1996Final results
1996 election for South Dakota Legislative District 26
South Dakota State Senate · South Dakota
Robert Benson (R) won with 65.2% of the vote, defeating Gary Nelson (D) by 30.5 points.
Robert BensonRepublican · winner
65.2%5,466
Gary NelsonDemocrat
34.8%2,913
8,379 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 1996
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET