1978Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1978 election for South Dakota Legislative District 27
South Dakota House of Representatives · South Dakota
2 seats: Don Ham (R), Gordon R. Pederson (R) won.
2 seatsDon HamRepublican · winner · incumbent
11.2%10,764
Gordon R. PedersonRepublican · winner · incumbent
10.4%9,956
F. Julian CheneyRepublican · incumbent
10.1%9,667
Don CarlsonRepublican
9.4%9,053
Verne ThorstensonRepublican
9.3%8,970
Kenneth C. MarsdenRepublican
8.8%8,484
Patricia E. KennerDemocrat · incumbent
8.2%7,872
Charles J. MickelDemocrat
7.6%7,331
George CrouchDemocrat
6.9%6,614
Kathleen PerrigoDemocrat
6.6%6,370
Dona SprungDemocrat
6.3%6,012
Owen CadyDemocrat
5.1%4,891
95,984 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET