Free Republic

Herseth Sandlin passes on Senate run, leaving Republicans with early edge to win seat. ... Democrats had targeted the onetime congresswoman, who served from 2004 to 2011, as their top recruit in a seat currently held by retiring Sen. Tim Johnson. Even if Johnson had decided to run for another term, Republicans would have considered the solidly-Republican state one of their top pickup opportunities of the 2014 election. ... The state's former GOP governor, Mike Rounds, has already declared he will seek the Republican Party's nomination. While Rounds announced his campaign early and has high name-identification in the state, he...

Democratic leaders are wooing staunchly pro-gun candidates to run in pivotal Senate races at the same time they are discussing a strategy for bringing gun control legislation back up for debate. The two-pronged effort has prompted Republicans to accuse the Senate Democratic leadership of hypocrisy, but Democrats say it is simply smart politics. The question is whether two of the Democrats’ most promising potential candidates in Montana and South Dakota will pay a price for the leadership’s political maneuverings in Washington. Or will recruiting candidates who do not support President Obama’s gun control agenda have any effect on Democratic fundraising...

2014 retirements: Dems heading for the hills By: Alexander Burns April 23, 2013 04:49 PM EDT Doesn’t anyone want to run for Senate in 2014? Midway through candidate recruitment season, the bad news for Democrats is this: They are watching a generation of talent leave the Senate and head for retirement. The less-bad news: So far, few marquee-name Republicans are interested in these seats either. When Montana Sen. Max Baucus called it quits on Tuesday, he became the latest in a long series of senior legislators to announce that they’ve had quite enough of life on the Hill. National Democrats...

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, does not plan to run for re-election when his current term ends in 2014, sources close to the matter and key Capitol Hill staffers said on Monday. Johnson, 66, joined the Senate in 1997 and has been widely expected to retire at the end of his term. He plans to make the announcement on Tuesday, the sources said. Johnson's staff said that he will hold a press conference at the University of South Dakota on Tuesday. His retirement would leave a vacant seat in a conservative-leaning state that could be...

When South Dakota’s former two-term Gov. Mike Rounds made it official last week that he would seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator in 2014, it was national news. After an election year in which Republicans began with high hopes of winning a majority in the Senate only to end with a net loss of two seats from their ranks, news that Rounds was poised to challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was truly something to cheer for the dispirited GOP. “Instantly competitive,” is how the Hill characterized the likely contest between conservative Rounds and two-term liberal Democrat Johnson (lifetime American...

Stopping veteran Dem retirements is top priority for Reid, SchumerBy Alexander Bolton - 11/25/12 06:00 AM ET One of the highest immediate political priorities for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Democratic political guru Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is to persuade veteran colleagues not to retire in 2014. Democratic sources identify four senators as most likely to retire: Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Another possible veteran retirement is Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who has yet to announce his decision. But Democratic aides expect him to run...

Rodney Davis, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, has been chosen by Republican leaders to be the GOP candidate for congress in the newly redrawn 13th Congressional District. Davis, of Taylorville, will be the GOP candidate instead of U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Champaign. Johnson won the Republican nomination in the March primary election, but announced shortly afterward that he would retire and not run in the general election. "As I traveled throughout the district during the selection process, voters told me that they wanted a common-sense, fiscally-conservative Representative in Washington to help restore the economy, create jobs and cut...

After voters sent a former "Saturday Night Live" star (Sen. Al Franken), a hit recording artist (former Rep. Sonny Bono) and an astronaut (former Sen. John Glenn) to Congress, a former Miss America Pageant winner wants to try her hand at lawmaking. Erika Harold, who won the Miss America crown in 2003, passed the first hurdle this week in becoming the Republican candidate to replace Illinois Rep. Tim Johnson, who dropped out of the race two weeks after winning the GOP nomination in March. The GOP county chairman tapped Harold, a Harvard Law School graduate who now works as a...

Local Republican officials in the 13th district will now select a new nominee to replace Johnson, who was first elected to the House in 2000. A senior Illinois GOP operative immediately pushed Rodney Davis, the former Illinois Republican Party executive director, as a potential successor to Johnson. The source also suggested Davis would have the support of his former boss, Rep. John Shimkus (R). Shimkus currently represents much of the redrawn 13th district but is seeking re-election in a nearby safe Republican district. State Reps. Chapin Rose and Adam Brown as well as state Sen. Sam McCann are also considered...

