South Dakota’s representatives in Congress are Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds and at-large U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson, all Republicans. In the state capital, the South Dakota House of Representatives seats 70 members elected to two-year terms from 35 legislative districts, with Republicans holding 66 of those 70 seats and Speaker Jon Hansen presiding.1South Dakota Legislature. 2025 House of Representatives Committee Detail
The Federal Delegation
South Dakota has sent a single at-large member to the U.S. House since 1983, after the 1980 Census cost the state one of its two districts. The state peaked at three House seats following the 1910 Census and dropped to two after 1930.2South Dakota Newswatch. South Dakota US House Seats Census and Election That makes the three-member delegation small, and in 2026 two of the three seats are in motion.
Representative Dusty Johnson
Dusty Johnson has held the at-large House seat since 2019 and won his most recent race in 2024 with 72 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Sheryl Johnson by roughly 44 percentage points.3Washington Post. South Dakota At-Large House Seat Results Before Congress he served on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission starting in 2004 and was chief of staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard from 2011 through 2014.4Mitchell Republic. Dusty Johnson Traces South Dakota Public Service Record to 2004
Johnson chairs the Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development and sits on the full Agriculture Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.5Office of Rep. Dusty Johnson. About Dusty Johnson He also leads the Republican Main Street Caucus, a group of more than 70 House members who describe themselves as pragmatic conservatives.6Republican Main Street Caucus. Main Street Caucus Announces Leadership for the 119th Congress
His legislative record has centered on agriculture, tribal affairs, and transportation. Two of his bills signed into law reflect that focus. The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, signed by President Trump on December 19, 2025, placed the massacre site into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and includes an “America’s Apology.”7Office of Rep. Dusty Johnson. President Trump Signs Johnson’s Wounded Knee Memorial Bill Into Law The Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025, signed on May 4, 2026, requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs to meet specific deadlines for processing residential and business mortgage packages on Indian land.8GovTrack. Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025
Johnson is leaving the House. He finished third in the June 2026 Republican primary for governor with about 23 percent of the vote, behind political newcomer Toby Doeden and incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden.9South Dakota Searchlight. Where Backers of Losing Campaigns Are Shifting Support He will remain in Congress until January 2027. The race to succeed him features Republicans Marty Jackley and James Bialota and Democrat Nicole “Nikki” Gronli.10South Dakota Secretary of State. 2026 Primary Election Candidate List
Senator John Thune
John Thune is South Dakota’s senior senator and, since January 3, 2025, Senate Majority Leader, succeeding Mitch McConnell as the chamber’s top Republican. In his first address as leader he pledged to protect the legislative filibuster and named immigration overhaul, extending the 2017 tax cuts, and government funding as priorities.11News From the States. In First Speech as Majority Leader, Thune Pledges to Protect Filibuster In the 119th Congress he has sponsored legislation on broadband permitting, fertilizer market transparency, and water infrastructure projects in western and central South Dakota.12Congress.gov. Senator John Thune
Senator Mike Rounds
Mike Rounds, a former two-term South Dakota governor, has served in the Senate since January 2015 and formally announced his third-term campaign on January 22, 2026.13South Dakota Searchlight. Mike Rounds Formally Announces Campaign for Reelection to U.S. Senate He faces Rapid City businessman Justin McNeal in the Republican primary, with Democrat Julian Beaudion and independent Brian Bengs also running for the general election.14SDPB. Rounds Announces U.S. Senate Reelection Bid Rounds sits on the Appropriations, Armed Services, Banking, Indian Affairs, and Intelligence committees and has named tax cuts, border security, agriculture, and Ellsworth Air Force Base’s incoming B-21 bomber program as campaign priorities.
The State House of Representatives
The South Dakota House has 70 members serving two-year terms. The state constitution caps House service at four consecutive terms, or eight consecutive years.15South Dakota Legislature. South Dakota Constitution, Article III, § 6 Members are elected from 35 legislative districts. Most districts send two House members at large alongside one state senator; a few are split into single-member sub-districts, a practice adopted after the 1990 Census to protect minority voting rights, and a federal court order following Bone Shirt v. Hazeltine added a sub-district with a majority Native American population.16CSG Midwest. Multi-Member Legislative Districts Still in Use
Republicans dominate the chamber, holding 66 of 70 seats to the Democrats’ 4. Across both chambers combined, Republicans hold 101 of 109 seats.17South Dakota Legislature. 2025 Legislator Listing
Leadership
Speaker of the House Jon Hansen is a 39-year-old lawyer from Dell Rapids who represents District 25 and has served in the House for a decade, including as speaker pro tempore from 2021 to 2022. He led the successful push for an eminent domain ban on carbon capture pipelines and ran in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary, finishing fourth with 21 percent.18South Dakota Searchlight. Jon Hansen Focuses on Property Rights, Spending Cuts Karla Lems serves as Speaker Pro Tempore.1South Dakota Legislature. 2025 House of Representatives Committee Detail
What the State House Is Working On
The 2026 session took up property taxes again after failed 2025 reform efforts, with one Senate Majority Leader proposal raising the statewide sales tax by 2 percent to offset local school funding costs.19South Dakota Newswatch. 2026 Legislature: Property Taxes, Data Centers A separate bill proposed sales and use tax exemptions for data center operations to attract tech investment.20South Dakota Legislature. 2026 Session Bills
With state tax revenue down 1.4 percent, Joint Appropriations Committee Chairman Mike Derby worked with roughly $14 million in discretionary funds on what he called “budget normalization.” On criminal justice, the state is building a $650 million men’s prison in Sioux Falls and an $87 million women’s prison in Rapid City; House minority leader Erin Healy pushed legislation to keep low-level offenders out of prison and to provide criminal immunity for people who call for help during an overdose.19South Dakota Newswatch. 2026 Legislature: Property Taxes, Data Centers
Education bills addressed criminal background checks for school employees, high school credit for athletics, alternative instruction settings for disruptive students, and permission for school employees to carry concealed pistols. Technology bills would have authorized state investment in Bitcoin, restricted the use of artificial intelligence in therapy, and established an AI study task force.20South Dakota Legislature. 2026 Session Bills
To find the two state representatives and one state senator for your address, or to track a bill through either chamber, the South Dakota Legislature’s website lists members by district and publishes the full session bill log.