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  "description": "As of 2026, 64 women from 34 states have served in the United States Senate. ",
  "path": "/fact-brief-south-dakota-united-states-senator/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-19T09:02:50.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.sdnewswatch.org",
  "tags": [
    "this one.",
    "Women senators",
    "Vera Bushfield",
    "Gladys Pyle",
    "Women in Congress",
    "Women in the Senate",
    "Women account for 28% of lawmakers in the 119th Congress – unchanged from the last Congress",
    "South Dakota News Watch",
    "Gigafact",
    "on the tipline",
    "Share your thoughts on this story",
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  "textContent": "## Yes.\n\nSouth Dakota is one of 34 states that have had a woman senator, though both served brief terms.\n\nAs of 2026, 64 women have served in the United States Senate. Two were from South Dakota.\n\nGladys Pyle, born in Huron in 1890, was the first woman in the state House. She later unsuccessfully ran for governor but was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election after the death of Peter Norbeck. Pyle served from Nov. 9, 1938, to Jan. 3, 1939. She was the first Republican woman elected to the Senate\n\nThe state’s second woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, Vera Bushfield, was born in Miller in 1889, and was appointed on Oct. 6, 1948, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, Sen. Harlan Bushfield. She served until Dec. 27, 1948, when she resigned.\n\n_This fact brief responds to conversations such as_ this one.\n\n## Sources\n\nSenate.Gov, Women senators\n\nBiographical Directory of the United States Congress, Vera Bushfield\n\nBiographical Directory of the United States Congress, Gladys Pyle\n\nRutgers, Women in Congress\n\nNew York Times, Women in the Senate\n\nPew Research Center, Women account for 28% of lawmakers in the 119th Congress – unchanged from the last Congress\n\n* * *\n\nSouth Dakota News Watch partners with Gigafact to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. Send questions or feedback to _news@sdnewswatch.org_. Submit a question for us to answer on the tipline.\n\nShare your thoughts on this story\n\n_**South Dakota News Watch** is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at _sdnewswatch.org_.**Contact freelance reporter Michael Klinski:** michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org._",
  "title": "Fact brief: Has SD ever elected a woman to the US Senate?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-19T09:02:50.692Z"
}