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 County results Daschle: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Abdnor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in South Dakota | ||||||||||||||||
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The1986 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 4, 1986. IncumbentRepublicanU.S. SenatorJames Abdnor ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated byDemocrat and futureSenate Majority LeaderTom Daschle.[1]This was the only one of Daschle's Senate races that he won with less than 60% of the vote.
Although Abdnor won the primary by a fairly comfortable margin, it hurt him badly. Daschle was uncontested for theDemocratic nomination and therefore was able to focus on the general election early, while Abdnor had to fight a challenge from a popular incumbent governor. Many political analysts[who?] say this was one of the factors in Abdnor's general election loss.[citation needed]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Abdnor (incumbent) | 63,414 | 54.51% | |
| Republican | Bill Janklow | 52,924 | 45.49% | |
| Total votes | 116,338 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Daschle | 152,657 | 51.60% | +12.21% | |
| Republican | James Abdnor (incumbent) | 143,173 | 48.40% | −9.80% | |
| Total votes | 295,830 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
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