United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota, 2024

	← 2022
South Dakota's At-large Congressional District
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 26, 2024
	Primary: June 4, 2024 (canceled); Primary runoff: July 30, 2024 (canceled); General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in South Dakota
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Republican; DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Republican; Inside Elections: Solid Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	South Dakota's At-large Congressional District; At-large; South Dakota elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

South Dakota 2024 elections

U.S. House • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • Municipal • How to run for office

The U.S. House of Representatives election in South Dakota was on November 5, 2024. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's one at-large U.S. House district. The primary election was canceled after only one candidate filed in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. The filing deadline was March 26, 2024.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.^[1] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.^[2] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 77.4%-22.6%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 61.8%-35.6%.^[3]

To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District

Incumbent Dusty Johnson defeated Sheryl Johnson in the general election for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dusty Johnson (R)	72.0	303,630
	Sheryl Johnson (D)	28.0	117,818

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 421,448
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia 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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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Sheryl Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Bert Olson (D)
Zach Kovach (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Dusty Johnson advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Christopher Sanders (R)
Justin McNeal (R)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Sheryl Johnson

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a mother of 4 of four daughters who has lived in Sioux Falls for the past 28 years. However, I grew up on a rural dirt road in the middle of farm country in Northeast Iowa. I understand the blessings and challenges of small towns and rural areas. My grandparents ran a dairy farm. My Dad was an AG loan officer at the local bank and a part time farmer. I married a member of the Navy and became a military wife. While my husband was deployed during Desert Storm, I lived at Camp Lejeune raising our young daughter alone. After he returned from the war, we grew our family by having three more daughters. I worked in the school system and also started my own small business. I recently retired, but I actively volunteer in my community. I was raised and remained a Republican for many years but became a Democrat after the Republican party shift away from the ideals of freedom, inclusion, personal responsibility, and fiscal responsibility. I am running because our Congress has been broken now for years. This current session is the least productive and most ineffective Congress in our country’s history. What we need is a South Dakota mom in DC who will fight for our freedoms and knows how to get things done by working with others to do what’s best for our country and South Dakota."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

We need a SD mom in Congresswoman because our freedoms are under attack. We’ve lost the freedom of women to make their own decisions about their families and reproductive health. The freedom of couples to grow their families by IVF treatments is threatened. Our freedom to vote and elect the representatives we want is being denied. The freedom of the LBGTQ+ and Two Spirit communities and as well as other minority groups are constantly menaced. We need a Freedom Fighter in Congress- someone who will fight for the quality of life and safety of each and every citizen of South Dakota!

We must pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation to address the crisis at the border. To solve this, we must push bipartisan bills, like the Senate proposal that Republican Senator Lankford worked to put together. I feel for the people trying to come to the US for a better life for themselves and their children. We can’t demonize and degrade people just because they are fleeing a desperate situation. But we are a nation of laws and rules. There is a process to come to this country and we need to make sure it’s followed. We need enough border guards to stop illegal crossings and we need more judges to hear the backlog of cases. We need reform so there's a path for immigrants to enter legally, work and pay taxes.

I support lowering the cost of medical care and prescriptions. I support landowners in having the freedom to make their own decisions on the use of their land. I support building the infrastructure needed for economic development in our rural areas and small towns.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House South Dakota At-large District in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Dakota

Election information in South Dakota: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 21, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 21, 2024
Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 4, 2024
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 20, 2024 to Nov. 4, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CST/MST)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

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Sheryl Johnson (D)

We need a SD mom in Congresswoman because our freedoms are under attack. We’ve lost the freedom of women to make their own decisions about their families and reproductive health. The freedom of couples to grow their families by IVF treatments is threatened. Our freedom to vote and elect the representatives we want is being denied. The freedom of the LBGTQ+ and Two Spirit communities and as well as other minority groups are constantly menaced.

We need a Freedom Fighter in Congress- someone who will fight for the quality of life and safety of each and every citizen of South Dakota!

We must pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation to address the crisis at the border. To solve this, we must push bipartisan bills, like the Senate proposal that Republican Senator Lankford worked to put together.

I feel for the people trying to come to the US for a better life for themselves and their children. We can’t demonize and degrade people just because they are fleeing a desperate situation.

