1998Final results
1998 election for U.S. Senate in South Dakota
U.S. Senate · South Dakota
Thomas Daschle (D) won with 62.1% of the vote, defeating Ron Schmidt (R) by 25.7 points.
Thomas DaschleDemocrat · winner
62.1%162,884
Ron SchmidtRepublican
36.4%95,431
Byron DaleLibertarian
1.4%3,796
262,111 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 1998
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.
Thomas DaschleRon Schmidt
$5.6M
Raised by the campaign
$540.7K
$4.9M
Spent by the campaign
$492.9K
$1M
Cash on hand
$4.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1998.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1998