2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election

The 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, electing the governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Kristi Noem defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Smith to win a second term.

Despite speculation about this race potentially being competitive, Noem improved on her 2018 performance by 11 percentage points and flipped 17 counties that had been won by Billie Sutton. She also received over 44,000 more raw votes than she did in the previous election, setting a record for the most votes received by a candidate for governor in South Dakota.

Nominee

 * Kristi Noem, incumbent governor
 * Running mate: Larry Rhoden, incumbent lieutenant governor

Eliminated in primary



 * Steven Haugaard, state representative and former Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives

Declined

 * Lora Hubbel, former state representative, former chair of the Minnehaha County Republican Party and the South Dakota Constitution Party, and candidate for governor in 2014 and 2018 (running as an independent)
 * Mark Mickelson, former Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives

Results
[[File:2022 South Dakota gubernatorial Republican primary election results map by county.svg|thumb|Results by county {{legend|#E27F7F|Noem}}

{{legend|#E27F7F|50–60%}}

{{legend|#D75D5D|60–70%}}

{{legend|#D72F30|70–80%}}

{{legend|#C21B18|80–90%}}]]

Nominee

 * Jamie Smith, Minority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives
 * Running mate: Jennifer Healy Keintz, state representative

Declined

 * Dan Ahlers, former state representative and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020
 * Remi Bald Eagle, former official for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and nominee for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in 2020
 * Kooper Caraway, president of the South Dakota Federation of Labor
 * Troy Heinert, Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate
 * Steve Hildebrand, political strategist
 * Mike Huether, former mayor of Sioux Falls
 * Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota and son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson
 * Peri Pourier, state representative
 * Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president of Augustana University and former U.S. Representative for SD's at-large congressional district
 * Randy Seiler, chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party, former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota, and nominee for attorney general in 2018
 * Billie Sutton, former Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate and nominee for governor in 2018
 * Bob Sutton, businessman

Nominee

 * Tracey Quint, coordinator
 * Running mate: Ashley Strand

Withdrew

 * Lora Hubbel, former state representative, former chair of the Minnehaha County Republican Party and the South Dakota Constitution Party, and candidate for governor in 2014 and 2018 (running for State Senate)

Results by county

 * Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
 * Bon Homme (largest city: Springfield)
 * Brookings (largest city: Brookings)
 * Brown (largest city: Aberdeen)
 * Charles Mix (largest city: Lake Andes)
 * Corson (largest city: McLaughlin)
 * Day (largest city: Webster)
 * Hughes (largest city: Pierre)
 * Lake (largest city: Madison)
 * Marshall (largest city: Britton)
 * Mellette (largest city: White River)
 * Miner (largest city: Howard)
 * Minnehaha (largest city: Sioux Falls)
 * Moody (largest city: Flandreau)
 * Roberts (largest city: Sisseton)
 * Spink (largest city: Redfield)
 * Yankton (largest city: Yankton)
 * Ziebach (largest city: Dupree)