1918 United States Senate election in South Dakota
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The 1918 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 5, 1918. Incumbent Republican Senator Thomas Sterling sought re-election in his first popular election. He defeated former Governor Frank M. Byrne in the Republican primary and then faced former State Representative Orville Rinehart, the 1916 Democratic nominee for Governor, in the general election. Sterling defeated Rinehart, along with independent candidate W. T. Rafferty, by a wide margin to win re-election.
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November 5, 1918
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 County results Sterling: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% Rinehart: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Orville V. Rinehart, former State Representative from Pennington County, 1916 Democratic nominee for Governor[1]
- James Coffey, Internal Revenue Collector for North and South Dakota[2]
- John E. Kelley, former U.S. Congressman from South Dakota's at-large congressional district[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Orville V. Rinehart | 3,848 | 40.92% | |
| Democratic | James Coffey | 2,949 | 31.36% | |
| Democratic | John E. Kelley | 2,606 | 27.71% | |
| Total votes | 9,403 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Thomas Sterling, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Frank M. Byrne, former Governor of South Dakota
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Sterling (inc.) | 21,516 | 55.48% | |
| Republican | Frank M. Byrne | 17,264 | 44.52% | |
| Total votes | 38,780 | 100.00% | ||
Socialist Primary
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Sterling (inc.) | 51,198 | 55.07% | |
| Democratic | Orville V. Rinehart | 36,210 | 38.95% | |
| Independent | W. T. Rafferty | 5,560 | 5.98% | |
| Majority | 14,988 | 16.12% | ||
| Total votes | 92,968 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||