1980 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election

South Dakota · 3 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1980 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election?

James Abdnor won the 1980 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election. James Abdnor received 190,594 popular votes (58.2%). The main challenger was George McGovern (39.4%).

See the full head-to-head between Abdnor and McGovern

Abdnor +18.8 pts · won by 61,576 votes

James Abdnor RepublicanWINNER58.2%

190,594 votes

George McGovern Democratic39.4%

129,018 votes

Wayne PetersonIndependent2.4%

7,866 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.