Veteran Illinois U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson intends to drop his bid for a seventh term and retire, a Republican official said Wednesday. Johnson was expected to make a public announcement of his decision Thursday, said the official, who spoke directly with Johnson but would confirm the decision only on condition of anonymity in order not to pre-empt the congressman's formal announcement.

Speaker John Boehner pushed his debt-ceiling bill through the House Friday night with the support of 218 Republicans. Here are the 22 no votes: Justin Amash (Mich.) Michele Bachmann (Minn.) Chip Cravaack (Minn.) Jason Chaffetz (Utah) Scott Desjarlais (Tenn.) Tom Graves (Ga.) Tim Huelskamp (Kans.) Steve King (Iowa) Tim Johnson (Ill.) Tom McClintock (Calif.) Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) Ron Paul (Texas) Connie Mack (Fla.) Jim Jordan (Ohio) Tim Scott (S.C.) Paul Broun (Ga.) Tom Latham (Iowa) Jeff Duncan (S.C.) Trey Gowdy (S.C.) Steve Southerland (Fla.) Joe Walsh (Ill.) Joe Wilson (S.C.) CORRECTED: Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) voted YES on the Boehner...

The following twenty-two House members stood firm and opposed the Boehner bill, which is nothing more than a vehicle which will be sent to the Senate, reworked by Harry Reid into something even worse than it already is, and then returned to the House. Boehner will dutifully bring it up and the Tea Partiers who voted for it will then vote against it, but it will not matter. Boehner and Reid will pass the Bill in the House with Democrat votes and Obama will sign it. The votes today cast by conservatives, many of whom are good people, are very...

Despite Johnson’s turning his back on such a fundamental liberty as the right to own property, the Republican establishment apparently sees nothing wrong with putting Johnson in charge of a subcommittee that, as stated in Illinois’ News-Gazette, “deals with issues such as rural development programs…and family farming matters.”

First, the Republicans reward Michigan Rep. Fred Upton for banning the light bulb, by putting him in charge of energy. Now they reward Illinois Rep. Tim Johnson for voting against farmers’ property rights, by putting him in charge of–you guessed it– farming.

In an open letter sent today to ABC President David Westin, Media Research Center President and NewsBusters.org Publisher Brent Bozell questioned the ethics of ABC as a "news" network and wondered "how in the world can anyone take ABC seriously" after it was announced that ABC News has hired Democrat donor Dr. Richard Besser to be their new Senior Medical Editor. The letter appears in its entirety below the fold.

Senators who oversee the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package held stocks in many of the banks bailed out towards the end of last year, according to financial disclosure reports released Friday. According to the reports detailing senators’ finances in 2008, nearly half of the members of the Senate Banking Committee had holdings in financial institutions that have taken funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The panel has jurisdiction over the bailout fund and other relief efforts directed by federal regulators to save the nation’s financial system. For example, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), a Banking panel member, has...

...Thune was not alone in voting "no." A Democrat — *gasp* — and fellow South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson — also voted "no," probably for the same reason Thune voted "no" which was because it was going to kill 3,000-5,000 jobs in their state, which is simple math.

See this link for the article - http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=70790&catid=2

Former Republican Lt. Gov. Steve Kirby says he will decide within the next week whether to challenge South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson this November. "I'm undecided but I am working feverishly on trying to come up with a decision in the next seven days," Kirby said Thursday. South Dakota Republicans have been searching for GOP candidates to challenge Johnson this year. The Democrat's bid for a third term has attracted little attention as South Dakotans have focused on his recovery from a brain hemorrhage, and the election has been seen as Johnson's to lose. Kirby is more well-known than other...

<p>I am writing this column the afternoon before the election, but one thing I feel comfortable predicting: Several famous pollsters will be wrong.</p> <p>For instance, in Minnesota either Zogby (Mondale by six) or Mason-Dixon (Coleman by six) will be left to explain how the dastardly public undercut them at the last moment. Likewise in Colorado, either Zogby (Strickland by five) or Gallup (Allard by two) will grumble about the public not truly understanding the full range of possibilities inherent within the phrase "a 95 percent chance of accuracy within a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent." Properly understood, of course, that phrase means it could be a landslide either way.</p>

The president's rally has a very real political purpose. But today, some bipartisan supporters held a rally of their own to show they support the Republican president and Democrat Tim Johnson for Senate. John Thune's campaign hopes tomorrow's rally will convince Bush supporters to also be Thune supporters. But, not everyone who likes the President plans to vote for Thune. Some registered Republicans who plan to vote for Tim Johnson held a rally in Aberdeen today. Registered Republican Tom Aman thinks highly of the commander and chief. He voted for him in 2000, and has contributed to every one of...

