The 2022 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of South Dakota. Incumbent three-term Republican U.S. Senator John Thune, who is the Senate Minority Whip, was first elected in 2004, defeating Democratic incumbent Tom Daschle, the then-Senate Minority Leader. He ran for reelection to a fourth term.[1] The Democratic nominee was 26-year Navy, Air Force JAG Corps veteran, and former college professor Brian Bengs. Thune was ultimately reelected, becoming the first Senator from South Dakota to be elected to a fourth term since Karl Mundt in 1966, and only the second to do so after Mundt.[2]
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 County results
Thune: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bengs: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
editOn December 23, 2020, then-President Donald Trump said Thune would face a primary challenger after Thune refused to support a challenge of the 2020 Electoral College results, tweeting:[3] "Republicans in the Senate so quickly forget. Right now they would be down 8 seats without my backing them in the last Election. RINO John Thune, 'Mitch's boy', should just let it play out. South Dakota doesn't like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!" South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem stated she would not challenge Thune for the seat.[4] On January 1, 2021, Trump tweeted that Noem should challenge Thune in a primary, despite Noem previously saying she would not do so, instead running for re-election as Governor in 2022.[5]
Candidates
editNominee
edit- John Thune, incumbent U.S. Senator (2005–present) and Senate Minority Whip (2021–present)[1]
Eliminated in primary
edit- Mark Mowry, musician and rancher[6]
- Bruce Buffalo Dreamer Whalen, Oglala Sioux tribal administrator, former chair of the Oglala Lakota County Republican Party, and nominee for South Dakota's at-large congressional district in 2006[7]
Withdrew
edit- Patrick Schubert, software executive[8]
Declined
edit- Marty Jackley, former South Dakota Attorney General (2009–2019) and candidate for Governor of South Dakota in 2018 (ran for Attorney General)[9][10]
- Dusty Johnson, U.S. Representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2019–present) (ran for re-election)[11]
- Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota (2019–present) and former U.S. Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2011–2019) (ran for re-election)[4]
Endorsements
editJohn Thune
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mark Mowry |
John Thune |
Bruce Whalen |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University | May 2–15, 2022 | – (LV) | ± 3.0% | 4% | 46% | 10% | 41% |
Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Dusty Johnson |
Kristi Noem |
John Thune |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrizio Lee (R)[A] | January 2022 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 30% | – | 47% | 23% |
| – | 49% | 40% | 10% |
Results
edit
Thune
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Thune (incumbent) | 85,613 | 72.24% | |
| Republican | Bruce Whalen | 24,071 | 20.31% | |
| Republican | Mark Mowry | 8,827 | 7.45% | |
| Total votes | 118,511 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Brian Bengs, U.S. Navy and Air Force veteran, and former Northern State University political science professor[15]
Declined
edit- Troy Heinert, Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate (2019–present) from the 26th district (2015–present)[16]
- Brendan Johnson, former U.S. Attorney for South Dakota (2009–2015) and son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson[17]
- Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president of Augustana University (2017–present) and former U.S. Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2004–2011)[17]
- Billie Sutton, former Minority Leader of the South Dakota Senate (2015–2019) from the 21st district (2011–2019) and nominee for governor in 2018[18]
Libertarian convention
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Tamara Lesnar, small business owner[19]
General election
editPredictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[20] | Solid R | November 19, 2021 |
| Inside Elections[21] | Solid R | January 7, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[22] | Safe R | November 3, 2021 |
| Politico[23] | Solid R | April 1, 2022 |
| RCP[24] | Safe R | January 10, 2022 |
| Fox News[25] | Solid R | May 12, 2022 |
| DDHQ[26] | Solid R | July 20, 2022 |
| 538[27] | Solid R | June 30, 2022 |
| The Economist[28] | Safe R | September 7, 2022 |
Endorsements
editBrian Bengs (D)
- Organizations
- National Association of Social Workers[29]
- Let America Vote[30]
- End Citizens United[31]
- Common Defense[32]
- Sisters United - South Dakota.[33]
- Teamsters Local 120 [34]
- U.S. Senators
- Doug Jones, U.S. Senator from Alabama (2018–2021)[35]
John Thune (R)
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
John Thune (R) |
Brian Bengs (D) |
Tamara Lesnar (L) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University | September 28 – October 10, 2022 | 565 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 53% | 28% | – | 20% |
