The 1986 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James Abdnor ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat and future Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.[1] This election was the only United States Senate election in South Dakota that Daschle would win by a narrow margin.
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 County results Daschle: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Abdnor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- James Abdnor, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Bill Janklow, Governor of South Dakota
Results
edit
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Although Abdnor won the primary by a fairly comfortable margin, it hurt him badly. Daschle was uncontested for the Democratic nomination and therefore was able to focus on the general election early, while Abdnor had to fight a challenge from a popular incumbent governor. Many political analysts[who?] say this was one of the factors in Abdnor's general election loss.[citation needed]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Abdnor (incumbent) | 63,414 | 54.51% | |
| Republican | Bill Janklow | 52,924 | 45.49% | |
| Total votes | 116,338 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- James Abdnor (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Tom Daschle (D), U.S. Representative
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Daschle | 152,657 | 51.60% | +12.21% | |
| Republican | James Abdnor (incumbent) | 143,173 | 48.40% | −9.80% | |
| Total votes | 295,830 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 2000".
- ^ "Official Election Results and Registration Figures for South Dakota - Primary Election June 3, 1986" (PDF). South Dakota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1986" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 36.