2008Final results
2008 election for South Dakota's at-large District
U.S. House · South Dakota
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D) won with 67.6% of the vote, defeating Chris Lien (R) by 35.1 points.
Stephanie Herseth SandlinDemocrat · winner
67.6%256,041
Chris LienRepublican
32.4%122,966
379,007 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 2008
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.
No DemocratChris Lien
—
Raised by the campaign
$606.8K
—
Spent by the campaign
$606.8K
—
Cash on hand
$21
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008