2004 South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election

2004 South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election

← 2002 July 12, 2004 November 2004 →

Nominee Stephanie Herseth Larry Diedrich Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 132,420 129,415 Percentage 50.6% 49.4%

County results Herseth:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Diedrich:      50–60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. Representative before election Bill Janklow Republican Party (United States) Elected U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Democratic Party (United States)

Elections in South Dakota
Federal government Presidential elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2016 U.S. Senate elections 1889 1891 1894 1897 1901 1903 1903 sp 1907 1909 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1938 1938 sp 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1889 1890 1891 AL sp 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 AL sp 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 AL sp 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government General elections 2010 2014 2018 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1889 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Senate elections 2020 House of Representatives elections 2020
Ballot measures 2006 Amendment C 2008 Measure 9 Measure 10 2020 Amendment A Measure 26
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The 2004 South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election was held on July 12, 2004 to select the successor to Republican Representative Bill Janklow who resigned on July 11, 2004, following a conviction of vehicular manslaughter after an accident that had occurred months earlier, creating an open seat and necessitating a special election. Each party held a nominating convention to choose their nominee for the special election. Republicans selected state Senator over , also a member of the South Dakota State Senate, as their nominee^[1] while Democrats chose attorney Stephanie Herseth, who had unsuccessfully challenged Janklow in 2002.

The special election was closely watched by both parties in an effort to gain momentum going into the 2004 House elections. The Hill committees of both parties spent a combined total of two million dollars on advertising in South Dakota.^[2] This election was especially important considering that five months later in addition to this House seat, Democratic Senator and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's, who was facing a tough race against former Representative John Thune (R), who had come within 524 votes of defeating South Dakota's other Senator in 2002, U.S. Senate seat would also be up for election.

Herseth benefitted from her high name recognition from her previous run as well as her relation to the prominent Herseth family (one notable member of whom includes her grandfather Ralph Herseth, a former Governor of South Dakota). However, Vice President Dick Cheney (R) came to the Mount Rushmore state in March to campaign for Diedrich.^[2]

Herseth ultimately narrowly prevailed over Diedrich. The both of them won their primaries held on the same day as the special election and would face off against each other in November. Some Democrats claimed this victory, as well as another one in a special election in Kentucky's 6th congressional district months earlier, were harbingers of major Democratic victories in November. However, instead Republicans would achieve a net-gain of three seats in the House and a net-gain of four in the Senate (including a victory in South Dakota).

See also[]

• 2004 United States elections
• 108th United States Congress

References[]