1996 United States Senate election in South Dakota

The 1996 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 4, 1996. Incumbent Republican Senator Larry Pressler faced Democratic challenger Tim Johnson in a closely contested race. Pressler, seeking his fourth term, was narrowly defeated by Johnson, who won with 51% of the vote (166,533 votes) compared to Pressler's 49% (157,954 votes). This margin of victory was just 8,579 votes. The election marked the only Democratic flip in the 1996 Senate cycle.

Johnson, a U.S. Representative at-large, entered the race late due to his wife's health issues but capitalized on his status as South Dakota's sole congressman since 1987. Pressler, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, faced criticism for his role in privatizing public television and the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which led to higher phone prices. Johnson also attacked Pressler for accepting significant PAC donations from telecommunications companies and tobacco interests, despite Pressler's fundraising advantage.

Johnson campaigned on a record of consistently winning with over 59% of the vote in previous races and performed better than Pressler when paired on the same ballot in 1990. Although Pressler ran ads attacking Johnson as too liberal, these efforts were largely ineffective according to Johnson's polling data.

The race was competitive throughout, with internal polls indicating a close contest. In the end, Johnson won by a narrow margin, securing his Senate seat despite being outspent by Pressler in campaign expenditures.