PolitiFinder

1972 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 1972 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1972 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election?

James Abourezk won the 1972 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election. James Abourezk received 174,773 popular votes (57.04%). The main challenger was Robert Hirsch (42.96%).

See the full head-to-head between Abourezk and Hirsch

Abourezk +14.1 pts · won by 43,160 votes
James AbourezkDemocraticWINNER57.04%
174,773 votes
Robert HirschRepublican42.96%
131,613 votes
Popular-vote totals for this U.S. Senate election come from the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and the official public record.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.