S.D., has died at the age of 77, his family announced in a Wednesday morning news release. Johnson passed away Tuesday evening surrounded by family, following complications from a recent stroke,

One of the last Democrats from the Great Plains to be elected to national office, he built his career on delivering benefits to his home state, South Dakota.

Former Sen. Tim Johnson, a centrist who was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in South Dakota and who spent nearly three decades in Congress, has died.