1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota

The 1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee James Abourezk Robert W. Hirsch Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 174,773 131,613 Percentage 57.04% 42.96%

County results Abourezk:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90% Hirsch:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Karl E. Mundt Republican Elected U.S. Senator James Abourezk Democratic

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Karl E. Mundt, who had suffered a severe stroke in 1969, did not run for re-election to a fifth term and was succeeded by Democratic nominee James Abourezk.

Despite Abourezk's 14 percentage point win, Democratic presidential nominee and future fellow South Dakota Senator George McGovern lost his home state by a margin of 8.6 points in the concurrent presidential election.^[1]

South Dakota was one of fifteen states alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia that were won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on June 6, 1972.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• James Abourezk, incumbent U.S. Representative for South Dakota's 2nd congressional district
• George Blue, former State Senator^[2] and unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota in 1968

Results

Democratic primary results^[3][4][5][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Abourezk	46,931	79.42%
	Democratic	George Blue	12,163	20.58%
Total votes			59,094	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Robert W. Hirsch, former South Dakota Senate Majority Leader^[7]
• Chuck Lien, businessman^[2]
• Gordon J. Mydland, incumbent Attorney General of South Dakota
• Tom Reardon, banker^[2]
• Kenneth D. Stofferahn, farmer^[2]

Results

Republican primary results^{[3][8][9][10]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert W. Hirsch	27,322	27.37%
	Republican	Gordon J. Mydland	22,297	22.34%
	Republican	Chuck Lien	21,995	22.03%
	Republican	Kenneth D. Stofferahn	16,615	16.65%
	Republican	Tom Reardon	11,592	11.61%
Total votes			99,821	100.00%

A state convention was held June 26 to determine the party's nominee as no candidate received the 35% required for nomination under the state's primary law. Hirsch was nominated at this convention.^[8]

General election

Candidates

• Robert W. Hirsch (R)
• James Abourezk (D)

Results

1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Abourezk	174,773	57.04
	Republican	Robert W. Hirsch	131,613	42.96
Majority			43,160	14.08
Turnout			306,386
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also

• 1972 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
2. "Dakotans focus on Mundt's seat". New York Times. New York City. June 4, 1972. p. 47. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
3. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 152.
4. America Votes 10, p. 340.
5. "SD US Senate, 1972 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
6. Alma Larson, Secretary of State (ed.). Official Election Returns for South Dakota: Primary Election, June 6, 1972 (PDF). p. 3.
7. "South Dakota Legislature".
8. America Votes 10, p. 302.
9. "SD US Senate, 1972 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
10. Alma Larson, Secretary of State (ed.). Official Election Returns for South Dakota: Primary Election, June 6, 1972 (PDF). p. 4.
11. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 96.
12. America Votes 10, p. 297.
13. "SD US Senate, 1972". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
14. Secretary of State (ed.). Official Election Returns by counties for the State of South Dakota: General Election, November 7, 1972 (PDF). p. 3.
15. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 4, 2015 – via Clerk.house.gov.

Bibliography

• Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
• Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1973). America Votes 10: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1972. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.