Though I'm sure no Freeper would do anything to influence a poll given by the main newspaper in Daschle's hometown...
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Arizona | 285.00 |
8 |
35.62 |
346 |
0.82 |
100.00 |
10 |
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This is not a do or die race for Thune, but for Daschle. Thune already has proven statewide appeal plus courage in taking on well-financed incumbents with a large fraud machine behind them. Notice also buried in the article he has drawn a higher percentage of the vote in his house races than Daschle has done in a Senate race. Daschle won his first election contest by less than 200 votes. His luck will run out, like McGovern in 1980.
The risk to Daschle is higher. He is the Democrat Minority Leader in the Senate. Someone should explain that to Sabato before he gives his next expert seminar ...
Yeah, I remember that. I'm from the Chicago area. Looks like any election involving Daschle (or his power) is going to be like a mayoral election here.
Just wondering, is there any way to get the reservation precincts counted first?
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An independent public opinion poll conducted Oct. 30- Nov. 2 in South Dakota showed Daschle with 50 percent support to 44 percent for Thune. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.
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(Please Freepmail me if you want on/off Daschle ping.)
Thune aims to unseat Daschle
David Kranz
Argus Leader
published: 01/06/2004
'It's about making a difference'
Republicans stood and cheered Monday night when former Rep. John Thune said he would be their party's candidate against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
The long wait for Thune ended when he left his home, where he had been sick in bed, to bring his decision to a crowd of 350 faithful at Lincoln County's Lincoln Day Dinner.
"Starting tomorrow I will begin filing the paperwork necessary to begin raising money for a campaign for the U.S. Senate," Thune said in a short speech. "It's not about holding office. It's about making a difference."
The confirmation of Thune's candidacy marks the beginning of what is expected to be the latest in a half century of classic elections for U.S. Senate in South Dakota. That list includes Karl Mundt and George McGovern in 1960, Jim Abdnor and McGovern in 1980, Daschle and Abdnor in 1986, Larry Pressler and Tim Johnson in 1996, and Thune and Johnson in 2002.
The November general election is 10 months away and Thune, 42, was sometimes criticized even in his own party for waiting until the new year to make his intentions known. But the wait was about a desire not to put people though a long campaign, not indecision, he said.
For a time he listened to voters who wanted him to run for the U.S. House seat that will be vacated by Republican Rep. Bill Janklow, but he rejected it.
"I had people encouraging me to run for House. But the House isn't where the problem is. The House is going to be just fine. I don't know of a place more in the need of leadership than the U.S. Senate," he said.
He made only indirect references to Daschle, never mentioning the three-term incumbent's name.
"South Dakota needs leadership that puts us first and represents South Dakota values," he said, rekindling a theme from his unsuccessful 2002 race against Johnson.
"We need to put aside partisanship and the politics of obstruction and give the leadership that is right for our country," he said.
Daschle responded to Thune's announcement with a prepared statement, reminding people of his influence.
"One question should guide this election. What is best for South Dakota? My leadership position in the Senate gives South Dakota an unprecedented opportunity to put our priorities on the national agenda," he said.
Daschle said he has worked with presidents of both parties to do what is best for South Dakota, including "convincing President Clinton to veto legislation that would devastate recreation on the Missouri River and to reject California's request not to use ethanol as required by law, or whether it was working with President Bush this last year to enact forest health legislation that will be a big benefit to the people in the Black Hills."
In an interview following his speech, Thune said the election will come down to 30,000 or 40,000 undecided voters.
"The reason we lost the last time was because of the clout argument. This time we will talk about the future, about Tom Daschle's record and whether clout is an issue anymore," he said.
Running against Daschle won't be a simple task, he said.
"I realize I go into the race as the underdog," he said.
President Bush invited Thune to the White House in 2001 to convince him to run for the Senate against Johnson rather than for governor.
This time there was no pressure, Thune said.
"I had discussions with people from the White House from time to time, but there was no concerted effort. It was leave Thune alone and let him make his own decision on his time.' They realized this and the White House backed off. I appreciated it," Thune said.
His new campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, joined him for the announcement at C.J. Callaway's restaurant in southern Sioux Falls.
Wadhams comes to the campaign from the press office of Republican Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado. Wadham brings with him John Wood, who also worked for Allard. Wood is the first cousin of Karl Rove, President Bush's top political advisor.
Wadhams said there will be a more formal announcement of Thune's candidacy coming in a few weeks. That will involve trips to several communities in the state, including a likely stop in the candidate's hometown of Murdo.
Republicans were elated that they finally had their candidate.
"I believe John made a wise and thoughtful decision. We in the Sioux Empire understand that it is time to support President Bush, not interfere with his plans to move our country forward," said R. Shawn Tornow, Minnehaha County Republican Party chair.
Dr. Bonnie Omdahl, a radiologist of Sioux Falls, said Thune's candidacy puts things in perspective.
"He is an honest individual who has South Dakota interests at heart. He's the only one who can beat Tom Daschle because he has had a good track record in Congress," she said.
The announcement ends Neal Tapio's exploratory committee for the Senate. The Sioux Falls Republican said he will stay active in politics, though and is supporting Thune.
"This is one of the boldest decisions in his career. People wanted him to run for the House because it was an easy win. This is a tough race, but it is the right thing to do. The challenge now is to get Republicans to believe he can win," Tapio said.
Former state Sen. Don Frankenfeld, of Rapid City, a one-time challenger to then-Rep. Tim Johnson, likes Thune, but is one Republican who can't support him.
"John Thune has contributed to our state and nation, but this is not the time for him to be running. I think he will be defeated by Sen. Daschle, and I hate to see that happen. While I don't agree with Senator Daschle on all philosophic issues, I don't think there is any doubt that he is a courageous leader and his ability to speak and lead courageously is good for our country," Frankenfeld said.
In a phone interview, Frankenfeld said he was upset with the tone of the 2002 Senate race and called on the candidates to avoid that from happening again.
"I was disgusted at the level the political discourse had sunk. I don't look forward to that again. I would like to see a civil campaign based on ideas, one that recognizes that we have two decent people contesting against each other," he said.
Thune, a former aide to Sen. Abdnor, was elected to the House in 1996 and served three terms before deciding to challenge Johnson in 2002. He lost that race by 524 votes.
Thune had the public support from President Bush who made four trips in 2002 to the state on his behalf. Most of them were marked by problems.
The president failed to bring drought aide to the largely Republican West River farm and ranch community during an Aug. 15 election. A ticketing snafu at Bush's Oct. 29 visit to Aberdeen left up to 2,000 people in 12-degree weather.
Then Bush returned on Nov. 3 to the Sioux Falls Arena to address a crowd of supporters and staff. That again brought brought criticism. Instead of preparing get-out-the-vote efforts, Republican staff members were busy getting ready for the Bush visit. The vote in Pennington County, a Republican stronghold, showed a particularly significant decline.
State Democrats were put on the defensive with voter-fraud allegations on some of the state's Native American reservations. The State Democratic Party's Coordinated Campaign paid people to get absentee vote applications, and that resulted in allegations of fraud. Charges were made that Democrats stole the election from Thune, but Republican Attorney General Mark Barnett said evidence of fraud was not "massive" as claimed by Republicans.
After the 2002 election, Thune started The Thune Group, a lobbying firm that lists Sioux Valley Hospital and the DM&E Railroad among its clients. He also serves on the board of directors for First Midwest Financial Inc., a bank holding company based in Storm Lake, Iowa, and is a consultant to the Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn law firm based in Washington, D.C.