Narrowly defeated Republican Senate candidate John Thune has postponed a decision about whether to call for a recount after unofficial vote returns showed him losing to incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson by less than two-fifths of a percentage point. Thune, South Dakota's three-term congressman, said he will await the outcome of the official statewide vote canvass on Tuesday, Nov. 12, to see whether Johnson's 528-vote lead erodes. "The numbers are in, and we came up a little bit short. I don't anticipate a change," Thune said when he addressed reporters early Wednesday afternoon. "We'll wait and see." State law allows for...

News Thune Response to Close VoteAfter hours of meeting with his campaign staff, Congressman Thune addressed his supporters about the narrow margin of defeat during his race for the U.S. Senate. Thune: "After a long night and a long morning, the preliminary results of last night's election show Senator Tim Johnson with a 528 vote advantage. The next step in the process is the official canvass of the election results. A canvass is done after each election, and the results will be released as soon as that process is finished. Essentially, the canvass is our election system's process for checking...

<p>SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Kurt Evans issued a statement Thursday evening saying he was suspending his U.S. Senate campaign and giving his support to Republican John Thune.</p> <p>Evans had qualified for the Nov. 5 ballot as a Libertarian candidate. He could not be reached for comment.</p>

Stephanie Herseth is no longer the underdog. In fact, the newcomer candidate holds a slight edge over political powerhouse, Governor Bill Janklow in the race for South Dakota's seat in the U.S. House. It's the second KELOLAND News Election poll in which Herseth's held a slight lead. When the KELOLAND News Election poll showed registered South Dakota voters favored Herseth in August, the Janklow campaign said the Governor hadn't hit the campaign trail yet. Now with less than four weeks until the election, our exclusive poll shows Janklow still hasn't made up any ground. When Governor Bill Janklow entered the...

There are still nine months to go before the South Dakota Senate election between Minority Leader Tom Daschle and his Republican challenger, former Rep. John Thune. The campaign hasn’t really started yet, but you might as well get ready now for the post-election investigation into voting irregularities. It’s a sure thing. And while you’re at it, you might as well prepare for a murky end to that investigation. There might be clear evidence of wrongdoing, but no one will be found guilty of doing anything wrong. And then it will be on to the next election. Last week, we saw...

http://www.state.sd.us/sos/results/statwide.shtml U S SENATE (L) EVANS KURT 2974 1 816 844 (D) JOHNSON TIM 160809 49 816 844 (R) THUNE JOHN 162492 50 816 844

Just heard on local radio that the libertarian candidate in the SD, senate race, Curt Evans, is dropping out and throwing his support behind John Thune(R). Say's "Thune is the better candidate". Maybe 2-3% bump.(my guess)

Hi, this is Dan Olmsted, Washington Bureau Chief of United Press International. We're still looking at the Thune-Johnson race, and would appreciate any suggestions for how to nail down any possible fraud in the race.

Please post as much election information as you can on this thread, so we won't have a million separate threads running at one time. And, please, NO GRAPHICS -- just links!

SOUTH DAKOTA: NRSC Poll Has Daschle Up One A McLaughlin and Assocs. (R) poll; conducted 7/16-17 for the NRSC; surveyed 200 likely voters; margin of error +/- 4.9% (release, 7/22). Tested: Sen. Min. Leader Tom Daschle (D) and '02 nominee/ex-Rep. John Thune (R). Daschle 47% Thune 46% Daschle Unfavorable 36% Thune Unfavorable 22% Meanwhile, the polling memo notes that SD voters "are turned off by Daschle's premature start to the campaign season," noting that 68% said "it's too early for political ads and Tom Daschle should stop running them" (release, 7/22). A GOP source notes that the poll was taken...

