1998 United States Senate election in South Dakota
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The 1998 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held November 2, 1998. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator and-then Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle won re-election to a third term. As of 2026, this was the last time a Democrat won the Class 3 Senate seat from South Dakota.
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November 3, 1998
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 County results Daschle: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Schmidt: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Alan Aker
- John Sanders
- Ron Schmidt, attorney
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ron Schmidt | 26,540 | 52.01% | |
| Republican | Alan Aker | 19,200 | 37.62% | |
| Republican | John M. Sanders | 5,292 | 10.37% | |
| Total votes | 51,032 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Byron Dale (L)
- Tom Daschle (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Ron Schmidt (R), attorney
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Daschle (incumbent) | 162,884 | 62.14% | −2.76% | |
| Republican | Ron Schmidt | 95,431 | 36.41% | +3.90% | |
| Libertarian | Byron Dale | 3,796 | 1.45% | +0.15% | |
| Majority | 67,453 | 25.73% | −6.66% | ||
| Turnout | 262,111 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||