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 County results Precinct results
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The2020 United States presidential election in South Dakota was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia participated.[2]South Dakota voters chose electors to represent them in theElectoral College via a popular vote, pitting theRepublican Party's nominee, incumbent PresidentDonald Trump, and running mateVice PresidentMike Pence againstDemocratic Party nominee, former Vice PresidentJoe Biden, and his running mate California SenatorKamala Harris. South Dakota has three electoral votes in the Electoral College.[3]
Trump carried South Dakota by 61.8%–35.6%, or a margin of 26.2%. Biden performed four points better thanHillary Clinton in2016. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Trump would win, or a safered state. This wasLibertarianJo Jorgensen’s best state, with 2.63% of the vote.
The primary elections were held on June 2, 2020.
Donald Trump ran unopposed in the Republican primary, and thus received all of the state's 29 delegates to the2020 Republican National Convention.[4]
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 40,800 | 77.48 | 13 |
| Bernie Sanders(withdrawn) | 11,861 | 22.52 | 3 |
| Total | 52,661 | 100% | 16 |
Prior to the South Dakota primaries, the2020 Libertarian National Convention was held on May 22–24, 2020, selectingJo Jorgensen, Psychology Senior Lecturer at Clemson University, as their presidential nominee.
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Solid R |
| Inside Elections[8] | Solid R |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[9] | Safe R |
| Politico[10] | Solid R |
| RCP[11] | Solid R |
| Niskanen[12] | Safe R |
| CNN[13] | Solid R |
| The Economist[14] | Safe R |
| CBS News[15] | Likely R |
| 270towin[16] | Safe R |
| ABC News[17] | Solid R |
| NPR[18] | Likely R |
| NBC News[19] | Solid R |
| 538[20] | Solid R |
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Joe Biden Democratic | Donald Trump Republican | Other/ Undecided [a] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270 to Win[21] | October 17–25, 2020 | November 3, 2020 | 42.0% | 52.5% | 5.5% | Trump +10.5 |
| FiveThirtyEight[22] | until November 2, 2020 | November 3, 2020 | 39.0% | 54.5% | 6.5% | Trump +15.4 |
| Average | 40.5% | 53.5% | 6.0% | Trump +13.0 | ||
Polls
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Donald Trump Republican | Joe Biden Democratic | Jo Jorgensen Libertarian | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Oct 20 – Nov 2, 2020 | 606 (LV) | ± 5.5% | 63%[c] | 36% | – | – | – |
| Nielson Brothers Polling[24] | Oct 24–28, 2020 | 484 (LV) | ± 4.45% | 55% | 40% | 3% | – | 2% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Oct 1–28, 2020 | 1,098 (LV) | – | 57% | 41% | – | – | – |
| Mason-Dixon[25] | Oct 19–21, 2020 | 625 (LV) | ± 4% | 51% | 40% | – | 3% | 6% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Sep 1–30, 2020 | 354 (LV) | – | 58% | 41% | – | – | 1% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Aug 1–31, 2020 | 277 (LV) | – | 59% | 38% | – | – | 3% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Jul 1–31, 2020 | 396 (LV) | – | 62% | 35% | – | – | 2% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[23] | Jun 8–30, 2020 | 160 (LV) | – | 61% | 37% | – | – | 2% |