<p>"Work as if everything depends on you; pray as if everything depends on God."</p> <p>The Iraq debate is over. Democrats who are up for reelection in close Senate races voted for the Iraq resolution with the exception of Paul Wellstone (D-WI). Now with over three weeks left, they are going to hit hard on the economy, social security, negative attack ads, etc.</p>

Some statistics from South Dakota Election site and Census site. Exceptional voter registration averages there. South Dakota County by County Results Last Updated Wednesday November 06 2002. 11/06/02-CENTRAL ELECTION REPORTING SYSTEM-12:56:21 ST05BTCH-STATEWIDE RACES 2000 Census http://www.state.sd.us/sos/results/pvreport.shtml http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html So Dak So Dak Age Age Total % Too Turned 18 County Population < 18 >=18 Registered Registered Many Since 2000 Evans Johnson Thune Total Aurora 3058 844 2214 2052 0.93 0 94 18 875 698 1591 Beadle 17040 4205 12835 11321 0.88 0 467 94 4381 3499 7974 Bennett 3570 1297 2273 2369 1.04 96 144 16 899 694 1609 Bon Homme...

America's Libertarian Party services only one purpose: Distracting and confusing the determined combatants in all our critical national struggles. Consider the preposterous Libertarian role in the just concluded midterm elections. South Dakota represented ground zero in the struggle for control of the Senate, and Republican John Thune and incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson fought to a virtual tie--with only 527 votes (less than 0.2 percent of the vote) dividing them. Meanwhile, 3,071 votes went to Libertarian Kurt Evans, a 32-year-old teacher who listed as one of his prime preparations for the Senate that his father is a known Country & Western...

* means NRA endorsment. Grade is the NRA grade. Alabama: *(D) Siegelman 674,052 A+ (R) Riley 670,913 A (L) Sophocleus 23,242 Oregon: (D) Kulongoski 493,385 C+ (R) Mannix 490,745 A (L) Cox 47,444 Wisconsin: (D) Doyle 800,958 F *(R) McCallum 732,781 A (L) Thompson 185,085 Wyoming: (D) Freudenthal 89,407 A- *(R) Bebout 85,556 A+ (L) Dawson 3,800 Not to mention that Thune will probably lose South Dakota Senate seat by a smaller margin that the Libertarian in that race got... (D) Johnson 167,481 C+ *(R) Thune 166,954 A (L) Evans 3,071 So basically Libertarians brought 2 anti-gun governors, and possibly...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson said Friday that he will run for re-election next year as he continues his recovery from a life-threatening brain hemorrhage. Johnson's announcement is good news for his party, because prominent Republicans have shied away from the idea of challenging the South Dakota Democrat after his illness and long recovery were closely watched in the state. "After months of rehabilitation and recovery, more than a month on the job in Washington and after my recent trips back to South Dakota it is clear, to my family, my doctors, and me that I am able...

A prominent Republican U.S. Senate candidate said he doesn't believe he'll have to face Gov. Mike Rounds in the primary. Senate Republican primary candidate state Rep. Joel Dykstra, R-Canton, was in town for the Hughes County Republican meeting Tuesday. He said Rounds has given him no indication that he'll be making a run for the Senate in 2008. "I take (Rounds) at his word and the indications that he's given us thus far," Dykstra said. "Frankly he knows very well what I'm up to and what I'm doing and what I'm up against and I would expect that if something...

Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:20:36 GMT From: "Barbara Boxer" To: Subject: What a warm welcome back for Tim! Dear xxxxx, Thanks so much to all of you who helped me welcome Tim Johnson back to the Senate last week after 9 months of rehabilitation, contributing more than $24,000 to his re-election campaign! Our community was at the top of the charts among Democratic Senators supporting Tim online last week -- showing how much you care and are committed to making a difference. It's crucial that Tim has enough funding to run a powerful campaign in South Dakota against any...

Dear [Past Your Eyes], Last winter, Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffered a brain hemorrhage. Today, Senator Tim Johnson returns to the Floor of the United States Senate. In just 9 months, with the help and support of his family, doctors, and prayers from people across the country, Senator Johnson has progressed remarkably. Senator Johnson's recovery has been nothing short of amazing and we are all thankful that he is now able to return to the Senate Chambers and continue his work for the people of South Dakota and all Americans. To celebrate Senator Johnson's return -- and to help him...

Dear Friend, Help us make a big statement for Senator Johnson today -- help him have the resources he needs to win in November 2008. Click here to Contribute >> Last winter, Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffered a brain hemorrhage. Today, Senator Tim Johnson returns to the Floor of the United States Senate. In just 9 months, with the help and support of his family, doctors, and prayers from people across the country, Senator Johnson has progressed remarkably. Senator Johnson's recovery has been nothing short of amazing and we are all thankful that he is now able to return to...

