As political candidates hit the straightaway to this year’s election, Republican candidates in South Dakota enjoy an advantage that hasn’t been this large in half a century.

The percentage of registered voters who are Republican is the largest since 1972, while the percentage of registered Democrats is at its lowest point in more than 50 years, according to an analysis of decades of voter registration data by The Dakota Scout.

Meanwhile, registered independents have risen sharply, and in some key counties, including Minnehaha, Lincoln, Brookings and Pennington counties, independents outnumber Democrats.

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