These slates of electors were nominated by each party in order to vote in theElectoral College should their candidate win the state:[26]
| Donald Trump and Mike Pence Republican Party | Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Democratic Party | Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen Libertarian Party |
|---|---|---|
| Kristi Noem[d] Larry Rhoden Jason Ravnsborg | Joseph M. Yracheta Nicole A. Gronli Randy Seiler | Devin Saxon Tracey Quint N/A |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Trump Mike Pence | 261,043 | 61.77% | +0.24% | |
| Democratic | Joe Biden Kamala Harris | 150,471 | 35.61% | +3.87% | |
| Libertarian | Jo Jorgensen Spike Cohen | 11,095 | 2.63% | −3.00% | |
| Total votes | 422,609 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| County[28] | Donald Trump Republican | Joe Biden Democratic | Jo Jorgensen Libertarian | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Aurora | 1,052 | 74.88% | 317 | 22.56% | 36 | 2.56% | 735 | 52.31% | 1,405 |
| Beadle | 4,808 | 67.90% | 2,107 | 29.76% | 166 | 2.34% | 2,701 | 38.14% | 7,081 |
| Bennett | 694 | 58.66% | 466 | 39.39% | 23 | 1.94% | 228 | 19.27% | 1,183 |
| Bon Homme | 2,235 | 74.48% | 721 | 24.03% | 45 | 1.50% | 1,514 | 50.45% | 3,001 |
| Brookings | 8,000 | 54.92% | 6,110 | 41.94% | 457 | 3.14% | 1,890 | 12.97% | 14,567 |
| Brown | 10,580 | 60.30% | 6,538 | 37.26% | 429 | 2.44% | 4,042 | 23.04% | 17,547 |
| Brule | 1,750 | 70.28% | 673 | 27.03% | 67 | 2.69% | 1,077 | 43.25% | 2,490 |
| Buffalo | 183 | 33.33% | 352 | 64.12% | 14 | 2.55% | -169 | -30.78% | 549 |
| Butte | 3,731 | 77.70% | 939 | 19.55% | 132 | 2.75% | 2,792 | 58.14% | 4,802 |
| Campbell | 747 | 85.57% | 117 | 13.40% | 9 | 1.03% | 630 | 72.16% | 873 |
| Charles Mix | 2,552 | 67.46% | 1,177 | 31.11% | 54 | 1.43% | 1,375 | 36.35% | 3,783 |
| Clark | 1,373 | 74.22% | 437 | 23.62% | 40 | 2.16% | 936 | 50.59% | 1,850 |
| Clay | 2,456 | 43.10% | 3,083 | 54.11% | 159 | 2.79% | -627 | -11.00% | 5,698 |
| Codington | 8,958 | 68.06% | 3,837 | 29.15% | 366 | 2.78% | 5,121 | 38.91% | 13,161 |
| Corson | 647 | 50.43% | 622 | 48.48% | 14 | 1.09% | 25 | 1.95% | 1,283 |
| Custer | 3,852 | 70.11% | 1,522 | 27.70% | 120 | 2.18% | 2,330 | 42.41% | 5,494 |
| Davison | 5,613 | 66.39% | 2,648 | 31.32% | 193 | 2.28% | 2,965 | 35.07% | 8,454 |
| Day | 1,869 | 63.06% | 1,052 | 35.49% | 43 | 1.45% | 817 | 27.56% | 2,964 |
| Deuel | 1,699 | 72.30% | 609 | 25.91% | 42 | 1.79% | 1,090 | 46.38% | 2,350 |
| Dewey | 790 | 40.18% | 1,131 | 57.53% | 45 | 2.29% | -341 | -17.34% | 1,966 |
| Douglas | 1,468 | 86.00% | 216 | 12.65% | 23 | 1.35% | 1,252 | 73.35% | 1,707 |
| Edmunds | 1,538 | 77.48% | 417 | 21.01% | 30 | 1.51% | 1,121 | 56.47% | 1,985 |
| Fall River | 2,878 | 71.20% | 1,053 | 26.05% | 111 | 2.75% | 1,825 | 45.15% | 4,042 |
| Faulk | 964 | 81.56% | 198 | 16.75% | 20 | 1.69% | 766 | 64.81% | 1,182 |
| Grant | 2,618 | 69.91% | 1,056 | 28.20% | 71 | 1.90% | 1,562 | 41.71% | 3,745 |
| Gregory | 1,771 | 78.43% | 455 | 20.15% | 32 | 1.42% | 1,316 | 58.28% | 2,258 |
| Haakon | 1,026 | 90.24% | 105 | 9.23% | 6 | 0.53% | 921 | 81.00% | 1,137 |
| Hamlin | 2,372 | 76.94% | 647 | 20.99% | 64 | 2.08% | 1,725 | 55.95% | 3,083 |
| Hand | 1,433 | 78.05% | 373 | 20.32% | 30 | 1.63% | 1,060 | 57.73% | 1,836 |
| Hanson | 1,793 | 75.08% | 557 | 23.32% | 38 | 1.59% | 1,236 | 51.76% | 2,388 |
| Harding | 748 | 92.00% | 49 | 6.03% | 16 | 1.97% | 699 | 85.98% | 813 |
| Hughes | 5,522 | 63.30% | 2,953 | 33.85% | 248 | 2.84% | 2,569 | 29.45% | 8,723 |
| Hutchinson | 2,944 | 78.15% | 762 | 20.23% | 61 | 1.62% | 2,182 | 57.92% | 3,767 |
| Hyde | 564 | 79.44% | 136 | 19.15% | 10 | 1.41% | 428 | 60.28% | 710 |
| Jackson | 738 | 66.19% | 359 | 32.20% | 18 | 1.61% | 379 | 33.99% | 1,115 |
| Jerauld | 721 | 71.67% | 270 | 26.84% | 15 | 1.49% | 451 | 44.83% | 1,006 |
| Jones | 498 | 83.14% | 90 | 15.03% | 11 | 1.84% | 408 | 68.11% | 599 |
| Kingsbury | 1,904 | 68.51% | 819 | 29.47% | 56 | 2.02% | 1,085 | 39.04% | 2,779 |
| Lake | 3,681 | 62.68% | 2,068 | 35.21% | 124 | 2.11% | 1,613 | 27.46% | 5,873 |
| Lawrence | 8,753 | 63.30% | 4,537 | 32.81% | 538 | 3.89% | 4,216 | 30.49% | 13,828 |
| Lincoln | 19,617 | 60.55% | 11,981 | 36.98% | 798 | 2.46% | 7,636 | 23.57% | 32,396 |
| Lyman | 1,042 | 65.25% | 525 | 32.87% | 30 | 1.88% | 517 | 32.37% | 1,597 |
| Marshall | 1,287 | 59.09% | 858 | 39.39% | 33 | 1.52% | 429 | 19.70% | 2,178 |
| McCook | 2,068 | 71.31% | 769 | 26.52% | 63 | 2.17% | 1,299 | 44.79% | 2,900 |
| McPherson | 1,075 | 81.19% | 222 | 16.77% | 27 | 2.04% | 853 | 64.43% | 1,324 |
| Meade | 9,875 | 72.24% | 3,285 | 24.03% | 510 | 3.73% | 6,590 | 48.21% | 13,670 |
| Mellette | 449 | 58.39% | 298 | 38.75% | 22 | 2.86% | 151 | 19.64% | 769 |
| Miner | 787 | 69.16% | 320 | 28.12% | 31 | 2.72% | 467 | 41.04% | 1,138 |
| Minnehaha | 49,249 | 53.34% | 40,482 | 43.85% | 2,595 | 2.81% | 8,767 | 9.50% | 92,326 |
| Moody | 1,951 | 60.85% | 1,179 | 36.77% | 76 | 2.37% | 772 | 24.08% | 3,206 |
| Oglala Lakota | 297 | 9.28% | 2,829 | 88.41% | 74 | 2.31% | -2,532 | -79.13% | 3,200 |
| Pennington | 35,063 | 60.96% | 20,606 | 35.83% | 1,849 | 3.21% | 14,457 | 25.13% | 57,518 |
| Perkins | 1,401 | 83.94% | 239 | 14.32% | 29 | 1.74% | 1,162 | 69.62% | 1,669 |
| Potter | 1,139 | 82.54% | 227 | 16.45% | 14 | 1.01% | 912 | 66.09% | 1,380 |
| Roberts | 2,404 | 55.82% | 1,828 | 42.44% | 75 | 1.74% | 576 | 13.37% | 4,307 |
| Sanborn | 905 | 76.37% | 257 | 21.69% | 23 | 1.94% | 648 | 54.68% | 1,185 |
| Spink | 2,104 | 66.52% | 998 | 31.55% | 61 | 1.93% | 1,106 | 34.97% | 3,163 |
| Stanley | 1,203 | 72.82% | 421 | 25.48% | 28 | 1.69% | 782 | 47.34% | 1,652 |
| Sully | 726 | 78.06% | 185 | 19.89% | 19 | 2.04% | 541 | 58.17% | 930 |
| Todd | 532 | 20.95% | 1,963 | 77.31% | 44 | 1.73% | -1,431 | -56.36% | 2,539 |
| Tripp | 2,161 | 80.16% | 495 | 18.36% | 40 | 1.48% | 1,666 | 61.80% | 2,696 |
| Turner | 3,290 | 72.34% | 1,139 | 25.04% | 119 | 2.62% | 2,151 | 47.30% | 4,548 |
| Union | 5,944 | 67.13% | 2,725 | 30.77% | 186 | 2.10% | 3,219 | 36.35% | 8,855 |
| Walworth | 1,966 | 76.20% | 565 | 21.90% | 49 | 1.90% | 1,401 | 54.30% | 2,580 |
| Yankton | 6,581 | 60.38% | 4,016 | 36.84% | 303 | 2.78% | 2,565 | 23.53% | 10,900 |
| Ziebach | 404 | 44.59% | 481 | 53.09% | 21 | 2.32% | -77 | -8.50% | 906 |
| Totals | 261,043 | 61.77% | 150,471 | 35.61% | 11,095 | 2.63% | 110,572 | 26.16% | 422,609 |
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by county
County flipsDemocratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold
|
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
South Dakota has only one congressional district because of its small population compared to other states. This district, called the at-large district because it covers the entire state, is equivalent to the statewide election results.
| District | Trump | Biden | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-large | 61.77% | 35.61% | Dusty Johnson |
South Dakota, a majority-White, mainly-rural state in theMidwesternPlains, is normally a Republican stronghold at both the state and presidential levels, while being more populated than—and voting to the left of—neighboringNorth Dakota. It hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate sinceLyndon B. Johnson carried it in1964, against the backdrop of his nationwidelandslide victory. It has only been competitive (within 5 points of a Democratic victory) in three elections since then:1976,1992, and1996, all elections the Democratic nominee won. Even South Dakota SenatorGeorge McGovern failed to carry his home state as Democratic nominee in theRepublican landslide of 1972.
Despite Trump's win in the state, Biden flipped majority-Native AmericanZiebach County back to Democratic after it flipped red in 2016. Meanwhile, Trump held the majority-Native American counties ofBennett,Mellette andJackson, and grew his support inCorson County, particularly in white-majority precincts while Biden held on to Native American support in other majority-minority precincts in the state. Perexit polls by theAssociated Press, Trump won 63% of White Americans, a group composing 94% of the electorate.[30] A sparsely populated state with a rural andconservative lifestyle, South Dakota has anagrarianpopulist streak[31] to which Trump made direct appeals. He campaigned personally in the state, usingMount Rushmore as a backdrop to cast himself as waging battle against a "newfar-leftfascism".[32]
While Biden did not winMinnehaha County, home to the state's largest city,Sioux Falls, that Barack Obama carried by less than one percent in 2008, he reduced Trump's 2016 14.6-percent winning margin in the county to 9.4 points, although Trump received a higher percentage of votes in the county thanMitt Romney did in 2012. Biden became the first Democrat to win the White House without carryingRoberts County sinceWoodrow Wilson in1916, as well as the first to do so without carryingDay County sinceFranklin D. Roosevelt in1944, and the first to do so without carryingMarshall County sinceJohn F. Kennedy in1960.
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