South Dakota Senate

{{short description|Upper house of the South Dakota State Legislature}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

{{See also|South Dakota House of Representatives}}

{{Infobox legislature

| background_color = {{party color|Republican Party (US)}}

| name = South Dakota Senate

| legislature = South Dakota Legislature

| coa_pic = SouthDakota-StateSeal.svg

| session_room = South Dakota Senate Chamber.jpg

| session_res = 225px

| house_type = Upper house

| term_limits = 4 terms (8 years)

| new_session = January 14, 2025

| leader1_type = President

| leader1 = Tony Venhuizen (R)

| election1 = January 30, 2025

| leader2_type = President pro tempore

| leader2 = Chris Karr (R)

| election2 = January 14, 2025

| leader3_type = Majority Leader

| leader3 = Jim Mehlhaff (R)

| election3 = January 14, 2025

| leader4_type = Minority Leader

| leader4 = Liz Larson (D)

| election4 = January 14, 2025

| term_length = 2 years

| authority = Article III, South Dakota Constitution

| salary = $12,850.80/session + $151 per legislative day{{efn|Legislative pay must be one-fifth of median household income of South Dakota}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.keloland.com/news/capitol-news-bureau/s-d-legislators-salary-raise-strains-budget/|title = S.D. Legislators' salary raise strains budget|date = 17 November 2020}}

|members = 35

|structure1 = South Dakota Senate, February 2025.svg

| structure1_res = 250px

| political_groups1 =

Majority party

{{legend|#F8050D|Republican (32)}}

Minority party

{{legend|#0000FF|Democratic (3)}}

| last_election1 = November 5, 2024
(35 seats)

| next_election1 = November 3, 2026
(35 seats)

| redistricting = Legislative control

| meeting_place = State Senate Chamber
South Dakota State Capitol
Pierre, South Dakota

| website = [http://sdlegislature.gov/ South Dakota State Legislature]

}}

The Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district. It meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre.

Composition

:99th Legislature (2025)

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

style="vertical-align:bottom;"

!rowspan=3|Affiliation

!colspan=2|Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

!rowspan=3|Total

style="height:5px"

| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |

nowrap style="font-size:80%"|92nd Legislature

|{{party shading/Republican}}|32

|3

!35

colspan=4|

nowrap style="font-size:80%"|98th Legislature

|{{party shading/Republican}}|31

|4

!35

nowrap style="font-size:80%"|99th Legislature

|{{party shading/Republican}}|32

|3

!35

Latest voting share

!{{party shading/Republican}}|{{percentage|32|35|0}}

!{{percentage|3|35|0}}

!colspan=2|

=Officers=

class=wikitable ! Position !! Name !! Party !! District
President Pro Tem of the Senate	Chris Karr	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	11
Majority Leader	Jim Mehlhaff	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	241
Assistant Majority Leader	Carl Perry	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	34
rowspan=4\|Majority Whips	Randy Deibert	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	31
Kevin Jensen	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	16
Sue Peterson	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	13
Tom Pischke	{{Party shading/Republican}} \| Republican	25
Minority Leader	Liz Larson	{{Party shading/Democratic}} \| Democratic	10
Assistant Minority Leader	Jamie Smith	{{Party shading/Democratic}} \| Democratic	15
Minority Whip	None	{{Party shading/Vacant}} \| N/A

=List of current senators=

File:SDsenateMakeup.svg

class= "sortable wikitable"

! District !! Senator !! Party !! Since !! Residence !! Counties represented

| {{sortname|Michael|Rohl|dab=politician}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2021

| Brown, Day, Marshall, Roberts

| {{sortname|Steve|Kolbeck}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| Brown, Clark, Hamlin, Spink

| {{sortname|Carl|Perry|Carl E. Perry}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Stephanie|Sauder}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Roberts

| {{sortname|Glen|Vilhauer}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Ernie|Otten}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Tim|Reed}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| {{sortname|Casey|Crabtree}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2020

| Lake, Miner, Moody, Sanborn

| {{sortname|Joy|Hohn}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Liz|Larson}}

| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

| 2023

| {{sortname|Chris|Karr}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Arch|Beal}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| Lincoln, Minnehaha

| {{sortname|Sue|Peterson}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Lincoln, Minnehaha

| {{sortname|Larry|Zikmund}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2021

| {{sortname|Jamie|Smith|dab=politician}}

| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

| 2025

| {{sortname|Kevin|Jensen|Kevin D. Jensen}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Lincoln, Turner, Union

| {{sortname|Sydney|Davis|dab=South Dakota politician}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| {{sortname|Lauren|Nelson|dab=politician}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Clay, Yankton

| {{sortname|Kyle|Schoenfish}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2020

| Bon Homme, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook

| {{sortname|Paul|Miskimins}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Davison, Jerauld, Miner, Sanborn

| {{sortname|Mykala|Voita}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, Tripp

| {{sortname|David|Wheeler|dab=South Dakota politician}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2021

| Beadle, Kingsbury

| {{sortname|Mark|Lapka}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Brown, Campbell, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, McPherson, Potter, Walworth

| {{sortname|Jim|Mehlhaff}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, Sully

| {{sortname|Tom|Pischke}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| {{sortname|Tamara|Grove}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Brule, Buffalo, Hughes, Hyde, Jones, Lyman, Mellette, Todd

| {{sortname|Red Dawn|Foster}}

| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic

| 2019

| Bennett, Haakon, Jackson, Oglala Lakota, Pennington

| {{sortname|Sam|Marty}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Perkins, Ziebach

| {{sortname|John|Carley}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Amber|Hulse}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Custer, Fall River, Pennington

| {{sortname|Randy|Deibert}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2023

| {{sortname|Helene|Duhamel}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2019

| {{sortname|Curt|Voight}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| Meade, Pennington

| {{sortname|Taffy|Howard}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

| {{sortname|Greg|Blanc}}

| {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican

| 2025

Diversity among senators

In 2010, Democrat Angie Buhl became the first openly LGBT person ever elected to the state legislature.{{cite news|last=Reese |first=Phil |url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/04/26/2012-proving-busy-year-for-victory-fund/ |title=2012 proving busy year for Victory Fund |publisher=Washington Blade |access-date=2012-04-26}} She served from 2011–2017.

Past composition of the Senate

{{main|Political party strength in South Dakota}}

See also

South Dakota House of Representatives
Members of the South Dakota State Senate (1889–present)
List of South Dakota state legislatures

Notes

{{notelist}}

External links

[https://archive.today/20110521021804/http://www.vote-smart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=SD&criteria=upper Project Vote Smart - State Senate of South Dakota]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002052/http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/Roster.aspx?Body=S&CurrentSession=True%7COfficial South Dakota Senate Roster]

References

{{reflist}}

{{South Dakota Senate}}

{{United States legislatures}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:South Dakota Senate

Category:Pierre, South Dakota

Category:State upper houses in the United States