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 County results Bushfield: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 90-100% Fosheim: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in South Dakota | ||
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The1938 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. Incumbent Republican GovernorLeslie Jensen declined to seek re-election and insteadunsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate.Harlan J. Bushfield, the former chairman of theSouth Dakota Republican Party, won the Republican primary to succeed Jensen. In the general election, he faced Democratic nominee Oscar Fosheim, a state representative fromMiner County, in the general election. Bushfield defeated Fosheim by a relatively close margin, winning his first term as governor.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Oscar Fosheim | 42,422 | 62.04% | |
| Democratic | Mancel W. Peterson | 25,956 | 37.96% | |
| Total votes | 68,378 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harlan J. Bushfield | 64,929 | 65.72% | |
| Republican | Blaine Simons | 33,871 | 34.28% | |
| Total votes | 98,800 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harlan J. Bushfield | 149,362 | 53.95% | +2.35% | |
| Democratic | Oscar Fosheim | 127,485 | 46.05% | −2.35% | |
| Majority | 21,877 | 7.90% | +4.70% | ||
| Turnout | 276,847 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
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