South Dakota Primary Election 2020: Recounts possible in Lincoln, Minnehaha legislative districts

One legislator is out and two legislative races could have recounts after narrow victories in Sioux Falls legislative primaries. 

Results for Republican primaries in Minnehaha County were slow to come in after the election workers were overwhelmed by the number of absentee ballots cast for Tuesday's Sioux Falls city/school district and primary elections. The last of the legislative race results in Minnehaha County were reported at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 27 hours after polls closed on Tuesday.

Rep. Isaac Latterell of Tea won't return to Pierre after he was defeated by Rep. Herman Otten of Lennox in the Republican primary for Senate District 6, which includes part of Lincoln County south of Sioux Falls. Otten received 61% and Latterell received 39% of the votes. Both Otten, a construction company owner, and Latterell, a technology business owner, have reached their term limits representing the district in the House.

More:Minnehaha County Auditor attributes election results delay to record absentees

Herman Otten will next face Democratic candidate Nancy Kirstein of Lennox in the November general election for Senate District 6.

House District 6 could have a recount after Tuesday's Republican primary.

Sen. Ernie Otten of Tea, who works in contractor sales, came out on top with 37% of the votes. Aaron Aylward of Harrisburg, a service and sales representative and former chair of the South Dakota Libertarian Party, only had 35 more votes than third place finisher Nathan Block, a certified public accountant and Lincoln County Republicans chair. Thomas Werner of Sioux Falls was defeated after receiving 9% of the votes.

The winners of the House District 6 Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Cody Ingle of Sioux Falls in the November general election.

More:Live election results from South Dakota's 2020 primary

House District 9, which covers Minnehaha County northwest of Sioux Falls, could also have a recount after Bethany Soye of Sioux Falls had a narrow eight-vote victory over former legislator Michael Clark. Rep. Rhonda Milstead won with her first election with 49% on Tuesday after being appointed to represent House District 9 in January 2019. Soye followed with 26% or 589 of the votes, defeating Clark, who received 25% or 581 votes.

The two top vote-getters in House District 9 will face Democratic Rep. Michael Saba of Hartford, who is in his first term, and Democratic candidate Toni Miller of Sioux Falls in the November general election.

Sioux Falls districts 

Rep. Arch Beal and Greg Jamison, both of Sioux Falls, will advance as the Republican candidates for House District 12, which covers southwestern Sioux Falls. Beal, a business owner in his third term representing the district in the House, and Jamison, a former legislator and Sioux Falls city councilor who works in real estate and marketing, won with large margins of 41% for Jamison and 35% for Beal. They defeated Amy Miller with 16% and George Hendrickson with 8%.

Beal and Jamison will face Democratic candidate Erin Royer of Sioux Falls in the November general election for House District 12.

Rep. Larry Zikmund of Sioux Falls will advance as the Republican candidate for Senate District 14 after defeating Sioux Falls resident David Zellmer, the former bishop of the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Zikmund, who received 59% of the votes, is in his third term representing the district in the House. Zellmer received 41% of the votes.

Zikmund will face Democratic candidate Timothy Reed of Sioux Falls in the November general election. District 14 covers southeastern Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls residents Taylor Rae Rehfeldt, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, and former legislator Tom Holmes, a retired high school social studies teacher, will advance as the Republican candidates for House District 14 after defeating Brad Lindwurm in Tuesday's primary. Rehfeldt received 40% and Holmes received 39%, while Lindwurm received 21%.

Rehfeldt and Holmes will face Democratic Rep. Erin Healy of Sioux Falls, who is in her first term, and Democratic candidate Mike Huber of Sioux Falls in the November general election for House District 14.