| Lake Research Partners (D) | September 6–11, 2022 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 46% | 33% | 8% | 11% |
| Moore Information Group (R) | March 14–19, 2022 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 59% | 24% | 6% | 11% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Thune (incumbent) | 242,316 | 69.63% | −2.20% | |
| Democratic | Brian Bengs | 91,007 | 26.15% | −2.02% | |
| Libertarian | Tamara Lesnar | 14,697 | 4.22% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 348,020 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
editNotes
edit- Partisan clients
- ^ This poll was sponsored by the American Potential Fund
References
edit- ^ a b Levine, Marianne (January 8, 2022). "Senate Minority Whip John Thune to run for reelection". Politico. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "South Dakota's Thune wins reelection to 4th U.S. Senate term". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (December 22, 2020). "Trump attacks Thune: 'He will be primaried in 2022'". The Hill. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Budryk, Zack (December 23, 2020). "Noem rules out Thune challenge after Trump criticizes senator". The Hill. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Coleman, Justine (January 1, 2021). "Trump again calls for Noem to primary Thune despite her refusal". The Hill. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "Mowry to challenge Thune in 2022 primary". Rapid City Journal. June 22, 2021. ISSN 1079-3410. OCLC 2250546. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Goss, Austin (July 27, 2021). "State Rep. Taffy Howard expected to announce bid for US Congress". KEVN.
- ^ "Two West River men to challenge Thune in 2022 Republican primary". August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ellis: Thune retirement could cause GOP bedlam in South Dakota".
- ^ Bartels, Deb (March 2, 2021). "Marty Jackley running for his old job of attorney general". www.capjournal.com. Capital Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Heemstra, Jody (January 31, 2022). "Dusty Johnson announces he is running for re-election". DRG News. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "John Thune's Ratings and Endorsements - Vote Smart". justfacts.votesmart.org. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Announces Second Round of Congressional Endorsements for the 2022 Election Cycle". cresenergy.com. Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. May 4, 2022. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Primary Election Official State Canvass Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of South Dakota. June 14, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Sand, Elisa (November 12, 2021). "'Democracy has to be the answer': Aberdeen man announces intention to run for U.S. Senate". Aberdeen News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "South Dakota Minority Leader Heinert passes on run for Governor, joining private sector after term". December 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Lawrence, Tom (November 29, 2020). "Is it just a South Dakota political legend or eerie fate: Will Sen. John Thune end the 'Curse of Karl' in 2022?". The South Dakota Standard. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Woster, Kevin (February 23, 2022). "Sutton's political time will come again, but not just yet". South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Libertarian House candidate, Sturgis rancher Collin Duprel: I am running to give South Dakota voters a choice". Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Senate Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Senate ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "South Dakota Senate Race 2022". Politico. April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Battle for the Senate 2022". RCP. January 10, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Election Forecast". Fox News. May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Election Forecast". DDHQ. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Election Forecast". FiveThirtyEight. June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- ^ "Economist's 2022 Senate forecast". The Economist. September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ "2022 PACE Endorsements". www.socialworkers.org. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsements".
- ^ "Endorsed Candidates". animalwellnessaction.org. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES JUNE 2022 CONGRESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS". www.franchise.org. May 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "National Right to Life Endorses John Thune in South Dakota Senate Race". www.nrlc.org. July 21, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "National Wildlife Federation Action Fund Endorses Sen. Thune for Re-Election". nwfactionfund.org. August 11, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "NRA-PVF - Grades - South Dakota". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Vote Freedom First. Vote John Thune for U.S. Senate!". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022.
- ^ "2022 General Election Official State Canvass Results" (PDF). sdsos.gov.
External links
edit- Official campaign websites