This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives in South Dakota was March 31, 2026.
Three candidates — one Democrat and two Republicans — are running for South Dakota’s At-Large Congressional District. That’s the second-highest number of candidates running in South Dakota since 2014. Two candidates ran for the district in 2024, two ran in 2022, two in 2020, four in 2018, two in 2016, and two in 2014.
While this year and 2018 both attracted a high number of candidates, they are also the two years since 2014 that the district has been open. In 2018, then-Rep. Kristi Noem (R) retired to run for governor of South Dakota. This year, incumbent Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) is retiring to run for governor.
Only the Republican primary is contested this year. In total, there were no contested primaries in 2024, one in 2022, one in 2020, one in 2018, none in 2016, and none in 2014.
Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries, meaning the district is not guaranteed to either party.
South Dakota and five other states — California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, and New Mexico — are holding U.S. House primaries on June 2, 2026. If needed, South Dakota will hold runoff elections on July 28, 2026.
In South Dakota, winners must receive at least 35% of the vote. If no candidate receives 35% of the vote, the top two candidates move to a runoff election.
