1928 South Dakota gubernatorial election

1928 South Dakota gubernatorial election

← 1926 November 6, 1928 1930 →

Nominee William J. Bulow Buell F. Jones Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 136,016 121,643 Percentage 52.48% 46.94%

County results Bulow:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90% Jones:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor of South Dakota before election William J. Bulow Democratic Elected Governor of South Dakota William J. Bulow Democratic

Elections in South Dakota
Federal government Presidential elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2008 2016 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1889 1891 1894 1897 1901 1903 1903 sp 1907 1909 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1938 1938 sp 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1889 1890 1891 AL sp 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 AL sp 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 AL sp 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government General elections 2010 2014 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1889 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Senate elections 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2020 2022
Ballot measures 2006 Amendment C 2008 Measure 9 Measure 10 2020 Amendment A Measure 26 2024 Amendment E Amendment G Amendment H
Sioux Falls City elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Mayoral elections 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Rapid City City elections 2020 2022 2024 2026 Mayoral elections 2022
Pierre City elections 2020 2022 2024 2026 Mayoral elections 2022
v t e

The 1928 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1928. Incumbent Democratic Governor William J. Bulow ran for re-election to a second term. In the general election, he faced Attorney General Buell F. Jones, the Republican nominee. Despite Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover overwhelmingly defeating Democratic nominee Al Smith overwhelmingly in South Dakota, Bulow defeated Jones by a decisive margin to retain the governorship. In so doing, he became the first Democratic candidate for Governor to receive a majority of the vote in the state's history.

Governor Bulow was renominated by the Democratic Party without opposition and no primary election was held.^[1]

In accordance with the complicated Richards primary law, which governed party nominations in South Dakota at the time, the Republican Party held a convention to select its statewide nominees; however, if a requisite number of delegates opposed the candidates selected by the majority, they could force a primary election to be held. Seven Republican candidates ran for the governorship:^[2]

• Lieutenant Governor H. E. Covey
• Attorney General Buell F. Jones
• State Auditor E. A. Jones
• State Senator Brooke Howell
• State Senator D. R. Perkins
• Former State Secretary of Agriculture B. F. Myers
• C. M. Day, editor of the Argus Leader

In the lead-up to the Republican convention, Jones, Day, and Howell were seen as the likeliest candidates, with the contest likely coming down to Jones and Day.^[3]

At the convention, Jones took a leading position, remaining in first place on the first ballot, but still standing several thousand votes short of victory. Over subsequent ballots, he got closer and closer, and lagging candidates removed themselves from contention. Only on the fifth ballot did Jones receive the requisite vote to win the nomination.^[2]

• John Sumption
• G. L. Hasvold

At the March 1928 Farmer–Labor convention, John Sumption won the party's nomination; however, a minority faction at the convention favoring G. L. Hasvold dissented from Sumption's nomination and forced a primary.^[4] With just a few hundred voters turning out, Sumption defeated Hasvold to win the party's nomination.