1990Final results
1990 election for U.S. Senate in South Dakota
U.S. Senate · South Dakota
Larry Pressler (R) won with 52.4% of the vote, defeating Ted Muenster (D) by 7.3 points.
Larry PresslerRepublican · winner
52.4%135,682
Ted MuensterDemocrat
45.1%116,727
Dean L. SinclairIndependent
2.5%6,567
258,976 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1990
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Ted MuensterLarry Pressler
$1.3M
Raised by the campaign
$2M
$1.3M
Spent by the campaign
$1.7M
$11.6K
Cash on hand
$556.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1990.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1990