PolitiFinder

1978 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 1978 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1978 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election?

Larry Pressler won the 1978 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election. Larry Pressler received 170,832 popular votes (66.84%). The main challenger was Don Barnett (33.16%).

See the full head-to-head between Pressler and Barnett

Pressler +33.7 pts · won by 86,065 votes
Larry PresslerRepublicanWINNER66.84%
170,832 votes
Don BarnettDemocratic33.16%
84,767 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. Senate elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.