The 2016 South Dakota Public Utilities Commission election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect one of three members of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Incumbent Republican Chris Nelson, appointed to the position in 2011 and elected to an unexpired term in 2012, was re-elected to his first full term in office, defeating Democratic challenger Henry Red Cloud in a landslide.https://www.sdpb.org/politics/2016-11-09/nelson-keeps-puc-seat
Republican primary Candidates Nominee Chris Nelson, incumbent public utilities commissioner (2011–present)https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2016/10/31/nelson-leads-red-cloud-money-race/93085872/
Democratic primary Candidates Nominee Henry Red Cloud, entrepreneurhttps://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2016/10/26/puc-race-pits-incumbent-against-newcomer-renewable-energy-focus/92641666/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z119046e002400v119046d--90--b--90--&gca-ft=147&gca-ds=sophi
General election
Results
By county CountyChris NelsonRepublicanHenry Red CloudDemocraticMarginTotal#%#%#%Aurora1,20185.24%20814.76%99370.48%1,409Beadle5,37680.16%1,33119.84%4,04560.31%6,707Bennett68561.22%43438.78%25122.43%1,119Bon Homme2,41583.51%47716.49%1,93867.01%2,892Brookings8,89972.50%3,37627.50%5,52344.99%12,275Brown11,77575.46%3,82924.54%7,94650.92%15,604Brule1,86283.24%37516.76%1,48766.47%2,237Buffalo17435.73%31364.27%-139-28.54%487Butte3,54284.27%66115.73%2,88168.55%4,203Campbell76392.94%587.06%70585.87%821Charles Mix2,63977.50%76622.50%1,87355.01%3,405Clark1,36984.82%24515.18%1,12469.64%1,614Clay2,85858.95%1,99041.05%86817.90%4,848Codington9,12281.04%2,13418.96%6,98862.08%11,256Corson58951.71%55048.29%393.42%1,139Custer3,50776.36%1,08623.64%2,42152.71%4,593Davison6,40581.59%1,44518.41%4,96063.18%7,850Day1,96474.73%66425.27%1,30049.47%2,628Deuel1,65080.84%39119.16%1,25961.69%2,041Dewey70242.21%96157.79%-259-15.57%1,663Douglas1,42791.12%1398.88%1,28882.25%1,566Edmunds1,58286.17%25413.83%1,32872.33%1,836Fall River2,54174.10%88825.90%1,65348.21%3,429Faulk94185.94%15414.06%78771.87%1,095Grant2,82781.75%63118.25%2,19663.50%3,458Gregory1,65482.33%35517.67%1,29964.66%2,009Haakon96493.87%636.13%90187.73%1,027Hamlin2,33886.40%36813.60%1,97072.80%2,706Hand1,55687.12%23012.88%1,32674.24%1,786Hanson1,52981.16%35518.84%1,17462.31%1,884Harding69992.83%547.17%64585.66%753Hughes6,75082.66%1,41617.34%5,33465.32%8,166Hutchinson2,88587.29%42012.71%2,46574.58%3,305Hyde58085.93%9514.07%48571.85%675Jackson72568.46%33431.54%39136.92%1,059Jerauld74978.51%20521.49%54457.02%954Jones48988.27%6511.73%42476.53%554Kingsbury1,97079.56%50620.44%1,46459.13%2,476Lake4,85075.39%1,58324.61%3,26750.79%6,433Lawrence8,51174.01%2,98925.99%5,52248.02%11,500Lincoln19,53680.19%4,82619.81%14,71060.38%24,362Lyman1,04975.63%33824.37%71151.26%1,387Marshall1,42174.95%47525.05%94649.89%1,896McCook2,15084.55%39315.45%1,75769.09%2,543McPherson1,02189.80%11610.20%90579.60%1,137Meade9,03680.94%2,12819.06%6,90861.88%11,164Mellette44965.93%23234.07%21731.86%681Miner88583.41%17616.59%70966.82%1,061Minnehaha53,39471.95%20,81528.05%32,57943.90%74,209Moody2,08372.15%80427.85%1,27944.30%2,887Oglala Lakota2699.37%2,60190.63%-2,332-81.25%2,870Pennington32,89272.48%12,49027.52%20,40244.96%45,382Perkins1,38588.39%18211.61%1,20376.77%1,567Potter1,16689.35%13910.65%1,02778.70%1,305Roberts2,53166.66%1,26633.34%1,26533.32%3,797Sanborn92484.31%17215.69%75268.61%1,096Spink2,36180.72%56419.28%1,79761.44%2,925Stanley1,29383.96%24716.04%1,04667.92%1,540Sully73487.28%10712.72%62774.55%841Todd46922.56%1,61077.44%-1,141-54.88%2,079Tripp2,21485.61%37214.39%1,84271.23%2,586Turner3,38283.30%67816.70%2,70466.60%4,060Union5,86777.41%1,71222.59%4,15554.82%7,579Walworth2,04585.17%35614.83%1,68970.35%2,401Yankton6,95575.25%2,28724.75%4,66850.51%9,242Ziebach37349.87%37550.13%-2-0.27%748Totals268,94875.38%87,85924.62%181,08950.75%356,807
References