Election 1978 Results
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1978 US Senate election in South Dakota
Larry Pressler (Republican) beat Don Barnett (Democrat) in South Dakota in 1978, 66.8% to 33.2%, a margin of 33.7 points and 86,065 votes.
South Dakota changed party: in 1972 it went Democratic, for James Abourezk.
Republicans led in 63 of the 66 counties as they stood then and Democrats in 3. The largest, Minnehaha, cast 35,379 votes and went to the Republican by 27.6 points. The closest was Buffalo, where 30 votes separated the two parties.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
Senate
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Pressler won | Republican | 170,832 | 66.8% |
| Don Barnett | Democratic | 84,767 | 33.2% |
| Total | 255,599 |
Every county
| County | Democrat | Republican | Others | Total | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha | 12,816 36.2% | 22,563 63.8% | 35,379 | R+27.6 | |
| Pennington | 5,487 29.5% | 13,109 70.5% | 18,596 | R+41.0 | |
| Brown | 4,221 30.9% | 9,445 69.1% | 13,666 | R+38.2 | |
| Brookings | 2,894 36.3% | 5,084 63.7% | 7,978 | R+27.5 | |
| Beadle | 3,314 41.6% | 4,652 58.4% | 7,966 | R+16.8 | |
| Codington | 2,291 31.5% | 4,975 68.5% | 7,266 | R+36.9 | |
| Yankton | 1,884 27.9% | 4,863 72.1% | 6,747 | R+44.2 | |
| Davison | 2,504 40.0% | 3,761 60.0% | 6,265 | R+20.1 | |
| Hughes | 2,014 33.5% | 4,000 66.5% | 6,014 | R+33.0 | |
| Lawrence | 2,158 36.0% | 3,837 64.0% | 5,995 | R+28.0 | |
| Lincoln | 1,738 32.0% | 3,698 68.0% | 5,436 | R+36.1 | |
| Meade | 1,283 25.8% | 3,694 74.2% | 4,977 | R+48.4 | |
| Lake | 1,548 32.5% | 3,219 67.5% | 4,767 | R+35.1 | |
| Union | 1,474 32.7% | 3,029 67.3% | 4,503 | R+34.5 | |
| Clay | 1,605 35.7% | 2,886 64.3% | 4,491 | R+28.5 | |
| Hutchinson | 903 21.6% | 3,285 78.4% | 4,188 | R+56.9 | |
| Turner | 995 24.4% | 3,083 75.6% | 4,078 | R+51.2 | |
| Charles Mix | 1,571 38.9% | 2,464 61.1% | 4,035 | R+22.1 | |
| Roberts | 1,437 35.8% | 2,576 64.2% | 4,013 | R+28.4 | |
| Spink | 1,409 35.6% | 2,548 64.4% | 3,957 | R+28.8 | |
| Day | 1,440 37.3% | 2,424 62.7% | 3,864 | R+25.5 | |
| Grant | 1,167 31.0% | 2,593 69.0% | 3,760 | R+37.9 | |
| Bon Homme | 932 27.8% | 2,422 72.2% | 3,354 | R+44.4 | |
| Tripp | 988 29.9% | 2,311 70.1% | 3,299 | R+40.1 | |
| McCook | 968 31.0% | 2,158 69.0% | 3,126 | R+38.1 | |
| Kingsbury | 894 28.7% | 2,217 71.3% | 3,111 | R+42.5 | |
| Moody | 1,085 35.0% | 2,011 65.0% | 3,096 | R+29.9 | |
| Butte | 889 29.1% | 2,165 70.9% | 3,054 | R+41.8 | |
| Gregory | 1,001 33.4% | 1,995 66.6% | 2,996 | R+33.2 | |
| Fall River | 962 32.3% | 2,018 67.7% | 2,980 | R+35.4 | |
| Walworth | 745 25.2% | 2,213 74.8% | 2,958 | R+49.6 | |
| Edmunds | 726 27.5% | 1,914 72.5% | 2,640 | R+45.0 | |
| Marshall | 853 32.6% | 1,760 67.4% | 2,613 | R+34.7 | |
| Hand | 762 29.3% | 1,839 70.7% | 2,601 | R+41.4 | |
| Clark | 682 26.3% | 1,913 73.7% | 2,595 | R+47.4 | |
| Hamlin | 683 26.5% | 1,893 73.5% | 2,576 | R+47.0 | |
| Perkins | 827 34.6% | 1,563 65.4% | 2,390 | R+30.8 | |
| Todd | 1,540 64.5% | 849 35.5% | 2,389 | D+28.9 | |
