2008Final results

2008 election for U.S. Senate in South Dakota

Name: 2008 election for U.S. Senate in South Dakota
Start: 2008-11-04
Location: South Dakota

U.S. Senate · South Dakota

Tim Johnson (D) won with 62.5% of the vote, defeating Joel Dykstra (R) by 25.0 points.

Tim JohnsonDemocrat · winner

62.5%237,889

37.5%142,784

380,673 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

Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET

Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.

Tim JohnsonJoel Dykstra

$4.5M

Raised by the campaign

$906.6K

$4.6M

Spent by the campaign

$905.4K

$552.4K

Cash on hand

$1.3K

Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.

Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008