# 2004 South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election

Elections in South Dakota :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2016
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1889
1891
1894
1897
1901
1903
1903 sp
1907
1909
1913
1914
1918
1920
1924
1926
1930
1932
1936
1938
1938 sp
1942
1944
1948
1950
1954
1956
1960
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
U.S. House elections
1889
1890
1891
AL sp
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
AL sp
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
AL sp
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022 :
State government
General elections
2010
2014
2018
2020
2022
Gubernatorial elections
1889
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
2022
Attorney General elections
2018
2022
Senate elections
2020
2022
House of Representatives elections
2020
2022 :
Ballot measures
2006
Amendment C
2008
Measure 9
Measure 10
2020
Amendment A
Measure 26
2024
Amendment E
Amendment G
Amendment H :
Sioux Falls
City elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Mayoral elections
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
Rapid City
City elections
2020
2022
2024
2026
Mayoral elections
2022 :
Pierre
City elections
2020
2022
2024
2026
Mayoral elections
2022 :
vte :
The 2004 South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election, which was held on June 1, 2004, was triggered by the January 20, 2004 resignation of Republican Representative Bill Janklow following a conviction of vehicular manslaughter after an accident that had occurred in August 2003. Each party held a nominating convention to choose their nominee for the special election. Republicans nominated Larry Diedrich over Barbara Everist, also a South Dakota State Senator. Democrats chose attorney Stephanie Herseth, who had unsuccessfully challenged Janklow in 2002.
The special election was closely watched by both parties in an effort to gain momentum going into the 2004 House elections. The Hill committees of both parties spent a combined total of two million dollars on advertising in South Dakota. This election was especially important considering that in November 2004, in addition to this House seat, also up for election was Democratic Senator and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who was facing a tough race against John Thune, who had only lost his bid for South Dakota's other U.S. Senate seat in 2002 by 524 votes.
Herseth benefitted from her high name recognition from her previous run as well as her relation to the prominent Herseth family (one notable member of whom includes her grandfather Ralph Herseth, a former Governor of South Dakota). Vice President Dick Cheney came to South Dakota in March to campaign for Diedrich.
Herseth narrowly prevailed over Diedrich as this made her the first woman ever elected in the Congress from the state of South Dakota since Gladys Pyle in 1938 Senate special election and the first Democratic woman to do so. The both of them won the regular primaries held on the same day as the special election, with Herseth winning a full term in November 2004 in a rematch with Diedrich. Some Democrats claimed this special election victory, as well as another one in Kentucky's 6th congressional district months earlier, were harbingers of major Democratic victories in November. However, instead Republicans expanded their majorities in both congressional chambers, net-gaining three House seats four Senate seats.

## Results

South Dakota's at-large congressional district special election, 2004 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Stephanie Herseth | 132,420 | 50.57% |
| | Republican | Larry Diedrich | 129,415 | 49.43% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 261,835 | 100.00% |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Kingsbury (Largest city: De Smet)
* Lake (Largest city: Madison)
* Marshall (Largest city: Britton)
* Miner (Largest city: Howard)
* Minnehaha (Largest city: Sioux Falls)
* Moody (Largest city: Flandreau)
* Grant (Largest city: Milbank)
* Brule (Largest city: Chamberlain)
* Sanborn (Largest city: Woonsocket) (previously tied)
* Spink (largest city: Redfield) (previously tied)
* Yankton (largest city: Yankton)
* Jackson (largest city: Kadoka)