| Brule | 890 38.2% | 1,441 61.8% | 2,331 | R+23.6 | |
| Custer | 743 32.8% | 1,522 67.2% | 2,265 | R+34.4 | |
| Deuel | 592 26.4% | 1,647 73.6% | 2,239 | R+47.1 | |
| Douglas | 458 22.5% | 1,578 77.5% | 2,036 | R+55.0 | |
| McPherson | 243 12.4% | 1,711 87.6% | 1,954 | R+75.1 | |
| Shannon | 1,401 74.2% | 486 25.8% | 1,887 | D+48.5 | |
| Aurora | 688 36.6% | 1,194 63.4% | 1,882 | R+26.9 | |
| Miner | 692 36.9% | 1,182 63.1% | 1,874 | R+26.1 | |
| Potter | 497 26.9% | 1,352 73.1% | 1,849 | R+46.2 | |
| Sanborn | 632 34.8% | 1,183 65.2% | 1,815 | R+30.4 | |
| Faulk | 548 31.5% | 1,189 68.5% | 1,737 | R+36.9 | |
| Dewey | 767 45.5% | 919 54.5% | 1,686 | R+9.0 | |
| Lyman | 531 32.4% | 1,106 67.6% | 1,637 | R+35.1 | |
| Corson | 680 42.6% | 917 57.4% | 1,597 | R+14.8 | |
| Jerauld | 481 30.3% | 1,107 69.7% | 1,588 | R+39.4 | |
| Hanson | 564 36.2% | 993 63.8% | 1,557 | R+27.6 | |
| Jackson | 426 31.9% | 909 68.1% | 1,335 | R+36.2 | |
| Haakon | 245 21.5% | 895 78.5% | 1,140 | R+57.0 | |
| Hyde | 357 31.8% | 764 68.2% | 1,121 | R+36.3 | |
| Campbell | 175 15.8% | 930 84.2% | 1,105 | R+68.3 | |
| Bennett | 451 41.1% | 645 58.9% | 1,096 | R+17.7 | |
| Stanley | 362 33.1% | 732 66.9% | 1,094 | R+33.8 | |
| Mellette | 369 38.0% | 603 62.0% | 972 | R+24.1 | |
| Sully | 232 25.3% | 686 74.7% | 918 | R+49.5 | |
| Harding | 181 20.1% | 718 79.9% | 899 | R+59.7 | |
| Ziebach | 369 41.6% | 517 58.4% | 886 | R+16.7 | |
| Jones | 200 24.9% | 604 75.1% | 804 | R+50.2 | |
| Buffalo | 303 52.6% | 273 47.4% | 576 | D+5.2 |
Counties as they stood in 1978; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.
South Dakota Senate elections we hold
| Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | John R Thune (R) | R+43.5 |
| 2020 | Mike Rounds (R) | R+31.5 |
| 2016 | John R. Thune (R) | R+43.7 |
| 2014 | Mike Rounds (R) | R+20.9 |
| 2010 | John Thune (R) | R+100.0 |
| 2008 | Tim Johnson (D) | D+25.0 |
| 2004 | John Thune (R) | R+1.2 |
| 2002 | Tim Johnson (D) | D+0.2 |
| 1998 | Tom Daschle (D) | D+25.7 |
| 1996 | Tim Johnson (D) | D+2.6 |
| 1992 | Thomas A. Daschle (D) | D+32.4 |
| 1990 | Larry Pressler (R) | R+7.3 |
| 1986 | Thomas A. Daschle (D) | D+3.2 |
| 1984 | Larry Pressler (R) | R+49.0 |
| 1980 | James Abdnor (R) | R+18.8 |
| 1978 | Larry Pressler (R) | R+33.7 |
| 1974 | George McGovern (D) | D+6.1 |
| 1972 | James Abourezk (D) | D+14.1 |
| 1968 | George McGovern (D) | D+13.6 |
| 1966 | Karl E. Mundt (R) | R+32.6 |
| 1962 | George McGovern (D) | D+0.2 |
| 1960 | Karl E. Mundt (R) | R+4.9 |
| 1956 | Francis Case (R) | R+1.6 |
| 1954 | Karl E. Mundt (R) | R+14.6 |
| 1950 | Francis Case (R) | R+27.8 |
| 1948 | Karl E. Mundt (R) | R+18.7 |
| 1944 | Chandler Gurney (R) | R+27.7 |
| 1942 | Harlan J. Bushfield (R) | R+17.5 |
| 1938 | Chandler Gurney (R) | R+4.9 |
| 1936 | William J. Bulow (D) | D+2.1 |
| 1932 | Peter Norbeck (R) | R+9.3 |
| 1930 | William J. Bulow (D) | D+3.3 |
| 1926 | Peter Norbeck (R) | R+26.2 |
| 1924 | William H. McMaster (R) | R+13.3 |
| 1920 | Peter Norbeck (R) | R+30.1 |
| 1918 | Thomas Sterling (R) | R+16.1 |
| 1914 | Edwin S. Johnson (D) | D+3.5 |