The 1946 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Republican Governor Merrell Q. Sharpe ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Attorney General George T. Mickelson. In the general election, Mickelson faced farmer Richard Haeder, the Democratic nominee. In part because of South Dakota's growing trend toward the Republican Party, and because of the national Republican landslide, Mickelson easily defeated Haeder, winning 67% of the vote to Haeder's 33%.