The South Dakota Republican Party logo hangs on a podium during a rally Sept. 8, 2023, at The Monument in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
The South Dakota Republican Party is arguably the most powerful special interest group in the state. With just over half of the state’s registered voters, Republicans dominate all statewide offices and over 90% of legislative seats. They control the state’s election system and government.
The Republican primary is the only election that usually matters in South Dakota. The party employs a closed primary system, allowing only registered Republicans to vote in it — though all taxpayers fund it. In most cases, the Republican primary winners are the default winners of the general election.
That’s been a cozy system for the Republican Party for many years. However, it is no longer working so well. Internal conflicts are threatening the party’s cohesion, highlighting the need for electoral reform.
In the last several years a new and powerful faction has emerged in the party. The new group surprised mainstream Republicans at a recent party convention and primary election. This new group thinks the party should be more conservative. They have been labeled by some traditional party leaders as “wackadoodles.” Meanwhile, the new faction refers to traditional Republicans as “RINOs,” which stands for Republican In Name Only. The situation is not ideal. But change may be on the way.