2002Final results
2002 election for U.S. Senate in South Dakota
U.S. Senate · South Dakota
Tim Johnson (D) won with 49.6% of the vote, defeating John Thune (R) by 0.2 points.
Tim JohnsonDemocrat · winner
49.6%167,481
John ThuneRepublican
49.5%166,949
Kurt EvansLibertarian
0.9%3,071
337,501 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 2002
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.
Tim JohnsonJohn Thune
$5.6M
Raised by the campaign
$5.5M
$6.2M
Spent by the campaign
$6M
$16.6K
Cash on hand
$7.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002