1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election

1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election
	County results ; Foss: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80–90% Herseth: 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election; Joe Foss; Republican	Elected Governor ; Joe Foss; Republican

The 1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956.

Incumbent Republican Governor Joe Foss defeated Democratic nominee Ralph Herseth with 54.39% of the vote.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 5, 1956.^[1]

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

Republican primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Foss (inc.)		unopposed

1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election^[4]^[5]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Foss (inc.)	158,819	54.39%
	Democratic	Ralph Herseth	133,198	45.61%
Majority			25,621	8.77%
Turnout			292,017	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

^ "South Dakota". Voting Information. Washington, D.C.: Prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information & Education, Department of Defense. March 1956. p. 98. 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.
^ Elections (PDF). p. 634. Retrieved May 21, 2020. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 79.
^ "SD Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

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