Elections / 1956 · President · SD
South Dakota — 1956 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1956 presidential electionSouth Dakota · PresidentEisenhowerR+16.8
How it voted
Share of the 1956 vote
| Dwight D. Eisenhower ✓Republican | 58.4% | 171,569 |
|---|---|---|
| Adlai StevensonDemocratic | 41.6% | 122,288 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.0% | 0 |
1956presidential margin
D+60R+60
66 counties, each filled by 1956 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Dakota cast 4 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (66 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora County, SD | Democratic | D+13.1 |
| Beadle County, SD | Republican | R+6.1 |
| Bennett County, SD | Republican | R+4.3 |
| Bon Homme County, SD | Republican | R+11.4 |
| Brookings County, SD | Republican | R+33.8 |
| Brown County, SD | Republican | R+6.6 |
| Brule County, SD | Democratic | D+18.0 |
| Buffalo County, SD | Democratic | D+0.6 |
| Butte County, SD | Republican | R+36.9 |
| Campbell County, SD | Republican | R+62.9 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Clark County, SD | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Clay County, SD | Republican | R+15.4 |
| Codington County, SD | Republican | R+15.4 |
| Corson County, SD | Republican | R+11.3 |
| Custer County, SD | Republican | R+27.9 |
| Davison County, SD | Republican | R+3.1 |
| Day County, SD | Democratic | D+5.7 |
| Deuel County, SD | Republican | R+10.9 |
| Dewey County, SD | Republican | R+13.5 |
| Douglas County, SD | Republican | R+35.6 |
| Edmunds County, SD | Republican | R+3.2 |
| Fall River County, SD | Republican | R+34.8 |
| Faulk County, SD | Republican | R+4.3 |
| Grant County, SD | Republican | R+11.7 |
| Gregory County, SD | Republican | R+4.0 |
| Haakon County, SD | Republican | R+22.4 |
| Hamlin County, SD | Republican | R+23.4 |
| Hand County, SD | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Hanson County, SD | Democratic | D+6.1 |
| Harding County, SD | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Hughes County, SD | Republican | R+26.8 |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Republican | R+46.3 |
| Hyde County, SD | Republican | R+11.7 |
| Jackson County, SD | Republican | R+12.0 |
| Jerauld County, SD | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Jones County, SD | Republican | R+12.1 |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Republican | R+29.8 |
| Lake County, SD | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Lawrence County, SD | Republican | R+42.7 |
| Lincoln County, SD | Republican | R+24.5 |
| Lyman County, SD | Republican | R+13.7 |
| Marshall County, SD | Republican | R+15.1 |
| McCook County, SD | Republican | R+55.7 |
| McPherson County, SD | Republican | R+0.1 |
| Meade County, SD | Republican | R+19.6 |
| Mellette County, SD | Republican | R+10.6 |
| Miner County, SD | Democratic | D+2.1 |
| Minnehaha County, SD | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Moody County, SD | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | Democratic | D+9.6 |
| Pennington County, SD | Republican | R+34.5 |
| Perkins County, SD | Republican | R+18.8 |
| Potter County, SD | Republican | R+26.3 |
| Roberts County, SD | Democratic | D+6.4 |
| Sanborn County, SD | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Spink County, SD | Democratic | D+3.4 |
| Stanley County, SD | Republican | R+1.7 |
| Sully County, SD | Republican | R+19.0 |
| Todd County, SD | Democratic | D+5.4 |
| Tripp County, SD | Republican | R+5.9 |
| Turner County, SD | Republican | R+41.8 |
| Union County, SD | Republican | R+5.9 |