South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson returned to the Senate on Wednesday physically weaker but saying he anticipates running for re-election next year. Johnson, a Democrat, has been out since suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage nine months ago. Effects of the hemorrhage remain — he uses a scooter to get around and his words are slow and slurred. But his mind appears sharp, and he gave every indication of wanting to stay. "It feels good and I'm ready to go," he said in an interview after returning to his office. Later, he spoke on the Senate floor. "It must already be...

ABC News' Bob Woodruff Reports: Senator Tim Johnson, the South Dakota Democrat who suffered a near fatal brain hemorrhage last December, will seek reelection in 2008. Johnson greeted South Dakota voters Tuesday, in his first public appearance since falling ill. We continue to wish Johnson well, but now that Johnson decided to seek reelection it's time for the gloves to come off. Johnson won reelection in 2002 by just 524 votes and was a tempting target even before he became ill. Two Republicans, State Representative Joel Dykstra and business man Sam Kephart, are running for Johnson's seat.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After a life-threatening brain hemorrhage and months of recuperation, Sen. Tim Johnson is greeting home state voters Tuesday in his first public appearance since falling ill last year. Johnson, D-S.D., is expected to return to the Senate for votes in early September, according to spokeswoman Julianne Fisher. His return comes almost nine months after he fell ill in the Capitol. Tuesday's celebration in Sioux Falls is a carefully choreographed gathering that could take on the appearance of a campaign event — Johnson is up for re-election next year but has not yet said whether he will run...

Calling national Republicans “sad” and “desperate,” former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) decried their pledge to begin pursuing an aggressive campaign against his ill former South Dakota Senate colleague, Sen. Tim Johnson (D). In an e-mail to supporters issued by Johnson’s campaign committee, Daschle criticizes National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) for saying he would push forward with an effort to defeat Johnson in 2008. (snip) “Tim’s focus should be on his recovery to serve the people of South Dakota, not fending off classless political attacks from national Republicans,” Daschle wrote. “That means we’re not going...

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson is returning to his home state of South Dakota for the first time since suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage eight months ago. The senator has been recovering at hospitals and in his Fairfax, Va. home and has not appeared in public since he fell ill. He will travel to South Dakota this month and is expected to return to the Senate in September. Johnson has been undergoing speech therapy and is expected to use a motorized scooter to get around in the Capitol. In a statement released Tuesday by his office, Johnson said his doctors have...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson is returning to his home state of South Dakota for the first time since suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage eight months ago. The senator has been recovering at hospitals and in his Fairfax, Va. home and has not appeared in public since he fell ill. He will travel to South Dakota this month and is expected to return to the Senate in September. Johnson has been undergoing speech therapy and is expected to use a scooter to get around in the Capitol. In a statement released Tuesday by his office, Johnson said his...

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota is still recovering from a December brain hemorrhage, but his office appears to be beefing up his staff for a 2008 re-election campaign. Drey Samuelson, Johnson's chief of staff, said Wednesday that the office has hired Steve Jarding as deputy chief of staff. Jarding, who will work for the senator's congressional office in Rapid City, S.D., is a veteran political consultant who served as a top strategist for James Webb, the Virginia Democrat who upset Republican Sen. George Allen last November.

The latest wrinkle in the recovery of Tim Johnson is his still-to-be-determined return to the Senate after a debilitating brain hemorrhage -- and the complications of it for South Dakota Republicans who are considering challenging him. Two Republicans, Joel Dykstra and Sam Kephart, have declared their intent to challenge him, but many consider GOP Gov. Mike Rounds the most formidable opponent. And even Johnson's declared challengers carefully avoid any comments slighting the recovering senator. In his absence this year, surrogates offer plenty of projections about when he will make his comeback. But their scenarios add to the uncertainty -- even...

South Dakota state Rep. Joel Dykstra (R) has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination to face Sen. Tim Johnson (D) in 2008. Dykstra filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday and declared himself a “candidate for U.S. Senate.” “I am very appreciative of the encouragement that I have received in my exploration of a run for the U.S. Senate,” Dykstra said. “My family and I are humbled by the expressions of support we have received from many people from across the state.” Dykstra is the first major candidate to enter the race and...

South Dakota state Rep. Joel Dykstra (R) has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination to face Sen. Tim Johnson (D) in 2008. Dykstra filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday and declared himself a “candidate for U.S. Senate.” “I am very appreciative of the encouragement that I have received in my exploration of a run for the U.S. Senate,” Dykstra said. “My family and I are humbled by the expressions of support we have received from many people from across the state.” Dykstra is the first major candidate to enter the race and...