Posted on 04/22/2006 6:27:11 PM PDT by Patriot814
SIOUX FALLS - The South Dakota GOP's only candidate for U.S. House of Representatives is touring the state to make his bid formal.
Bruce Whalen of Pine Ridge, an American Indian who is chairman of the Shannon County Republican Party, will challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth on Nov. 7.
Whalen grew up in Pine Ridge but moved to Utah as a teenager. He returned to South Dakota in 1999 to raise his family. He for the Oglala Sioux Tribe as coordinator of its judiciary committee.
He lost a bid in 2002 for tribal council and was unsuccessful in 2004 in his campaign for the state House of Representatives.
At a stop Wednesday in Sioux Falls, Whalen said he supports family values, education, the war on terror, making tax cuts permanent and measures that help private business thrive and limit the size of government.
Reporters and photographers outnumbered supporters at the announcement. But Whalen said he is pleased with the support he has received from the party, including that from Gov. Mike Rounds, Sen. John Thune and Larry Diedrich, who lost to Herseth in 2004.
Whalen is the second Indian running against Herseth.
Terry Begay of Volin, who ran for the job in 2002 and 2004 as a Libertarian, is running as an independent this year. The retired federal prison guard must submit 3,346 signatures by June 6 to get on the November ballot.
Herseth has raised about $1 million in her bid for re-election to a second two-year term. Whalen has raised less than $5,000.
She won her first full term in 2004 after being voted in earlier that year in a special House election to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Rep. Bill Janklow, who quit after being convicted of manslaughter for a traffic death.
Herseth has said her campaign will focus on the work she has done in Congress to improve veterans' benefits, foster increased ethanol and biodiesel production and use, provide adequate and affordable health care and renew the farm bill.
Whalen planned announcements in Watertown and Aberdeen later Thursday before moving on to Pierre and Rapid City on Friday.
Who will the Pubbies have to face Johnson in the 2008 SD Senate race? Johnson beat Thune in 2002 by stealing the Indian reservation votes in the last hours of the election. We need to beat him in 2008.
Whalen is an American Indian, and depending on how strong of a candidate he is, it that could help him undercut Stephanie's base.
Gov. Mike Rounds (R-SD) is rumored to be considering a run. He has an approval rating of over 75%.
*SD House race ping*
The filing deadline was April 6.
This is merely a prelude to the expected Mike Rounds/Stephanie Herserth Senate race of 2008.
What makes you think Tim Johnson is going to get out of the way for "the muffin" in 2008 ?
He very nearly lost the last election, and he's not getting any younger.
The Senate Race is in 2008
You're right. Sorry! I didn't notice what you were replying to, so when I read your post it seemed you were talking about this year's House race.
He probably did lose the last election, given the level of fraud. I wouldn't cite age as a factor, yet (he turns 60 this year, not very old for a Senator by any stretch), at least not until 2014 or 2020 (let us hope he is not still in office by some terrible misfortune). He will have been continuously in office for 30 years in 2008. If Gov. Rounds does declare for the seat, he might choose to retire, or he might try to go out with his boots on. If Johnson does retire, the question is whether Herseth will leave what is (seemingly for her at the moment) a safe House seat to take on the most popular pol in SD. I could more likely envision her taking on Sen. Thune in 2010.
It's interesting that the guy is an indian and a republican, but I don't see him beating Herseth. Herseth is very smart, she's voted just like she should for a Democrat in this state, and her good looks and friendly demenor will be tough to beat.
Basically, she's Tom Dashle circa 1978 before becoming the Senate leader forced him to the left, i.e. a genuinely moderate Democrat, a little left on fiscal issues, a little right on social issues, with better looks and a better speaking ability then Dashle. That's not bad in SD.
Hope I'm wrong, but I don't see us winning this.
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