1978Final results
1978 election for South Dakota Legislative District 9
South Dakota State Senate · South Dakota
Milton E. Nelson (R) won with 57.9% of the vote, defeating Joseph Vetter (D) by 15.9 points.
Milton E. NelsonRepublican · winner · incumbent
57.9%4,742
Joseph VetterDemocrat
42.1%3,442
8,184 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