Blue wave battered GOP strongholds across America, but one red state held the line

South Dakota was one of the few Republican strongholds to resist the Democratic surge in Tuesday's midterms. Governor Larry Rhoden won about 63.5% of the vote, essentially matching the 63.4% Donald Trump posted there in 2024. Republicans also took every other statewide contest and kept firm control of the legislature, according to Fox News.

The result differed from Idaho and Wyoming, where Republican gubernatorial candidates won comfortably but with smaller shares than Trump had earned two years earlier. South Dakota's top-of-ticket numbers barely moved.

Rhoden's challenger, Dan Ahlers, ran as a self-described conservative Democrat focused on the cost of living, health care in rural areas and schools, yet he finished with only 36.5%. Democrats did make some headway locally, flipping four legislative seats in the Sioux Falls area. That marks the first time since 2008 the party has added legislative seats in the state.

Elsewhere, Democrats using a similar message fared better against Republican margins. In Florida, David Jolly, a former Republican, held the GOP to 50%, about six points under the party's 2024 presidential showing. Tennessee's Democratic nominee for governor likewise cut sharply into the Republican advantage.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →