2004 United States Senate election in South Dakota
The 2004 United States Senate election in South Dakota happened on November 2, 2004. The Republican candidate, John Thune, barely defeated the Democratic candidate, Tom Daschle, by less than 5,000 votes.[1]
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 County results Thune: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Daschle: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Tom Daschle was the leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate. This was the only time since 1952 that a party leader in the Senate lost an election in United States history. Daschle was the only Senator to lose re-election in 2004.[2]
This election happened at the same time as the 2004 United States presidential election.
Candidates
change- Democratic: Tom Daschle. Daschle had worked in the United States Senate since 1987, and was trying to win a fourth term. He was also the minority leader in the Senate.
- Republican: John Thune. Thune represented South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003.[3]
Campaign
changeJohn Thune, President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney said Daschle was the "chief obstructionist" of President Bush's goals and claimed he used filibusters to delay these goals. John Thune, the Republican candidate, showed his strong support for the war in Iraq. John Thune accused Tom Daschle of "emboldening the enemy."[4] Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist visited South Dakota to help John Thune, breaking a tradition that a leader of one party would not campaign for the defeat of the other party leader.[5] Early in the race, Tom Daschle looked like he was going to win. However, by November 2004, many polls showed that Tom Daschle and John Thune were both equally likely to win the election.[6]
Results
change| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
John Thune (Republican) 
|
197,848 | 50.58% |
| Tom Daschle (Democratic) | 193,340 | 49.42% |
| Total | 391,188 | 100.00% |
Related articles
changeReferences
change- ↑ "2004 General Election Official Returns for U.S. Senate". SDSOS.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ↑ Carroll, Susan J.; Fox, Richard L. (December 26, 2005). Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139447898 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "South Dakota - Rep. John Thune (R)". 1998 Almanac. nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (September 20, 2004). "Daschle Defends Iraq Remarks". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
- ↑ Dewar, Helen (April 19, 2004). "In Break With Tradition, Frist Takes High-Stakes Fight to Daschle's Turf". Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (November 3, 2004). "Daschle, Democratic Senate Leader, Is Beaten". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 8, 2021.