Incumbent attorney general Marty Jackley was term-limited and ran for Governor of South Dakota.

Jackley succeeded one-term Republican incumbent Larry Long, who opted to be appointed by Governor Mike Rounds to be a circuit court judge in Sioux Falls.

[1] On June 15, 2018, Seiler defeated former Oglala Lakota Attorney General Tatewin Means at the Democratic Convention held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by an approximate 2-to-1 margin.

[3] Yankton Attorney, Jason Ravnsborg won the South Dakota Republican nomination at its state convention.

He was endorsed by forty county sheriffs;[9] the Fraternal Order of Police;[10] thirty states attorneys; the National Rifle Association;[11] South Dakota Right to Life;[12] and the Family Heritage Alliance.