149,244 |
| 2000 | 60.3% 190,700 | 37.56% 118,804 |
| 1996 | 46.49% 150,543 | 43.03% 139,333 |
| 1992 | 40.66% 136,718 | 37.14% 124,888 |
| 1988 | 52.85% 165,415 | 46.51% 145,560 |
| 1984 | 63.0% 200,267 | 36.53% 116,113 |
| 1980 | 60.53% 198,343 | 31.69% 103,855 |
| 1976 | 50.39% 151,505 | 48.91% 147,068 |
| 1972 | 54.15% 166,467 | 45.52% 139,945 |
| 1968 | 53.27% 149,841 | 41.96% 118,023 |
| 1964 | 44.39% 130,108 | 55.61% 163,010 |
| 1960 | 58.21% 178,417 | 41.79% 128,070 |
South Dakota politics are generally dominated by the Republican Party, and the state has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 — especially notable when one considers that George McGovern, the Democratic nominee in 1972, was from South Dakota.[3][4] In 2004, George W. Bush won the state's three electoral votes with 59.9% of the vote.
There are only five reliably Democratic counties in the state — most of them with primarily American Indian populations. Republicans have won the last seven gubernatorial elections and have controlled the legislature, with one brief interruption, for over thirty years. Democrats, however, have been successful in winning election to Congress from South Dakota, including former Senators Tom Daschle, James Abourezk and George McGovern; current Senator Tim Johnson; and current Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
While President Bush received a lower vote percentage in 2004 than he did in 2000, he still received a very strong 60% of the popular vote. Part of the deviation had to do with record turnout driven by the intense Senate campaigns that year. Republicans hold a 10% registration advantage over Democrats and hold large majorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate.[5][1][2] Additionally, all but one of the statewide elected officers are Republicans.
In the more than a quarter century between 1979 and 2005, two politicians, one a Republican and one a Democrat, dominated South Dakota politics. Republican Governor Bill Janklow served four terms as governor 1979-1987 and then from 1995 to 2003 followed by a brief partial term as a United States Representative 2003-2004. Janklow's career was ended by a motor vehicle manslaughter conviction causing his resignation from Congress. Democrat Tom Daschle was also a dominant figure in South Dakota politics, serving in Congress, 1979-2005. He first served eight years in the United States House of Representatives and then eighteen years in the United States Senate after his senate election in 1986. Over a period of ten years, he served both as minority leader and majority leader in the Senate. In 2004, he lost his Senate seat to a Republican, former United States Representative John Thune, who narrowly defeated Daschle by a 51%-49% margin. Daschle became the first Senate party leader in 52 years to lose re-election to his own Senate seat.
South Dakota has a history of replacing powerful members of the Senate. Former Commerce Committee Chairmam Larry Pressler lost to Congressman Tim Johnson in 1996, and 1972 Democratic Presidential nominee George McGovern was defeated by Congressman James Abdnor in 1980. Abdnor was, in turn, defeated by Daschle in 1986.
[edit] South Dakota Political Geography
The Missouri River, bisects the state. The area east of the Missouri River (or "East River"), is generally more moderate, with views that are more in line with those found in its Midwestern neighbors, Iowa and Minnesota. "West River" is more conservative, with views that are generally more in line with those found in its western neighbors, Montana and Wyoming. Large exceptions exist to the East River-West River political generalizations, however. The strongest Democratic counties in the state are West River. These counties are located within Indian Reservations. The strongest Republican counties are located East River. These counties were primarily settled by Protestant Germans from Russia, and be they Mennonite, Lutheran, Baptist or Reformed, they vote overwhelmingly Republican. A large part of the western half of East River responds politically in the same fashion as West River. Many observers think that the James River Valley really is the political dividing line between East River political thought and West River political thought.
[edit] 2006 Elections
In the 2006 midterm elections, little change occurred in South Dakota in statewide elections. The Republicans defeated the sole Democrat state officeholder previously elected statewide, but lost another statewide elected office to the Democrats. Otherwise all federal and state office holders were comfortably re-elected. The Democrats made a significant gain in the state senate narrowing the Republican margin from 25-10 to 20-15, costing the Republican legislative leadership its two thirds majority in both houses of the legislature.
By referendum, the electorate rejected an abortion ban approved by the state legislature. 56% of the electorate voted to overturn the law, generally considered a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. Additionally, the electorate rejected a proposed law permitting the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and narrowly approved a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The prevailing side received a 52%-48% margin in both cases.
[edit] 2008 Election Outlook
Senator Tim Johnson suffered a stroke in December 2006. His present term expires in January 2009, and although his staff has announced that he is a candidate for re-election in 2008, he has not resumed his duties except in an extremely limited fashion. The leading candidates to replace Johnson would be Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Governor Mike Rounds.
[edit] U.S. Senators
| Senator | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Johnson | 1997 | present | Democrat |
| Larry Pressler | 1979 | 1997 | Republican |
| James Abourezk | 1973 | 1979 | Democrat |
| Karl E. Mundt | 1948 | 1973 | Republican |
| Vera C. Bushfield | 1948 | 1948 | Republican |
| Harlan J. Bushfield | 1943 | 1948 | Republican |
| William J. Bulow | 1931 | 1943 | Democrat |
| William H. McMaster | 1925 | 1931 | Republican |
| Thomas Sterling | 1913 | 1925 | Republican |
| Robert J. Gamble | 1901 | 1913 | Republican |
| Richard F. Pettigrew | 1889 | 1901 | Republican |
| Senator | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Thune | 2005 | present | Republican |
| Tom Daschle | 1987 | 2005 | Democrat |
| James Abdnor | 1981 | 1987 | Republican |
| George McGovern | 1963 | 1981 | Democrat |
| Joseph H. Bottum | 1962 | 1963 | Republican |
| Francis H. Case | 1951 | 1962 | Republican |
| J. Chandler Gurney | 1939 | 1951 | Republican |
| Gladys Pyle | 1938 | 1939 | Republican |
| Herbert E. Hitchcock | 1936 | 1938 | Democrat |
| Peter Norbeck | 1921 | 1936 | Republican |
| Edwin S. Johnson | 1915 | 1921 | Democrat |
| Coe I. Crawford | 1909 | 1915 | Republican |
| Alfred B. Kittredge | 1901 | 1909 | Republican |
| James H. Kyle | 1891 | 1901 | Populist |
| Gideon C. Moody | 1889 | 1891 | Republican |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Official List of South Dakota Senators. State of South Dakota. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ a b Official List of South Dakota Representatives. State of South Dakota. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Presidential General Election Graph Comparison - South Dakota. www.uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ McGOVERN, George Stanley, (1922-). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ South Dakota Voter Registration Statistics. South Dakota Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
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