The 2008 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 2008. Primary elections were held on June 3, 2008. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator
Tim Johnson won re-election to a third term. As of 2022, this election, along with
the simultaneous House race, is the last time a Democrat won a statewide election in South Dakota.
Republican primary
Candidates
*
Joel Dykstra
Joel D. Dykstra (born February 13, 1958) is an American businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, who represented the 16th District from 2003 to 2009. His district included Lincoln ...
,
South Dakota State Representative
* Charles Gonyo
* Sam Kephart
Results
General election
Candidates
* Tim Johnson (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
* Joel Dykstra (R),
South Dakota State Representative
Campaign
Already a well-regarded figure, following health problems, Johnson became more popular. "South Dakota is a very kind state," Steve Jarding, a
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
political scientist, said. "People were rooting for Tim—Democrats, Republicans, independents—they wanted him to be O.K." He was also seen a pragmatic moderate. He received endorsements from the Republican Mayor of
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...
,
Dave Munson
David R. Munson (born 1942) is an American politician.
Munson obtained his Bachelor of Arts, B.A. degree from Sioux Falls College and Master's degree, M.A. degree from Augustana College (South Dakota), Augustana College. For eight and a half yea ...
, and the
NRA
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while conti ...
. Dykstra argued that Johnson voted 80% of the time with U.S. Senator
Barack Obama and 90% with U.S. Senator
Harry Reid. In response, Johnson pointed out his votes on the confirmation of
U.S. Supreme Court justices
John Roberts/
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
, against
flag burning
Flag desecration is the desecration of a flag, violation of flag protocol, or various acts that intentionally destroy, damage, or mutilate a flag in public. In the case of a national flag, such action is often intended to make a political point ...
, in favor for the
Iraq War,
Patriot Act, a ban on
partial birth abortion
Intact dilation and extraction (D&X, IDX, or intact D&E) is a surgical procedure that removes an intact fetus from the uterus. The procedure is used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
In U ...
, etc.
One of the other reasons why Johnson is popular is
earmarks. Recent examples include $248,000 for the Dahl Arts Center in
Rapid City
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, $11 million for Ellsworth Air Base, $400,000 for Rosebud Sioux Reservation, and $37 million for Mni Wiconi Rural Water System. Dykstra opposed earmarks, leading U.S. Senator
Tom Coburn to campaign with him.
In August, Johnson visited 20 cities across the state.
With nine reservations in the state,
American Indians account for 10% of electorate. In 2002, Johnson carried 94% of the
Oglala Sioux, the state's biggest tribe.
Predictions
Polling
Results
Johnson easily won re-election to a third term, losing in only four counties. His friend and fellow
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
,
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin easily won re-election to .
See also
*
2008 United States Senate elections
The 2008 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 200 ...
References
External links
Elections & Voter Registrationfrom the South Dakota Secretary of State
U.S. Congress candidates for South Dakotaat
Project Vote Smart
South Dakota, U.S. Senatefrom
CQ Politics
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is part of a privately owned publishing company called CQ Roll Call that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress. CQ was acquired by the Economist Group and combined ...
South Dakota U.S. Senatefrom ''OurCampaigns.com''
South Dakota Senate racefrom ''2008 Race Tracker''
Dykstra (R) vs Johnson (D-i)graph of multiple polls from ''Pollster.com''
* ''Official campaign websites''
*
Joel Dykstra Republican nominee
*
Tim Johnson Democratic incumbent nominee
{{2008 United States elections
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
South Dakota
United States Senate