← Election Series · State Legislature coverage · South Dakota districts
Endorses Gosch
The race
House District 23 elects 2 seats in 2026. The incumbent of record is Spencer Gosch (Republican). On the confirmed general-election roster (Ballotpedia compilation; see Sources): Spencer Gosch (Republican), Dick Werner (Republican), Garett Heinz (Independent).
Spencer Gosch (Republican) (incumbent). On the compiled record, Spencer Gosch is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Runs under the party whose program — Constitution, free markets, faith, freedom — this publication supports; Republicans are in-tent, and intra-party questions are priced on records, not faction labels. Cons: No proven in-service flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Dick Werner (Republican). On the compiled record, Dick Werner is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Runs under the party whose program — Constitution, free markets, faith, freedom — this publication supports; Republicans are in-tent, and intra-party questions are priced on records, not faction labels. Cons: No proven in-service flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Garett Heinz (Independent). On the compiled record, Garett Heinz is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Offers voters an option outside both party programs. Cons: No record toward this publication's values was verified at this sourcing depth; an unproven candidacy is a watch posture, not a demerit — but it does not displace a Republican on this record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located; equally, no affirmative case on our values was documented.
OUR CALL
We endorse Spencer Gosch and Dick Werner for the 2 seats. The reasoning is the doctrine applied to the sourced roster: no proven flaw was located against the endorsed candidate(s), no Democratic candidate on this ballot passed the Manchin test, and no extremist classification was documented for any candidate — so the call rests on party program and caucus math, stated openly.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia, "South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2026" — roster, incumbency, open-seat status — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026
- Sabato's Crystal Ball, "The Key State Legislative Races" (October 2026) — both South Dakota chambers rated Safe Republican — https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/the-key-state-legislative-races-gop-plays-defense-in-midwest-and-elsewhere/
- Ballotpedia News, May 20, 2026 — record contested incumbents/primaries context — https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/05/20/record-high-number-of-contested-incumbents-in-south-dakotas-state-legislative-elections-this-year/
- Record gaps: no district partisan baseline, detailed legislative voting record, or campaign-finance figures for these nominees were verified at this sourcing depth; the South Dakota Secretary of State's 2026 candidate list was located but not paginated in full in the roster pass, so roster strength remains compilation (Ballotpedia), not SOS
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot.
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
← All South Dakota state-legislative districts · Full state-legislative enumeration