1980 Senate elections · South Dakota history
South Dakota U.S. Senate election 1980
Ellis James Abdnor REP +18.8 gain · Class III seat · held 11/4/80
- Votes counted
- 327,478
- Margin
- 18.8 pts
- Seat held by
- Democraticchanged party
- President in SD
- R+28.8same year
General election 11/4/80
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis James Abdnor Won | REP | 190,594 | 58.20% | |
| George S. McGovern | DEM | 129,018 | 39.40% | |
| Wayne Peterson | IND | 7,866 | 2.40% | |
| Total | 327,478 | |||
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 1980 South Dakota Senate race?
Ellis James Abdnor (REP) won with 58.2% of the vote, ahead of George S. McGovern (39.4%), a margin of 18.8 points.
Did the South Dakota Senate seat change party in 1980?
Yes. It moved from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1980 South Dakota Senate race?
327,478 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.