1974 South Dakota gubernatorial election

1974 South Dakota gubernatorial election

← 1972 November 5, 1974 (1974-11-05) 1978 →
 
Nominee Richard F. Kneip John E. Olson
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Harvey L. Wollman Charles Clay
Popular vote 149,151 129,077
Percentage 53.6% 46.4%

County results
Kneip:      50–60%      60–70%
Olson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Richard F. Kneip
Democratic

Governor

Richard F. Kneip
Democratic

The 1974 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect a Governor of South Dakota. This election was the first in South Dakota to elect the governor for a four-year term, after it was allowed by a constitutional amendment passed in 1972.[1] Democratic nominee and Governor Richard F. Kneip was re-elected, defeating Republican nominee John E. Olson. As of 2024, this is the last time that a Democrat was elected Governor of South Dakota, marking the start of the longest Republican winning streak in the country for a state's governorship, as well as the longest gubernatorial winning streak by a single party.

  1. ^ Public affairs, Issues 52-108. February 1973. Retrieved June 5, 2014.