South Dakota House District 3 race preview

Race at a glance

South Dakota House District 3 will have a contested State House race in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The two candidates are Brandei Schaefbauer and Al Novstrup. Both are Republicans, and both are incumbents.

That combination makes this a same-party contest between two current officeholders. The Republican label does not distinguish one candidate from the other, and the incumbent label applies equally to both. Voters considering the race will therefore see two candidates with the same party affiliation and the same current-office status.

The contest is part of South Dakota’s 2026 general election. The election date is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Brandei Schaefbauer

Brandei Schaefbauer is running as a Republican. She is an incumbent in the State House District 3 race, meaning she currently holds office while seeking a place in the district’s next term.

Schaefbauer enters the contest with the same two basic ballot identifiers as the other candidate: Republican and incumbent. Her candidacy makes her one of the two current officeholders in this general-election race. Because the candidates share a party label, voters cannot use party affiliation alone to distinguish Schaefbauer from Novstrup.

Al Novstrup

Al Novstrup is running as a Republican. He is also an incumbent in the State House District 3 race, meaning he currently holds office while seeking a place in the district’s next term.

Novstrup enters the contest with the same two basic ballot identifiers as the other candidate: Republican and incumbent. His candidacy makes him one of the two current officeholders in this general-election race. Because the candidates share a party label, voters cannot use party affiliation alone to distinguish Novstrup from Schaefbauer.

What is contested

The District 3 race is contested because it includes both Schaefbauer and Novstrup rather than a single unopposed candidate. It is not a contest between candidates carrying different party labels: both are identified as Republicans.

The race also does not offer an incumbent-versus-challenger distinction. Schaefbauer and Novstrup are each identified as incumbents. That means incumbency cannot, by itself, separate the candidates any more than party affiliation can.

For voters, the clearest basic distinction on the candidate list is the identity of the two people running. The contest is between Brandei Schaefbauer and Al Novstrup, with each entering the race from the same party and with the same incumbent status. Neither designation determines the result; voters will make their choice in the general election.

Election timeline

The District 3 contest will be decided as part of the South Dakota general election on Nov. 3, 2026. That is the central date for voters following the race.

Before voting, voters can check official election information for any changes to the candidate field or ballot. The central facts of the race are straightforward: it is a contested South Dakota State House election, the district is District 3, and the two candidates are Republican incumbents Brandei Schaefbauer and Al Novstrup.