# South Dakota Senate

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)
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total |
| Affiliation | Republican | Democratic | Total |
| 92nd Legislature | 32 | 3 | 35 |
| 98th Legislature | 31 | 4 | 35 |
| 99th Legislature | 32 | 3 | 35 |
| Latest voting share | 91% | 9% | |

### Officers

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

### List of current senators

| District | Senator | Party | Since | Residence | Counties represented |
| 1st | Michael Rohl | Republican | 2021 | Aberdeen | Brown, Day, Marshall, Roberts |
| 2nd | Steve Kolbeck | Republican | 2023 | Brandon | Brown, Clark, Hamlin, Spink |
| 3rd | Carl Perry | Republican | 2025 | Aberdeen | Brown |
| 4th | Stephanie Sauder | Republican | 2025 | Bryant | Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Roberts |
| 5th | Glen Vilhauer | Republican | 2025 | Watertown | Codington |
| 6th | Ernie Otten | Republican | 2025 | Tea | Lincoln |
| 7th | Tim Reed | Republican | 2023 | Brookings | Brookings |
| 8th | Casey Crabtree | Republican | 2020 | Madison | Lake, Miner, Moody, Sanborn |
| 9th | Joy Hohn | Republican | 2025 | Hartford | Minnehaha |
| 10th | Liz Larson | Democratic | 2023 | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha |
| 11th | Chris Karr | Republican | 2025 | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha |
| 12th | Arch Beal | Republican | 2023 | Sioux Falls | Lincoln, Minnehaha |
| 13th | Sue Peterson | Republican | 2025 | Sioux Falls | Lincoln, Minnehaha |
| 14th | Larry Zikmund | Republican | 2021 | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha |
| 15th | Jamie Smith | Democratic | 2025 | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha |
| 16th | Kevin Jensen | Republican | 2025 | Canton | Lincoln, Turner, Union |
| 17th | Sydney Davis | Republican | 2023 | Burbank | Clay, Union |
| 18th | Lauren Nelson | Republican | 2025 | Yankton | Clay, Yankton |
| 19th | Kyle Schoenfish | Republican | 2020 | Scotland | Bon Homme, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook |
| 20th | Paul Miskimins | Republican | 2025 | Mitchell | Davison, Jerauld, Miner, Sanborn |
| 21st | Mykala Voita | Republican | 2025 | Bonesteel | Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, Tripp |
| 22nd | David Wheeler | Republican | 2021 | Huron | Beadle, Kingsbury |
| 23rd | Mark Lapka | Republican | 2025 | Leola | Brown, Campbell, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, McPherson, Potter, Walworth |
| 24th | Jim Mehlhaff | Republican | 2023 | Pierre | Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, Sully |
| 25th | Tom Pischke | Republican | 2023 | Dell Rapids | Minnehaha |
| 26th | Tamara Grove | Republican | 2025 | Lower Brule | Brule, Buffalo, Hughes, Hyde, Jones, Lyman, Mellette, Todd |
| 27th | Red Dawn Foster | Democratic | 2019 | Pine Ridge | Bennett, Haakon, Jackson, Oglala Lakota, Pennington |
| 28th | Sam Marty | Republican | 2025 | Prairie City | Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Perkins, Ziebach |
| 29th | John Carley | Republican | 2025 | Piedmont | Meade |
| 30th | Amber Hulse | Republican | 2025 | Hot Springs | Custer, Fall River, Pennington |
| 31st | Randy Deibert | Republican | 2023 | Spearfish | Lawrence |
| 32nd | Helene Duhamel | Republican | 2019 | Rapid City | Pennington |
| 33rd | Curt Voight | Republican | 2025 | Rapid City | Meade, Pennington |
| 34th | Taffy Howard | Republican | 2025 | Rapid City | Pennington |
| 35th | Greg Blanc | Republican | 2025 | Rapid City | Pennington |

## Diversity among senators

In 2010, Democrat Angie Buhl became the first openly LGBT person ever elected to the state legislature. She served from 2011–2017.