# Lauren Nelson

Lauren Nelson is a Republican member of the South Dakota Senate for district 18.

- Party: Republican
- Seat: South Dakota Senate, district 18
- Serving since: 2025-01-14
- Current term: SD 2025–26 session
- Open States ID: ocd-person/a5c8c5c0-c02e-49cf-834b-f8e9d118935a

Source: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/a5c8c5c0-c02e-49cf-834b-f8e9d118935a (America’s Political Pulse, Polarization Research Lab), data through 2026-10-27. Data under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Westwood, Sean J., and Yphtach Lelkes. 2024. America's Political Pulse [data set].

## Headline

Nelson sits at −0.15 on the CSIP scale, more liberal than 98% of State Senate Republicans.

## Ideology (CSIP)

CSIP score −0.15 (standard error 0.02), from 20 donors and 300 roll calls. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it, on one scale for every official. 1.7% of State Senate Republicans score lower.

## Votes (SD 2025–26 session)

567 roll calls. Attendance 100% (South Dakota Senate 96.6%). Party unity 89% (76%). 89 votes against the party majority.

Key votes:

- 2026-03-12 · voted nay · Do Pass · HB 1326 appropriate money for the ordinary expenses of the legislative, judicial, and executive departments of the state, the current expenses of state… · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1326/
- 2026-03-12 · voted yea · Do Pass Amended · HB 1051 revise property tax levies for school districts and to revise the state aid to general and special education formulas. · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1051/
- 2026-03-12 · voted nay · Do Pass Amended · SB 78 revise the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026. · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB78/
- 2026-03-09 · voted yea · Do Pass Amended · HB 1006 create a taskforce to study the creation of Indian medicaid managed care entities in the state. · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1006/
- 2026-03-09 · voted yea · Do Pass Amended · HB 1241 modify the requirements for public notice of a hearing prior to a vote to impose an excess tax levy, and to modify requirements to refer an excess tax… · fail · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1241/
- 2026-03-09 · voted yea · Do Pass · HB 1140 permit a court to impose as a condition of probation, or parole in certain circumstances, treatment at a nonprofit entity awarded an alternative care… · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1140/
- 2026-03-09 · voted nay · Do Pass · HB 1160 repeal the medical marijuana oversight committee. · fail · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1160/
- 2026-03-09 · voted yea · Do Pass Amended · HB 1184 define man and woman throughout the state. · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1184/
- 2026-03-09 · voted nay · Do Pass Amended · HB 1241 modify the requirements for public notice of a hearing prior to a vote to impose an excess tax levy, and to modify requirements to refer an excess tax… · fail · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1241/
- 2026-03-09 · voted nay · Do Pass Amended · HB 1082 establish parameters for the reimbursement of school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students. · pass · https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1082/

## Legislation (SD 2025–26 session)

Sponsored 143 bills: 136 reached committee, 65 passed one chamber, 51 passed both, 43 became law. Cosponsored 0. 86.0% of sponsored bills got out of committee (South Dakota Senate 78.2%; rank 10 of 34).

Recent sponsored bills:

- HB 1323: modify the requirements to refer an ordinance or resolution to the voters of a political subdivision. (passed both chambers, 2026-03-10) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1323/
- HB 1313: require education in prenatal human growth and development. (became law, 2026-03-30) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1313/
- SB 132: modify provisions related to the South Dakota Veterans Council. (became law, 2026-03-30) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB132/
- SB 131: revise the season in which a nonprofit organization may host a special pheasant hunt for disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients. (became law, 2026-03-30) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB131/
- SB 229: require an election to approve the issuance of certain capital outlay certificates, lease-purchase contracts, or installment purchase contracts. (in committee, 2026-02-23) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB229/
- HB 1310: make an appropriation for providing loans to custom exempt plants and slaughtering establishments. (in committee, 2026-02-10) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/HB1310/
- SB 223: modify the requirements for a petition to refer an excess tax levy of a school district to a vote. (passed one chamber, 2026-03-02) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB223/
- SJR 508: proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election, amendments to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, removing the lieutenant… (passed one chamber, 2026-03-04) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SJR508/
- SC 807: recognizing and honoring custodial staff across the State of South Dakota for their dedication and service. (introduced, 2026-02-04) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SC807/
- SB 218: provide for the establishment of charter schools. (in committee, 2026-02-20) https://openstates.org/sd/bills/2026/SB218/

## Campaign money (2024 cycle)

Itemized receipts $40.2K (State Senate Republicans median $28.3K). 97% of itemized individual money came from in state. Aggregates only; no individual donors.

## Links

- Official site: https://sdlegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/4695/Detail
- Campaign site: https://laurennelsonforsenate.com/
- X: https://x.com/Nelson4SenD18
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lauren-Nelson-for-Senate-District-18/61558218279339/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurennelsonforsenate/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenNelsonforSenate/videos?app=desktop&view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=3

Full profile, with every chart and the methods: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/a5c8c5c0-c02e-49cf-834b-f8e9d118935a