1978 general · November 7, 1978
1978 South Dakota State Senate election results, district by district
Every South Dakota State Senate district in the 1978 general election: winners, margins, unopposed seats and seats that changed party.
Seats after the election
Republicans controlled the chamber · 35 seats
After the electionD 11 · R 24
Races28
Changed party3
Unopposed21%6 races
Incumbents defeated8
Every district
D 8 · R 14 · Uncalled 6
| Race | Winner | Won by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LD-1 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | Incumbent lost |
| LD-2 | Frances S. Lamont (R) | 7.8 | Incumbent lost |
| LD-3 | Harold Halverson (R) | 9.3 | |
| LD-4 | Jake Krull (D) | 12.3 | |
| LD-5 | Mary McClure (R) | 22.0 | |
| LD-6 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | Incumbent lost |
| LD-7 | Henry A. Poppen (R) | 28.7 | |
| LD-8 | Paul S. Tschetter (D) | 4.7 | FlippedIncumbent lost |
| LD-9 | Milton E. Nelson (R) | 15.9 | |
| LD-10 | Harold Schreier (D) | 10.6 | |
| LD-11 | Richard D. Flynn (R) | 0.6 | Incumbent lost |
| LD-12 | Harold Anderson (R) | 1.6 | Flipped |
| LD-13 | Eugene R. Mahan (D) | 34.2 | |
| LD-14 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | Incumbent lost |
| LD-15 | Donald C. Peterson (R) | 20.1 | |
| LD-16 | Carrol Allen (D) | 11.4 | Flipped |
| LD-17 | George Shanard (R) | 26.7 | |
| LD-18 | Philip Testerman (D) | 14.2 | |
| LD-19 | Robert Hoffman (R) | 4.9 | |
| LD-20 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | |
| LD-21 | William L. Grams (R) | 37.9 | |
| LD-22 | G. Homer Harding (R) | 33.3 | |
| LD-23 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | |
| LD-24 | Doris Miner (D) | 32.8 | |
| LD-25 | Marshall J. Truax (D) | 6.0 | |
| LD-26 | No winner recorded | Unopposed | Incumbent lost |
| LD-27 | Lyndell Petersen (R) | 0.8 | Incumbent lost |
| LD-28 | Eldon S. Jensen (R) | 8.7 |
South Dakota State Senate
Results are each source's final count; margins are the winner's lead over the runner-up in points of the vote. Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl Klarner