South Dakota

In the 2016 general election, Donald Trump won South Dakota with 61.53% of the vote, compared with Hillary Clinton’s 31.74%. On a presidential level, the state is a GOP stronghold. South Dakota has voted Democratic only four times since gaining statehood in 1889 (1896, 1932, 1936 and 1964). For a Democrat to win a statewide contest in South Dakota, he or she must essentially dominate the area around Sioux Falls, the state’s main metropolitan area. The state Legislature, governor’s office and congressional delegation are all controlled by Republicans.