South Dakota 18th State Senate District (SD) — Elections 1892–2024

2024

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	60.1%	7,090
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	37.2%	4,388
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Other	2.7%	323

D+60

R+60

District boundary, filled by its own 2024 D-vs-R margin — precinct detail where available, over the 2 counties it's drawn from (shown faint).

The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the district’s overall result across 1892–2024, on its current boundaries.

County-level results (2 counties) — table

2024 presidential result by county for South Dakota 18th State Senate District — winner and D-vs-R margin.
County	Winner	Margin
Clay County, SD	Democratic	D+6.5
Yankton County, SD	Republican	R+25.5

38 presidential elections

Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). † 2008, 2012 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for these cycles was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Other	Margin	Total
2024	R	37.2%Harris4,388	60.1%Trump7,090	2.7%Kennedy323	−22.9%	11,801
2020	R	38.3%Biden4,545	59.0%Trump7,001	2.8%Jorgensen330	−20.7%	11,876
2016	R	35.7%Clinton3,748	57.4%Trump6,020	6.9%Johnson723	−21.7%	10,491
2012^†	R	43.5%Obama4,733	53.9%Romney5,862	2.5%Johnson275	−10.4%	10,870
2008^†	D	49.0%Obama5,491	48.5%McCain5,432	2.5%Nader281	+0.5%	11,204
2004	R	41.9%Kerry4,806	56.3%Bush6,464	1.8%Nader212	−14.4%	11,482
2000	R	42.1%Gore4,048	55.2%Bush5,309	2.7%Buchanan258	−13.1%	9,615
1996	D	43.8%Clinton4,286	43.2%Dole4,229	12.9%Browne1,266	+0.6%	9,781
1992	D	37.4%Clinton3,889	36.0%Bush3,750	26.6%Perot2,768	+1.3%	10,407
1988	R	47.8%Dukakis4,267	51.3%Bush4,581	1.0%Paul86	−3.5%	8,934
1984	R	37.2%Mondale3,397	62.2%Reagan5,685	0.6%Serrette59	−25.0%	9,141
1980	R	31.4%Carter3,088	59.7%Reagan5,870	8.9%Anderson872	−28.3%	9,830
1976	R	49.3%Carter4,431	49.8%Ford4,483	0.9%Macbride82	−0.6%	8,996
1972	R	47.2%McGovern4,319	52.5%Nixon4,797	0.3%Schmitz26	−5.2%	9,142
1968	R	39.2%Humphrey3,077	55.6%Nixon4,362	5.2%Wallace405	−16.4%	7,844
1964	D	54.4%Johnson4,193	45.6%Goldwater3,517	0.0%	+8.8%	7,709
1960	R	42.7%Kennedy3,383	57.3%Nixon4,540	0.0%	−14.6%	7,923
1956	R	42.4%Stevenson3,317	57.6%Eisenhower4,514	0.0%Andrews1	−15.3%	7,832
1952	R	31.4%Stevenson2,462	68.6%Eisenhower5,368	0.0%	−37.1%	7,830
1948	D	49.5%Truman3,289	49.5%Dewey3,286	1.0%Thurmond66	+0.0%	6,641
1944	R	42.2%Roosevelt2,667	57.8%Dewey3,651	0.0%	−15.6%	6,318
1940	R	42.9%Roosevelt3,453	57.1%Willkie4,601	0.0%	−14.3%	8,054
1936	D	58.7%Roosevelt4,875	36.0%Landon2,992	5.2%Lemke434	+22.7%	8,301
1932	D	72.5%Roosevelt5,451	26.0%Hoover1,953	1.6%Thomas119	+46.5%	7,523
1928	R	47.3%Smith3,093	52.2%Hoover3,412	0.5%Thomas30	−4.9%	6,535
1924	O	17.8%Davis777	40.1%Coolidge1,747	42.0%La Follette1,831	La Follette +1.9	4,355
1920	R	28.0%Cox1,303	61.8%Harding2,878	10.2%Debs475	−33.8%	4,656
1916	D	49.5%Wilson1,645	48.2%Hughes1,600	2.3%Benson77	+1.4%	3,322
1912	O	43.7%Wilson1,448	0.0%Taft0	56.3%Roosevelt1,869	Roosevelt +12.7	3,317
1908	R	38.5%Bryan1,256	57.2%Taft1,865	4.4%Debs142	−18.7%	3,263
1904	R	26.3%Parker850	70.0%Roosevelt2,264	3.7%Debs119	−43.7%	3,233
1900	R	43.0%Bryan1,446	55.8%McKinley1,877	1.2%Woolley39	−12.8%	3,362
1896	R	47.7%Bryan1,512	51.6%McKinley1,635	0.6%Palmer20	−3.9%	3,167
1892	R	10.4%Cleveland256	53.9%Harrison1,323	35.6%Weaver874	−43.5%	2,453
1888	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1884	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1880	—	—	—	—	No data	—
1876	—	—	—	—	No data	—

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1892–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	−43.5%
1896	−3.9%
1900	−12.8%
1904	−43.7%
1908	−18.7%
1912	+43.7%
1916	+1.4%
1920	−33.8%
1924	−22.3%
1928	−4.9%
1932	+46.5%
1936	+22.7%
1940	−14.3%
1944	−15.6%
1948	+0.0%
1952	−37.1%
1956	−15.3%
1960	−14.6%
1964	+8.8%
1968	−16.4%
1972	−5.2%
1976	−0.6%
1980	−28.3%
1984	−25.0%
1988	−3.5%
1992	+1.3%
1996	+0.6%
2000	−13.1%
2004	−14.4%
2008	+0.5%
2012	−10.4%
2016	−21.7%
2020	−20.7%
2024	−22.9%

DemocraticRepublican

current representation

Current officeholders

RLauren NelsonState Senate · 18

State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.

Source · OpenStates current legislator CSV.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+34.9, this sparsely populated district of roughly 24,000 residents reflects the heavily Republican rural voting patterns that define much of western South Dakota's political landscape.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 46.5 points in 1932 and a Republican high of 43.7 points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 2.2 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 22.9 points.

A population of 24,139, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $72,660 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 32 and State Senate District 25.

Political twins — state-senate districts

The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

State Senate District 32

North Dakota

91.7twin score

elasticitypopulation scale12-yr trend≠ Norwegian ancestry

State Senate District 25

North Dakota

91.0twin score

population scaleelasticity% White≠ % unaffiliated

State Senate District 14

North Dakota

90.0twin score

population scaleelasticity% White≠ 2024 margin

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

South Dakota 18th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/46018/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

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Places within South Dakota 18th State Senate District

counties it covers2

Clay County Yankton County

Frequently asked questions

How did South Dakota 18th State Senate District vote in 2024?

In 2024, South Dakota 18th State Senate District voted Republican by 22.9 points (R+22.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 11,801 votes cast, 4,388 went Democratic and 7,090 went Republican.

When did South Dakota 18th State Senate District last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which South Dakota 18th State Senate District voted Democratic was 2008.

How many people live in South Dakota 18th State Senate District?

South Dakota 18th State Senate District has a population of 24,139 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in South Dakota 18th State Senate District?

Median household income in South Dakota 18th State Senate District is $72,660 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.

What is the political history of South Dakota 18th State Senate District?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Dakota 18th State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 8 went Democratic and 24 went Republican.