Lauren Nelson (South Dakota)
Lauren Nelson (Republican Party) is a member of theSouth Dakota State Senate, representingDistrict 18. She assumed office on January 14, 2025. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.
Nelson (Republican Party) ran for election to theSouth Dakota State Senate to representDistrict 18. She won in the general election onNovember 5, 2024.
Biography
Lauren Nelson was born in Sinai,South Dakota. She earned a bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University. Her career experience includes working as a teacher.[1]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Nelson was assigned to the following committees:
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Dakota State Senate District 18
Lauren Nelson defeatedSarah Carda in the general election for South Dakota State Senate District 18 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lauren Nelson (R) | 57.2 | 6,189 |
| Sarah Carda (D) | 42.8 | 4,629 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 10,818 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dennis Menke (D)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled.Dennis Menke advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 18.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 18
Lauren Nelson defeated incumbentJean Hunhoff in the Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 18 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lauren Nelson | 52.0 | 1,235 |
 | Jean Hunhoff | 48.0 | 1,139 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,374 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Nelson in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lauren Nelson did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | South Dakota State Senate District 18 | Won general | $44,267 | $0 |
| Grand total | $44,267 | $0 | ||
| Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). | ||||
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Dakota scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | South Dakota State Senate District 18 2025-Present | Succeeded by - |
