2002 United States House of Representatives election in South Dakota

Republican primary

Candidates

• Timothy Amdahl, South Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction; former S.D. School and Public Lands Commissioner
• Roger Hunt, South Dakota state representative
• Bill Janklow, incumbent governor of South Dakota
• Larry Pressler, former U.S. senator
• Bert Tollefson

Campaign

With Thune opting to run for the Senate, a competitive race for the Republican nomination occurred. Among the five candidates pursuing the nomination, the most notable included former Senator Larry Pressler and Governor Bill Janklow, the latter of whom was personally recruited to run by President George W. Bush and his advisers.

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Dick Casey
• Stephanie Herseth, attorney
• Denny Pierson
• Rick Weiland, former aide to Senator Tom Daschle and nominee for this seat in 1996

Campaign

Democrats made a stronger effort to win the seat than in the previous election cycles, with the popular Thune choosing to challenge incumbent Senator Tim Johnson rather than seek re-election. Democrats touted Stephanie Herseth, a law clerk and member of the prominent Herseth family (which includes several individuals who have been active in South Dakota politics, such as her grandfather Ralph Herseth, a former governor of South Dakota).

Results

General election

Predictions

Campaign

Despite Janklow's high popularity as governor, the race was unexpectedly close. Herseth proved to be a skillful fundraiser and, as a result, was able to stay close to her opponent in campaign funds. The polls confirmed the closeness of the race, showing both of them consistently within single digits of each other throughout the election.

Throughout the campaign, Janklow emphasized his experience and commitment to seeing that the United States was protected from terrorism, while Herseth emphasized the economic issues of South Dakota. A controversy occurred in regard to an attack ad created by the National Republican Congressional Committee which questioned Herseth's roots in South Dakota. It pointed to the fact that she had not registered to vote in her home state until the year before, and, prior to that, had voted in Maryland in 2000. Herseth accused the ad of being "both inaccurate and offensive." Though Russ Levsen, her spokesman, acknowledged that she had voted in Maryland and reregistered to vote in South Dakota in 2001, he countered that she had previously been registered in her home state at the age of eighteen and had voted in five elections between 1989 and 1998. The NRCC pulled the ad within forty-eight hours in response to the bipartisan criticisms of both candidates. The ad was subsequently replaced with one that promoted Janklow's credentials.

Though Republicans were unsuccessful in defeating Tim Johnson during the concurrent Senate election, they did succeed in defending South Dakota's U.S. House seat.

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Deuel (largest city: Clear Lake)
• Brookings (largest city: Brookings)
• Spink (largest city: Redfield) (became tied)
• Aurora (largest city: Plankinton)
• Brown (largest city: Aberdeen)
• Day (largest city: Webster)
• Roberts (largest city: Sisseton)
• Beadle (largest city: Huron)
• Bon Homme (largest city: Springfield)
• Clay (largest city: Vermillion)
• Jerauld (largest city: Wessington Springs)
• Buffalo (largest city: Fort Thompson)
• Mellette (largest city: White River)
• Bennett (largest city: Martin)
• Lyman (largest city: Lower Brule)
• Corson (largest city: McLaughlin)
• Dewey (largest city: North Eagle Butte)
• Sanborn (largest city: Woonsocket) (became tied)
• Ziebach (largest city: Dupree)

Aftermath

Herseth won the seat in a special election less than eighteen months later, after Janklow resigned in January 2004 following a conviction of vehicular manslaughter.

References

References

1. Holman, Kwame. (2002-11-04). "Kwame Holman reports on the battle for control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as seen from South Dakota.".
2. "Statewide Primary Official Returns".
3. (6 November 2002). "50 most competitive House races of 2002". Sabato's Crystal Ball.
4. (14 October 2002). "2002 Senate, House and Governor Ratings". The New York Times.
5. (November 6, 2002). "Outgoing governor wins South Dakota House seat, CNN projects". CNN.
6. (October 14, 2002). "South Dakota Candidate Gets Ad Removed". [[Fox News]].
7. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002".