1966 United States Senate election in South Dakota
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 County results Mundt: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Wright: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in South Dakota |
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The 1966 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Republican Senator Karl E. Mundt ran for re-election to his fourth term. He was challenged in the Republican primary by a John Birch Society member, but easily turned away the challenge. In the general election, he faced State Representative Donn Wright, the Democratic nominee. Owing in large part to the Republican landslide taking place nationwide, Mundt defeated Wright by an unprecedented margin.
South Dakota would not elect another Senator to a fourth term until John Thune in 2022, it was dubbed the "Mundt curse".[1]
Democratic primary
[edit]State Representative Donn Wright from Aurora County announced that he would run against Mundt on April 18, 1966, the only Democratic candidate to do so.[2] As Wright was the only candidate to file for the nomination, he won the primary unopposed and the race was removed from the primary election ballot.[3]
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Karl E. Mundt, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Richard B. Murphy, attorney,[4] John Birch Society member[5]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Karl E. Mundt (inc.) | 66,758 | 82.06% | |
| Republican | Richard B. Murphy | 14,593 | 17.94% | |
| Total votes | 81,351 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Karl E. Mundt (inc.) | 150,517 | 66.28% | +13.84% | |
| Democratic | Donn H. Wright | 76,653 | 33.72% | −13.84% | |
| Majority | 73,954 | 32.57% | +27.68% | ||
| Turnout | 227,080 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Sen. John Thune broke the Mundt curse. Now, can he become the Senate GOP top dog?". subscribe.argusleader.com. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- ^ "Donn Wright Is Demo Candidate For U. S. Senate". Mitchell Daily Republic. Mitchell, S.D. April 18, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Demos Have 2 Contests For Precinct Committee Posts". Daily Plainsman. Huron, S.D. May 11, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Murphy To Seek Nomination For U. S. Senate In Primary". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, S.D. September 8, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Trandahl, Ed (January 15, 1966). "About Town". Mitchell Daily Republic. Mitchell, S.D. p. 3. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Nelson, Nelson; Heinrich, Chad W., eds. (2005). "Chapter 8: Elections". Legislative Manual: South Dakota, 2005. Pierre, S.D. p. 627.
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