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

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

← 2002 July 12, 2004 November 2004 →
  Steph-h.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Stephanie Herseth Larry Diedrich
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 132,420 129,415
Percentage 50.6% 49.4%

South Dakota Special House Election Results by County, 2004.svg
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)

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).

South Dakota's At-large congressional district special election, 2004[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephanie Herseth 132,420 50.57
Republican Larry Diedrich 129,415 49.43
Total votes 261,835 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - SD At-Large - Special R Convention Race - Jan 23, 2004".
  2. ^ a b "South Dakota Politics". The Washington Post. Associated Press. November 24, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  3. ^ http://www.sdsos.gov/electionsvoteregistration/pastelections_electioninfo04_specialelectionreturns.shtm[dead link]
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