1978 Senate elections · South Dakota history
South Dakota U.S. Senate election 1978
Larry Pressler REP +33.7 gain · Class II seat · held 11/7/78
- Votes counted
- 255,599
- Margin
- 33.7 pts
- Seat held by
- Democraticchanged party
General election 11/7/78
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Pressler Won | REP | 170,832 | 66.84% | |
| Don Barnett | DEM | 84,767 | 33.16% | |
| Total | 255,599 | |||
Official source: data
Other South Dakota Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Class III | John R. Thune | 43.5 |
| 2020 | Class II | M. Michael Rounds | 31.5 |
| 2016 | Class III | John R. Thune | 43.7 |
| 2014 | Class II | M. Michael Rounds | 20.9 |
| 2010 | Class III | John R. Thune | — |
| 2008 | Class II | Tim Johnson | 25.0 |
| 2004 | Class III | John R. Thune | 1.2 |
| 2002 | Class II | Tim Johnson | 0.2 |
| 1998 | Class III | Tom Daschle | 25.7 |
| 1996 | Class II | Tim Johnson | 2.6 |
| 1992 | Class III | Tom Daschle | 32.4 |
| 1990 | Class II | Larry Pressler | 7.3 |
Full South Dakota Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1978 South Dakota Senate race?
Larry Pressler (REP) won with 66.8% of the vote, ahead of Don Barnett (33.2%), a margin of 33.7 points.
Did the South Dakota Senate seat change party in 1978?
Yes. It moved from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1978 South Dakota Senate race?
255,599 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.