Elections / 1948 · President · SD
South Dakota — 1948 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1948 presidential electionSouth Dakota · PresidentDeweyR+4.8
How it voted
Share of the 1948 vote
| Thomas E. Dewey ✓Republican | 51.8% | 129,651 |
|---|---|---|
| Harry S. TrumanDemocratic | 47.0% | 117,653 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.1% | 2,801 |
1948presidential margin
D+60R+60
66 counties, each filled by 1948 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Gold marks a county an independent or third-party candidate carried.
South Dakota cast 4 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (66 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora County, SD | Democratic | D+9.3 |
| Beadle County, SD | Democratic | D+8.8 |
| Bennett County, SD | Democratic | D+22.4 |
| Bon Homme County, SD | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Brookings County, SD | Republican | R+15.4 |
| Brown County, SD | Democratic | D+11.7 |
| Brule County, SD | Democratic | D+21.5 |
| Buffalo County, SD | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Butte County, SD | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Campbell County, SD | Republican | R+57.0 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Democratic | D+26.1 |
| Clark County, SD | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Clay County, SD | Republican | R+3.4 |
| Codington County, SD | Democratic | D+9.3 |
| Corson County, SD | Other / independent | Tied |
| Custer County, SD | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Davison County, SD | Democratic | D+15.0 |
| Day County, SD | Democratic | D+12.5 |
| Deuel County, SD | Republican | R+1.2 |
| Dewey County, SD | Republican | R+8.2 |
| Douglas County, SD | Republican | R+27.7 |
| Edmunds County, SD | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Fall River County, SD | Republican | R+20.2 |
| Faulk County, SD | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Grant County, SD | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Gregory County, SD | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Haakon County, SD | Republican | R+18.0 |
| Hamlin County, SD | Republican | R+9.5 |
| Hand County, SD | Republican | R+1.3 |
| Hanson County, SD | Democratic | D+5.1 |
| Harding County, SD | Republican | R+4.8 |
| Hughes County, SD | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Republican | R+40.9 |
| Hyde County, SD | Republican | R+19.1 |
| Jackson County, SD | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Jerauld County, SD | Republican | R+10.5 |
| Jones County, SD | Republican | R+11.4 |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Lake County, SD | Republican | R+14.9 |
| Lawrence County, SD | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Lincoln County, SD | Republican | R+20.3 |
| Lyman County, SD | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Marshall County, SD | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| McCook County, SD | Republican | R+19.5 |
| McPherson County, SD | Republican | R+53.3 |
| Meade County, SD | Republican | R+9.9 |
| Mellette County, SD | Other / independent | Tied |
| Miner County, SD | Democratic | D+7.2 |
| Minnehaha County, SD | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Moody County, SD | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | Democratic | D+11.1 |
| Pennington County, SD | Republican | R+12.8 |
| Perkins County, SD | Republican | R+12.7 |
| Potter County, SD | Republican | R+0.2 |
| Roberts County, SD | Democratic | D+18.9 |
| Sanborn County, SD | Democratic | D+2.7 |
| Spink County, SD | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Stanley County, SD | Republican | R+18.4 |
| Sully County, SD | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Todd County, SD | Democratic | D+11.9 |
| Tripp County, SD | Democratic | D+1.9 |
| Turner County, SD | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Union County, SD | Democratic | D+0.7 |
| Walworth County, SD | Republican | R+3.0 |
| Yankton County, SD | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Ziebach County, SD | Democratic | D+4.1 |
