Democrat Wins in South Dakota Special Election
By Joe Kafka
The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 1, 2004; 1:50 AM

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Stephanie Herseth, a lawyer who left the East Coast for a career in politics in her home state, narrowly defeated a Republican former lawmaker Tuesday in a special congressional election that was closely watched by national parties looking for momentum heading into November.

Herseth will immediately fill the seat of Bill Janklow, who was convicted of manslaughter and went to jail over a deadly auto accident.

With all but 31 precincts reporting, Herseth had 124,594 votes, or 51 percent, to 121,628 votes, or 49 percent, for Larry Diedrich, a farmer who served in the Legislature and was head of the American Soybean Association.