2002Final results
2002 election for South Dakota Legislative District 1
South Dakota State Senate · South Dakota
Paul Symens (D) won with 70.4% of the vote, defeating Gilbert Despiegler (R) by 40.8 points.
Paul SymensDemocrat · winner · incumbent
70.4%6,734
Gilbert DespieglerRepublican
29.6%2,833
9,567 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 2002
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET