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 William John Janklow (September 13, 1939January 12, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician and member of the Republican Party who holds the record for the longest tenure as Governor of South Dakota: sixteen years in office. Janklow had the t ...

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 A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Larry Diedrich over Barbara Everist, also a member of the South Dakota State Senate, as their nominee while Democrats chose attorney

Stephanie Herseth Stephanie Marie Herseth Sandlin (born December 3, 1970) is an American attorney, university administrator, and politician from the Democratic Party. She served in the United States House of Representatives for from 2004 until 2011. Sandlin was ...

, who had unsuccessfully challenged Janklow in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. 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. This election was especially important considering that five months later in addition to this House seat, Democratic Senator and Senate Minority Leader

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 an ...

's, who was facing a tough race against former Representative

John Thune John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005, and as the Party leaders ...

(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 The following is an alphabetical list of political families in the United States whose last name begins with H. The Habershams * Joseph Habersham (1751–1815), member of the Georgia Colony Council of Safety, Georgia Colony Councilman, Georgi ...

(one notable member of whom includes her grandfather

Ralph Herseth Ralph Edmund Herseth (July 2, 1909 – January 24, 1969) was the 21st Governor of South Dakota from January 6, 1959 to January 3, 1961. He was a Democrat and was the patriarch of the prominent Herseth family of South Dakota. Early life and edu ...

, a former Governor of South Dakota). However, Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

(R) came to the

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...

state in March to campaign for Diedrich. 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 Kentucky's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Based in Central Kentucky, the district contains the cities of Lexington (including its suburbs), Richmond, and Frankfort, the state capital. The ...

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).

References

{{2004 United States elections South Dakota 2004 at-large South Dakota 2004 at-large 2004 at-large Special South Dakota at-large Special United States House of Representatives at-large Special United States House of Representatives 2004 at-large

See also

References