But we are a nation of laws and rules. There is a process to come to this country and we need to make sure it’s followed. We need enough border guards to stop illegal crossings and we need more judges to hear the backlog of cases. We need reform so there's a path for immigrants to enter legally, work and pay taxes.

I support lowering the cost of medical care and prescriptions. I support landowners in having the freedom to make their own decisions on the use of their land. I support building the infrastructure needed for economic development in our rural areas and small towns.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Sheryl Johnson (D)

We need to fight back against those who want to limit our freedoms. The current incumbent and his party have destroyed the freedom of women to make decisions about their families and own reproductive health. They are attacking the freedom of couples to grow their families through IVF treatments. They are working to take away people’s Freedom to vote and elect leaders that represent them. They continue to oppose the Freedom of the LGTBQ+ community to be who they are and marry who they want. Taking away our freedoms seems to be the incumbents' biggest issue! I will fight for the freedom of all South Dakotans to live their lives how they want to in peace and safety without big government telling the, what to do!

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Sheryl Johnson (D)

I helped my dad on our farm in NE Iowa. My first job after college was managing a Northwest Fabric Store. When I was assigned to a store my boss basically told me – just keep up on the daily operations, this store has all sorts of problems and will probably be closed within a year.

It did have problems. The store was a mess, it had gone through several managers in a couple years, it was losing money and employee morale was low because they were always being told what a bad store it was. They took one look at me, a young 21-year-old and I’m sure they thought ‘great’ – what does SHE know?

I know what it’s like to be underestimated, but I soon earned their respect by working harder than any previous manager had. I cleaned up the store, improved sales, and, most importantly, boosted morale. One New Years, the company had a special sales event and we beat our rival store across town, one of the higher producing stores in the company, in sales. Almost every one of my 20+ employees was working that event and when I announced our results, they were so happy and excited and I was so proud of them. There is a lot of power in believing in someone, even when that person is struggling to believe in themselves.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Sheryl Johnson (D)

I may be running on the Democratic ticket, but I’m an American first. I will work with others, regardless of party to find and pass legislation to solve our nation's problems.

What committees interest you?

Sheryl Johnson (D)

Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Education

Campaign finance

Name

Party

Receipts*

Disbursements**

Cash on hand

Date

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

$4,377,059

$1,454,148

$5,245,125

As of December 31, 2024

Sheryl Johnson

Democratic Party

$223,983

$225,895

$-1,912

As of December 31, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[4]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Race ratings: South Dakota's At-large Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in South Dakota in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Dakota, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
South Dakota	U.S. House	Democratic	1,232	N/A	3/26/2024	Source
South Dakota	U.S. House	Libertarian	741	N/A	3/26/2024	Source
South Dakota	U.S. House	Republican	2,171	N/A	3/26/2024	Source
South Dakota	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	3,502	N/A	4/30/2024	Source

District analysis

Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

Competitiveness

Presidential elections

State party control

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in South Dakota.

South Dakota U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
2022	1	1	0	2	2	0	1	50.0%	1	100.0%
2020	1	1	0	2	2	0	1	50.0%	1	100.0%
2018	1	1	1	4	2	0	1	50.0%	0	N/A
2016	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
2014	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in South Dakota in 2024. Information below was calculated on April 23, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Two candidates ran for South Dakota's one U.S. House district, including one Democrat and one Republican. That's the same as the two candidates who ran in 2022, 2020, 2016, and 2014. Four candidates ran in 2018, the only election cycle this decade in which more than two candidates ran for South Dakota's At-Large Congressional District.

Incumbent Dusty Johnson (R) ran for re-election. The only time the district was open this decade was in 2018 when Kristi Noem (R) retired to run for governor.

No primaries were contested in 2024. One primary was contested in 2022, 2020, and 2018, respectively. No primaries were contested in 2016 and 2014.

Johnson did not face a primary challenger in 2024. He faced primary challengers in 2022 and 2020.

This year was the first election cycle since 2018 in which a Democratic candidate was on the ballot. No Democratic candidates were on the ballot in 2022 and 2020. One Democratic candidate was on the ballot in 2018, 2016, and 2014, respectively.