The 1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Republican Governor
Coe I. Crawford opted to
run for the U.S. Senate rather than run for re-election. State Senator
Robert S. Vessey narrowly won the Republican primary over former State Representative John L. Browne and advanced to the general election, where he faced the Democratic nominee, former Governor
Andrew E. Lee. Though Vessey's performance was significantly reduced from Crawford's performance in
1906, he still defeated Lee by a wide margin.