1996Final results
1996 election for South Dakota Legislative District 3
South Dakota State Senate · South Dakota
Jim Lawler (D) won with 55.7% of the vote, defeating Stephen H. Oakes (R) by 11.4 points.
Jim LawlerDemocrat · winner · incumbent
55.7%4,976
Stephen H. OakesRepublican
44.3%3,961
8,937 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