South Dakota was won by former California GovernorRonald Reagan (R) by a 29-point landslide.[1] Despite it voting consistently for the Republican Nominee from 1940 to this election (except for 1964), For the last two elections South Dakota had been considered competitive. In 1972, It was Democratic Nominee George McGovern's home state and despite a national landslide, it was the only state that swung to the left from 1968. In 1976, President Gerald Ford only narrowly won the State over Carter by a slim 1.5%. Given this competitive streak for South Dakota, Reagan's overwhelming win in the state was especially surprising with the state swinging 27.4 points to the right this election.[1]