Christine Erickson and Jamie Smith to Contest Mayoral Race in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Additional primaries in Minnehaha County are detailed below.
The Democratic and Republican primaries occurred today in South Dakota to select candidates for the November 2026 general election. This post covers the races for county and city positions in the state’s most-populous county: Minnehaha. Separate posts will be covering the primaries for federal and statewide executive offices as well as both chambers of the state legislature.
The general election for these county positions in South Dakota’s main population center will be held on November 3, 2026.
Minnehaha County Board of Commissioners:
At-Large (Three):
No candidate qualified for the Democratic primary.
Former State Senator Brent Hoffman, incumbent Jen Bleyenberg, and sales manager Rick Bonander won the Republican primary with 21.4% (7,395), 20.3% (7,004), and 18.2% (6,299) against Sioux Falls city employee Matthew Nelson with 15.2% (5,269), real estate broker Larry Luetke with 13.4% (4,646), and customer service representative Penny BayBridge with 11.5% (3,963). 34,576 votes counted.
Minnehaha County Officials:
Auditor:
No candidate qualified for the Democratic primary.
Incumbent Leah Anderson won the Republican primary with 73.1% (12,813) against surveyor Samuel McCarty with 26.9% (4,725). 17,538 votes counted.
Register of Deeds:
No candidate qualified for the Democratic primary.
Investigator Riley Karsky won the Republican primary with 61.0% (8,871) against former county party chair David Roetman with 39.0% (5,673). 14,544 votes counted.
Sheriff:
No candidate qualified for the Democratic primary.
Captain Josh Phillips won the Republican primary with 84.2% (15,572) against former corrections officer Bobby Smith with 15.8% (2,916). 18,488 votes counted.
Mayor (Nonpartisan):
In Sioux Falls, former City Councilmember Christine Erickson and State Senator Jamie Smith will advance with 37.2% (14,407) and 28.3% (10,959) against State Representative Greg Jamison with 18.3% (7,081), businessman Joe Batcheller with 14.6% (5,663), and data analyst David Zokaites with 1.6% (623). 38,733 votes counted.