Despite Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover overwhelmingly defeating Democratic nominee Al Smith overwhelmingly in South Dakota, Bulow defeated Jones by a decisive margin to retain the governorship.

Governor Bulow was renominated by the Democratic Party without opposition and no primary election was held.

[1] In accordance with the complicated Richards primary law, which governed party nominations in South Dakota at the time, the Republican Party held a convention to select its statewide nominees; however, if a requisite number of delegates opposed the candidates selected by the majority, they could force a primary election to be held.

[3] At the convention, Jones took a leading position, remaining in first place on the first ballot, but still standing several thousand votes short of victory.

[4] With just a few hundred voters turning out, Sumption defeated Hasvold to win the party's nomination.