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United States · Election results history · 2016 Senate · South Dakota
Election 2016 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

2016 US Senate election in South Dakota

John R. Thune (Republican) beat Jay Williams (Democrat) in South Dakota in 2016, 71.8% to 28.2%, a margin of 43.7 points and 161,376 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 2010, when John Thune also won.

Republicans led in 63 of the 66 counties and Democrats in 3. The largest, Minnehaha, cast 77,853 votes and went to the Republican by 34.9 points. The closest was Buffalo, where 25 votes separated the two parties.

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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

CandidatePartyVotesShare
John R. Thune won Republican 265,516 71.8%
Jay Williams Democratic 104,140 28.2%
Total369,656

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Minnehaha 25,359 32.6% 52,494 67.4% 77,853 R+34.9
Pennington 13,206 28.0% 33,966 72.0% 47,172 R+44.0
Lincoln 6,043 23.9% 19,264 76.1% 25,307 R+52.2
Brown 4,793 29.7% 11,371 70.3% 16,164 R+40.7
Brookings 3,947 30.9% 8,817 69.1% 12,764 R+38.2
Lawrence 3,267 27.6% 8,566 72.4% 11,833 R+44.8
Codington 3,003 25.6% 8,740 74.4% 11,743 R+48.9
Meade 2,348 20.3% 9,198 79.7% 11,546 R+59.3
Yankton 3,088 32.1% 6,536 67.9% 9,624 R+35.8
Hughes 1,890 23.0% 6,338 77.0% 8,228 R+54.1
Davison 1,990 24.9% 6,017 75.1% 8,007 R+50.3
Union 1,793 22.8% 6,059 77.2% 7,852 R+54.3
Beadle 1,809 26.4% 5,049 73.6% 6,858 R+47.2
Lake 2,031 30.3% 4,677 69.7% 6,708 R+39.4
Clay 2,161 42.5% 2,923 57.5% 5,084 R+15.0
Custer 1,177 25.0% 3,528 75.0% 4,705 R+50.0
Butte 755 17.6% 3,545 82.4% 4,300 R+64.9
Turner 871 20.9% 3,289 79.1% 4,160 R+58.1
Roberts 1,376 35.1% 2,547 64.9% 3,923 R+29.8
Grant 890 24.8% 2,703 75.2% 3,593 R+50.5
Fall River 868 24.5% 2,671 75.5% 3,539 R+50.9
Charles Mix 941 27.5% 2,484 72.5% 3,425 R+45.1
Hutchinson 609 18.0% 2,779 82.0% 3,388 R+64.0
Bon Homme 770 25.5% 2,253 74.5% 3,023 R+49.1
Spink 816 27.3% 2,177 72.7% 2,993 R+45.5
Moody 970 32.9% 1,981 67.1% 2,951 R+34.3
Oglala Lakota 2,210 77.2% 653 22.8% 2,863 D+54.4
Hamlin 536 19.2% 2,253 80.8% 2,789 R+61.6
Day 962 34.6% 1,815 65.4% 2,777 R+30.7
Tripp 492 18.7% 2,134 81.3% 2,626 R+62.5
McCook 599 22.9% 2,021 77.1% 2,620 R+54.3
Kingsbury 674 26.2% 1,899 73.8% 2,573 R+47.6
Walworth 482 19.6% 1,975 80.4% 2,457 R+60.8
Brule 554 24.1% 1,746 75.9% 2,300 R+51.8
Todd 1,376 65.5% 724 34.5% 2,100 D+31.0
Deuel 534 25.5% 1,563 74.5% 2,097 R+49.1
Gregory 426 20.3% 1,671 79.7% 2,097 R+59.4
Marshall 629 31.9% 1,341 68.1% 1,970 R+36.1
Hanson 451 23.0% 1,512 77.0% 1,963 R+54.0
Edmunds 396 20.7% 1,517 79.3% 1,913 R+58.6
Hand 335 18.1% 1,517 81.9% 1,852 R+63.8
Dewey 832 49.1% 862 50.9% 1,694 R+1.8
Clark 408 24.3% 1,269 75.7% 1,677 R+51.3
Douglas 228 14.2% 1,377 85.8% 1,605 R+71.6
Perkins 231 14.4% 1,374 85.6% 1,605 R+71.2
Stanley 303 19.5% 1,254 80.5% 1,557 R+61.1
Lyman 378 26.5% 1,051 73.5% 1,429 R+47.1
Aurora 343 24.2% 1,073 75.8% 1,416 R+51.6
Potter 253 18.9% 1,087 81.1% 1,340 R+62.2
McPherson 165 14.1% 1,009 85.9% 1,174 R+71.9
Corson 474 41.1% 680 58.9% 1,154 R+17.9
Bennett 382 33.5% 758 66.5% 1,140 R+33.0
Sanborn 244 21.5% 889 78.5% 1,133 R+56.9
Faulk 206 18.2% 925 81.8% 1,131 R+63.6
Miner 284 26.0% 807 74.0% 1,091 R+47.9
Jackson 309 28.6% 771 71.4% 1,080 R+42.8
Haakon 84 8.1% 956 91.9% 1,040 R+83.8
Jerauld 261 26.6% 720 73.4% 981 R+46.8
Sully 136 15.9% 718 84.1% 854 R+68.1
Campbell 87 10.5% 740 89.5% 827 R+79.0
Ziebach 344 45.0% 421 55.0% 765 R+10.1
Harding 74 9.8% 683 90.2% 757 R+80.4
Hyde 124 17.9% 567 82.1% 691 R+64.1
Mellette 224 32.6% 464 67.4% 688 R+34.9
Jones 67 11.9% 494 88.1% 561 R+76.1
Buffalo 257 52.6% 232 47.4% 489 D+5.1

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

YearWinnerMargin
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