| Walworth County, SD | Republican | R+20.4 |
| Yankton County, SD | Republican | R+15.3 |
| Ziebach County, SD | Republican | R+14.1 |
Nominees: Adlai Stevenson (D) · Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
South Dakota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1956 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 | 1,374 | 1,055 | 2,429 | |
| Beadle County | R | 4,614 | 5,216 | 9,830 | |
| Bennett County | R | 685 | 746 | 1,431 | |
| Bon Homme County | R | 2,144 | 2,696 | 4,840 | |
| Brookings County | R | 2,620 | 5,293 | 7,913 | |
| Brown County | R | 7,184 | 8,193 | 15,377 | |
| Brule County | D | 1,894 | 1,317 | 3,211 | |
| Buffalo County | D | 318 | 314 | 632 | |
| Butte County | R | 1,028 | 2,231 | 3,259 | |
| Campbell County | R | 289 | 1,268 | 1,557 | |
| Charles Mix County | D | 3,117 | 2,202 | 5,319 | |
| Clark County | R | 1,521 | 2,173 | 3,694 | |
| Clay County | R | 1,928 | 2,632 | 4,560 | |
| Codington County | R | 3,772 | 5,150 | 8,922 | |
| Corson County | R | 1,112 | 1,394 | 2,506 | |
| Custer County | R | 853 | 1,514 | 2,367 | |
| Davison County | R | 3,809 | 4,056 | 7,865 | |
| Day County | D | 2,971 | 2,652 | 5,623 | |
| Deuel County | R | 1,363 | 1,698 | 3,061 | |
| Dewey County | R | 912 | 1,197 | 2,109 | |
| Douglas County | R | 813 | 1,713 | 2,526 | |
| Edmunds County | R | 1,580 | 1,685 | 3,265 | |
| Fall River County | R | 1,150 | 2,377 | 3,527 | |
| Faulk County | R | 1,155 | 1,260 | 2,415 | |
| Grant County | R | 2,070 | 2,621 | 4,691 | |
| Gregory County | R | 1,795 | 1,945 | 3,740 | |
| Haakon County | R | 594 | 936 | 1,530 | |
| Hamlin County | R | 1,294 | 2,083 | 3,377 | |
| Hand County | R | 1,453 | 1,804 | 3,257 | |
| Hanson County | D | 1,187 | 1,050 | 2,237 | |
| Harding County | R | 376 | 650 | 1,026 | |
| Hughes County | R | 1,687 | 2,923 | 4,610 | |
| Hutchinson County | R | 1,420 | 3,870 | 5,290 | |
| Hyde County | R | 597 | 755 | 1,352 | |
| Jackson County | R | 593 | 755 | 1,348 | |
| Jerauld County | R | 1,005 | 1,175 | 2,180 | |
| Jones County | R | 471 | 601 | 1,072 | |
| Kingsbury County | R | 1,585 | 2,933 | 4,518 | |
| Lake County | R | 2,058 | 3,404 | 5,462 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 1,871 | 4,654 | 6,525 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 2,141 | 3,529 | 5,670 | |
| Lyman County | R | 873 | 1,151 | 2,024 | |
| Marshall County | R | 1,758 | 2,382 | 4,140 | |
| McCook County | R | 633 | 2,225 | 2,858 | |
| McPherson County | R | 1,635 | 1,639 | 3,274 | |
| Meade County | R | 1,658 | 2,467 | 4,125 | |
| Mellette County | R | 520 | 643 | 1,163 | |
| Miner County | D | 1,517 | 1,456 | 2,973 | |
| Minnehaha County | R | 13,093 | 22,285 | 35,378 | |
| Moody County | R | 1,840 | 2,133 | 3,973 | |
| Oglala Lakota County | D | 949 | 782 | 1,731 | |
| Pennington County | R | 5,332 | 10,955 | 16,287 | |
| Perkins County | R | 1,191 | 1,743 | 2,934 | |
| Potter County | R | 843 | 1,445 | 2,288 | |
| Roberts County | D | 3,246 | 2,854 | 6,100 | |
| Sanborn County | R | 1,302 | 1,327 | 2,629 | |
| Spink County | D | 2,873 | 2,683 | 5,556 | |
| Stanley County | R | 567 | 587 | 1,154 | |
| Sully County | R | 494 | 726 | 1,220 | |
| Todd County | D | 833 | 748 | 1,581 | |
| Tripp County | R | 1,835 | 2,064 | 3,899 | |
| Turner County | R | 1,682 | 4,096 | 5,778 | |
| Union County | R | 2,343 | 2,636 | 4,979 | |
| Walworth County | R | 1,409 | 2,132 | 3,541 | |
| Yankton County | R | 2,987 | 4,063 | 7,050 | |
| Ziebach County | R | 472 | 627 | 1,099 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1956 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.