South Dakota House District 16 race: Shubeck and Lems run

District 16 race at a glance

South Dakota State House District 16 has a contested race in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The candidates are John Shubeck and Karla Lems, both Republican incumbents.

That gives the race two candidates with the same party affiliation and the same incumbent status. The candidate list does not present a choice between political parties. Instead, voters considering the race can follow how Shubeck and Lems describe their records, priorities and plans during the campaign.

Neither candidate has a documented policy position in the race. There also are no listed figures for how much either campaign has raised, spent or held as cash on hand. That leaves no stated policy disagreement or financial comparison between the two campaigns at this stage.

John Shubeck

John Shubeck is running as a Republican and is an incumbent in the South Dakota House. He is one of the two candidates identified in the contested District 16 race.

Shubeck does not have a documented position on a specific policy issue. His campaign also has no listed totals for money raised, money spent or cash on hand. Those categories can help voters assess a campaign’s financial activity once figures are listed, but there is currently no amount to report for Shubeck.

No additional biographical information is listed for Shubeck. His defining details in this race are his Republican affiliation, his incumbent status and his candidacy for District 16.

Karla Lems

Karla Lems is running as a Republican and is an incumbent in the South Dakota House. She is one of the two candidates identified in the contested District 16 race.

Lems does not have a documented position on a specific policy issue. Her campaign also has no listed totals for money raised, money spent or cash on hand. Those categories can help voters assess a campaign’s financial activity once figures are listed, but there is currently no amount to report for Lems.

No additional biographical information is listed for Lems. Her defining details in this race are her Republican affiliation, her incumbent status and her candidacy for District 16.

What is contested and what comes next

The contest is between two sitting Republican state representatives seeking election in the same House district. Because both candidates share a party label and incumbent status, party affiliation alone does not distinguish them. Any clearer contrast will depend on the records, priorities and policy positions they present to District 16 voters.

The next major date is the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Before then, voters can watch for candidate statements on state issues and any campaign finance figures that show fundraising, spending or cash on hand.

Those developments could give voters additional ways to compare Shubeck and Lems without relying only on party and incumbency. The race currently has no documented policy positions or financial totals for either candidate, so both enter this preview on equal informational footing.