| Election Name: | 1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota |
| Country: | South Dakota |
| Flag Year: | 1963 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1966 United States Senate election in South Dakota |
| Previous Year: | 1966 |
| Next Election: | 1978 United States Senate election in South Dakota |
| Next Year: | 1978 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1972 |
| Nominee1: | James Abourezk |
| Image1: | James Abourezk.jpg |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 174,773 |
| Percentage1: | 57.04% |
| Nominee2: | Robert W. Hirsch |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 131,613 |
| Percentage2: | 42.96% |
| Map Size: | 260px |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (US) |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (US) |
The 1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Karl E. Mundt, who had suffered a severe stroke in 1969, did not run for re-election to a fifth term and was succeeded by Democratic nominee James Abourezk.
Despite Abourezk's 14 percentage point win, Democratic presidential nominee and future fellow South Dakota Senator George McGovern lost his home state by a margin of 8.6 points in the concurrent presidential election.[1]
South Dakota was one of fifteen states alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia that were won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.
Primary elections were held on June 6, 1972.
A state convention was held June 26 to determine the party's nominee as no candidate received the 35% required for nomination under the state's primary law. Hirsch was nominated at this convention.