#1 is the best, #50 is the worst
The House passed a resolution ordering U.S. forces out of the Iran war in July. The Senate finally voted on it September 24 and it failed 49-50. Fourteen senators on our report cards voted no — including Jon Husted, who said two days earlier the war 'needs to come to an end as quickly as possible.'
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South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds is writing the Senate's rules on artificial intelligence while taking handouts from the Big Tech companies he's supposed to be regulating.
Jeff Hurd declined televised debate invitations and agreed to one 30-minute session before a friendly audience instead. John McGuire says he'll debate when his opponent apologizes for raising a BlackRock sale the disclosure records in his wife's retirement account. They join fourteen Republicans we have already documented ducking the one event they can't script.
Sept. 18 – Nov. 2
Check South Dakota’s official dates →Due Nov. 3
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Dates checked against South Dakota’s official election site on Sept. 18, 2026, starting from the Center for Election Innovation & Research’s national list. Days, hours and locations are set locally — check with your local election office, and confirm your registration at vote.org.
Trump won South Dakota with 63.4% of the vote to 34.2%, a margin of 29.2 points, with 64.5% of eligible voters turning out. (Full 2024 presidential results, state by state.)
3 of 3 — 100%. In the U.S. House, South Dakota has 1 Republican and 0 Democrats; in the Senate, 2 Republicans and 0 Democrats. (Source: Current members of Congress from South Dakota, on Wikipedia.)
South Dakota ranks #31 of 50. That is the average of its rank on the 17 measures in the report card above — violent crime, gun deaths, life expectancy, food insecurity, maternal and infant mortality, household income, public education, voter turnout and more. #1 is the best state to live in, #50 the worst.
You can compare South Dakota directly to other states on our Compare States page.
We grade Republican incumbents running in 2026 — U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives and governors — on their record: how they voted, who funds them, and what it has cost South Dakota. Democrats and independents do not get report cards.
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — 39 days away. Check your registration and polling place at vote.org.
Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Sept. 18 – Nov. 2. Details on South Dakota's official election site. (Checked against South Dakota’s official election site on Sept. 18, 2026, starting from the Center for Election Innovation & Research’s national list.)
Any voter can vote by mail. Ballots start going out Sept. 18. Your ballot must arrive by Election Day, not just be mailed by then. Details on South Dakota's official election site. (Checked against South Dakota’s official election site on Sept. 18, 2026, starting from the Center for Election Innovation & Research’s national list.)