Nominees: Harry S. Truman (D) · Thomas E. Dewey (R) · Strom Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic)
South Dakota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1948 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −36.5% |
| 1896 | +0.2% |
| 1900 | −15.6% |
| 1904 | −49.4% |
| 1908 | −23.8% |
| 1912 | +42.1% |
| 1916 | −3.9% |
| 1920 | −41.0% |
| 1924 | −36.3% |
| 1928 | −21.0% |
| 1932 | +29.2% |
| 1936 | +11.5% |
| 1940 | −14.8% |
| 1944 | −16.7% |
| 1948 | −4.8% |
| 1952 | −38.5% |
| 1956 | −16.8% |
| 1960 | −16.4% |
| 1964 | +11.2% |
| 1968 | −11.3% |
| 1972 | −8.6% |
| 1976 | −1.5% |
| 1980 | −28.8% |
| 1984 | −26.5% |
| 1988 | −6.3% |
| 1992 | −3.5% |
| 1996 | −3.5% |
| 2000 | −22.7% |
| 2004 | −21.3% |
| 2008 | −8.4% |
| 2012 | −18.0% |
| 2016 | −29.8% |
| 2020 | −26.2% |
| 2024 | −29.2% |
County-by-county results — 66 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora County | D | 1,275 | 1,056 | 2,347 | |
| Beadle County | D | 4,372 | 3,662 | 8,111 | |
| Bennett County | D | 758 | 477 | 1,252 | |
| Bon Homme County | R | 2,077 | 2,283 | 4,408 | |
| Brookings County | R | 2,907 | 3,975 | 6,926 | |
| Brown County | D | 7,148 | 5,632 | 12,972 | |
| Brule County | D | 1,646 | 1,056 | 2,744 | |
| Buffalo County | D | 334 | 313 | 652 | |
| Butte County | R | 1,065 | 1,726 | 2,842 | |
| Campbell County | R | 410 | 1,518 | 1,945 | |
| Charles Mix County | D | 3,086 | 1,800 | 4,935 | |
| Clark County | R | 1,559 | 1,625 | 3,212 | |
| Clay County | R | 2,080 | 2,228 | 4,361 | |
| Codington County | D | 4,042 | 3,349 | 7,441 | |
| Corson County | O | 1,154 | 1,154 | 2,325 | |
| Custer County | R | 917 | 1,217 | 2,148 | |
| Davison County | D | 4,064 | 2,996 | 7,128 | |
| Day County | D | 3,146 | 2,438 | 5,681 | |
| Deuel County | R | 1,324 | 1,357 | 2,719 | |
| Dewey County | R | 733 | 865 | 1,613 | |
| Douglas County | R | 736 | 1,301 | 2,042 | |
| Edmunds County | R | 1,253 | 1,493 | 2,765 | |
| Fall River County | R | 1,348 | 2,037 | 3,411 | |
| Faulk County | R | 971 | 1,054 | 2,047 | |
| Grant County | D | 2,052 | 1,972 | 4,060 | |
| Gregory County | D | 1,793 | 1,723 | 3,562 | |
| Haakon County | R | 519 | 753 | 1,300 | |
| Hamlin County | R | 1,326 | 1,608 | 2,979 | |
| Hand County | R | 1,367 | 1,402 | 2,778 | |
| Hanson County | D | 953 | 860 | 1,828 | |
| Harding County | R | 479 | 529 | 1,040 | |
| Hughes County | R | 1,080 | 1,739 | 2,831 | |
| Hutchinson County | R | 1,209 | 2,906 | 4,151 | |
| Hyde County | R | 553 | 817 | 1,379 | |
| Jackson County | R | 544 | 624 | 1,185 | |
| Jerauld County | R | 876 | 1,085 | 1,987 | |
| Jones County | R | 414 | 522 | 948 | |
| Kingsbury County | R | 1,338 | 2,332 | 3,728 | |
| Lake County | R | 2,093 | 2,837 | 4,982 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 2,209 | 3,778 | 6,045 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 1,826 | 2,771 | 4,656 | |
| Lyman County | R | 904 | 993 | 1,912 | |
| Marshall County | D | 1,710 | 1,419 | 3,198 | |
| McCook County | R | 1,387 | 2,064 | 3,471 | |
| McPherson County | R | 611 | 2,034 | 2,668 | |
| Meade County | R | 1,681 | 2,053 | 3,769 | |
| Mellette County | O | 482 | 482 | 977 | |
| Miner County | D | 1,373 | 1,188 | 2,587 | |
| Minnehaha County | R | 11,770 | 14,047 | 26,125 | |
| Moody County | R | 1,630 | 1,691 | 3,369 | |
| Oglala Lakota County | D | 803 | 641 | 1,454 | |
| Pennington County | R | 4,929 | 6,392 | 11,413 | |
| Perkins County | R | 1,096 | 1,424 | 2,587 | |
| Potter County | R | 1,039 | 1,044 | 2,101 | |
| Roberts County | D | 3,277 | 2,211 | 5,652 | |
| Sanborn County | D | 1,046 | 990 | 2,061 | |
| Spink County | D | 2,702 | 2,310 | 5,067 | |
| Stanley County | R | 359 | 522 | 887 | |
| Sully County | R | 405 | 579 | 992 | |
| Todd County | D | 796 | 625 | 1,438 | |
| Tripp County | D | 1,918 | 1,845 | 3,818 | |
| Turner County | R | 1,514 | 3,048 | 4,600 | |
| Union County | D | 2,237 | 2,205 | 4,465 | |
| Walworth County | R | 1,513 | 1,607 | 3,155 | |
| Yankton County | D | 2,932 | 2,904 | 5,893 | |
| Ziebach County | D | 503 | 463 | 980 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1948 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.