1986Final results
1986 election for South Dakota Governor
Governor · South Dakota
George S. Mickelson (R) won with 51.8% of the vote, defeating R. Lars Herseth (D) by 3.6 points.
George S. MickelsonRepublican · winner
51.8%152,543
R. Lars HersethDemocrat
48.2%141,898
294,441 votes
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET