PolitiFinder

2016 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election

South Dakota · 2 candidates · See every 2016 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 2016 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election?

John R. Thune won the 2016 South Dakota U.S. Senate Election. John R. Thune received 265,516 popular votes (71.83%). The main challenger was Jay Williams (28.17%).

See the full head-to-head between Thune and Williams

Thune +43.7 pts · won by 161,376 votes
John R. ThuneRepublicanWINNER71.83%
265,516 votes
Jay WilliamsDemocratic28.17%
104,140 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.