1958 South Dakota gubernatorial election

1958 South Dakota gubernatorial election
	County results; Herseth: 50–60% 60–70% ; Saunders: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% ; Tie: 50–60%
Governor before election; Joe Foss; Republican	Elected Governor ; Ralph Herseth; Democratic

The 1958 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1958.

Incumbent Republican Governor Joe Foss was term-limited.

Democratic nominee Ralph Herseth defeated Republican nominee Phil Saunders with 51.40% of the vote.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 3, 1958.^[1]

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ralph Herseth		unopposed

Republican primary results^[3]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Saunders	49,746	61.60
	Republican	L. Roy Houck	21,621	26.77
	Republican	Charles Lacey	9,384	11.62
Total votes			80,751	100.00

1958 South Dakota gubernatorial election^[5]^[6]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ralph Herseth	132,761	51.40%
	Republican	Phil Saunders	125,520	48.60%
Majority			7,241	2.80%
Turnout			258,281	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

^ "South Dakota: Section I. Elections". Voting Information. Washington, D.C.: Prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information & Education, Department of Defense. March 1958. p. 78. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ "Ralph E. Herseth". Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum of South Dakota. May 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 142.
^ Crass, Scott (2016). "Chapter 125: Herseth-Sandlin's Grandpa's Tenure Marked Short Gap in Long GOP Dominance in South Dakota". Statesmen and mischief makers: Officeholders and their contributions to history from Kennedy to Reagan. Vol. III. XLibris. p. 948. ISBN 978-1-5144-6976-7. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Elections (PDF). p. 635. Retrieved May 21, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 79.
^ "SD Governor, 1958". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.