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In the 1986 election, Daschle became South Dakota's junior senator by winning 52 percent of the vote in a tight race with Republican Senator James Abdnor. Senator Daschle was appointed to the Finance Committee during his first year in the Senate, an unusual honor for a freshman. In 1988, he became the first South Dakotan ever to hold a Senate Leadership position when he was named the first ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee by then Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell.

When Senator Mitchell retired in 1994, Daschle ran for the post of Democratic Minority Leader and won, 24-23, over Senator Christopher Dodd. Only Lyndon B. Johnson had served fewer years in the Senate before being elected to the Leader position.

Senator Daschle served as Minority Leader from 1994 to 2001, when the Senate became deadlocked with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans for the first time in the Senate's history. Daschle became Majority Leader for 17 days, from January 3 to January 20, because the new congress took office before a new presidential administration. Vice-President Al Gore acted as ex officio President of the Senate to give the Democrats a majority.

Daschle and Trent Lott, the Republican Leader, negotiated for five weeks to invent new rules to share power in an evenly-divided Congress and finally came up with an agreement that was passed unanimously by the Senate. In May of 2001, Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an Independent, which gave the Democrats a majority in the chamber to make Senator Daschle Majority Leader once again, from June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003. After the 2002 election, Daschle again became Minority Leader for the 108th Congress until his defeat in the 2004 election.

Tom Daschle lost the 2004 election to John Thune by 4,534 votes, a 49%-51% margin. He had been the Democratic Leader for ten years, two years longer than Lyndon B. Johnson, and was the first party leader in a half-century to be voted out of office.

The U.S. Senate papers series of the Daschle Papers is composed of records created by Tom Daschle and his staff during his tenure in the U.S. Senate. Included are trip schedules, speeches, sponsored and cosponsored legislation, and administrative files including financial disclosures, appointments and schedules. This series does not contain much material related to Daschle's campaigns for voting records during this time.

The trip schedules and files regarding his frequent trips back to South Dakota, including quite a few of Daschle's "Trip Notes" which are Daschle's notes to his staff regarding his impressions of the details of the trip and issues and concerns encountered on the trips that he wanted his staff to address.

Also included are files on the Whitewater issue during the Clinton administration, veterans issues, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Water Projects, the accident of South Dakota Governor Mickelson, and aviation issues.

In 1978, Daschle was elected to the United States House of Representatives, winning the race by a margin of 110 votes, following a recount, out of more than 129,000 votes cast. Daschle served four terms in the House of Representatives and quickly became a part of the Democratic leadership.

At the 1980 Democratic National Convention Congressman Daschle received 10 (0.30%) delegate votes for Vice President of the United States. Although he was not a candidate, Daschle (along with others) received votes against incumbent Walter Mondale, who was re-nominated easily.

he U.S. House of Representatives papers is composed of some campaign files and voting record information. Also included is "The Daschle Record" which contains 12 books compiled by his staff containing Daschle's voting record, sponsorships, and summaries of committee and subcommittee records from 1979 to 1986.

Due to the size and scope of the Daschle collection this collection was minimally processed. This means that material was placed in acid-free folders and containers, but processing at the item level was keep to a minimum. Only folders that had little or no description were looked into with more depth. Artifacts, such as plaques, framed items, textiles, art, and other three-dimensional items, were separated and placed in appropriate storage. Photographs were also separated and placed in proper storage containers.

Dates for each folder were chosen on what could be quickly ascertained. The dates are meant to give researchers a general idea of the dates of the material that is in each folder. These dates were selected on what could be quickly ascertained. If there was a range of dates covering material, then the earliest date was chosen.

The Linda Hall Daschle Papers document the professional achievements and public service of Linda Hall Daschle, particularly in the aviation sector, alongside selected materials related to her husband, Senator Tom Daschle’s political career. The collection spans from the early 1960s through the early 2000s and includes personal memorabilia, professional correspondence, press clippings, publications, and extensive audio-visual content.

Materials in the collection reflect Linda Daschle’s pioneering roles in federal aviation policy, including her tenure at the Civil Aeronautics Board and as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. The papers include awards, plaques, certificates, and commemorative items that mark key milestones in her career, as well as documentation of her public recognition by professional aviation organizations and federal institutions. A significant portion of the collection consists of VHS recordings of interviews, speeches, public service announcements, and events in which Daschle participated or was featured, illustrating her influence and visibility within the field.

The collection also preserves materials related to her early life, including beauty pageant recognition, and her civic engagement beyond aviation, such as her involvement with women’s and Native American organizations.

Complementing Linda Daschle’s materials are documents from Tom Daschle’s congressional and senatorial campaigns, including campaign plans, collected clippings, scheduling documents, and promotional materials. The audiovisual content also includes campaign advertisements, speeches, interviews, and farewell remarks, providing context to his political trajectory and public service legacy.

Overall, the collection offers insight into Linda Hall Daschle’s contributions to federal aviation policy, her role as a trailblazing woman in government service, and the broader political and public life of the Daschle family.

The Bill Nibbelink Papers documents Nibbelink’s involvement in the development and promotion of alcohol fuels in South Dakota, reflecting his collaboration with Congressman Tom Daschle and regional organizations during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The collection includes a range of government and industry publications on ethanol, such as materials produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Solar Energy Research Institute, and local advocacy groups like the South Dakota Alcohol Fuels Association. These materials illustrate a critical moment in the push for renewable energy solutions in the Midwest and highlight Nibbelink’s role in distributing and producing outreach materials to support the cause.

In addition to energy policy materials, the collection contains assorted campaign memorabilia and planning documents, including a 1978 recount handbook from the contested congressional election in Moody County. These records offer insight into grassroots campaign operations, local political strategy, and the resourcefulness of early campaign efforts with limited funding. The presence of "Get Out The Vote" materials and memorabilia spanning from 1978 to 2004 captures the longevity of Nibbelink’s political engagement.

Also included are constituent correspondence files known as robo letters, which detail how Daschle’s congressional office handled communication with constituents during his early terms. These are complemented by logistical materials such as South Dakota trip schedules, contact lists, and a congressional telephone directory, providing a fuller picture of day-to-day congressional operations.

Photographs, press clippings, and a 2015 interview with Nibbelink round out the collection, adding visual and personal context to the professional and political records. Altogether, the collection serves as a valuable resource for studying early renewable energy advocacy, political campaigning in rural America, and the evolution of constituent service in congressional offices.