1996Final results
1996 election for South Dakota Legislative District 5
South Dakota State Senate · South Dakota
Jim D. Thompson (R) won with 58.6% of the vote, defeating Dale Howlett (D) by 17.2 points.
Jim D. ThompsonRepublican · winner · incumbent
58.6%5,564
Dale HowlettDemocrat
41.4%3,931
9,495 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