Richard Vasgaard

Richard George Vasgaard was an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 17th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives from January 12, 2021 to January 10, 2023. Vasgaard was a farmer and received a bachelor's degree in agronomy from South Dakota State University. After redistricting in 2022, he was defeated in a primary for a second term. He was later elected to a new term in the House in November 2024.
Vasgaard was married to Joyce and had two children. He died in a farming accident on August 27, 2025, at the age of 75.

Election history

2020 Vasgaard was elected with 4,786 votes; Sydney Davis was also elected with 5,278 votes. They defeated Al Leber who received 3,645 votes and Caitlin Collier who received 3,181 votes.
2022 Vasgaard was redistricted into the 16th district, and ran in the Republican primary, but was defeated by Kevin Jensen and Karla Lems. Lems had 1848 votes, Jensen had 1733 and Vasgaard had 1616.
2024 Vasgaard was elected to represent the 16th district alongside Lems.