Replies

I disagree. Just because a tragedy happens is no reason to ignore the fact that the voters voted for a Republican Governor in South Dakota, and, thusly, endorsed him to chose who to appoint in such situations, which would presumably be a Republican.

If it weren't for Senator Johnson's personal popularity, there is no assurance that they would have picked another Democrat over a Republican. Actually, his victory in 2002 was razor thin, and there is reason to believe they would have instead picked a Republican if it were another Democrat.

{that's even if they really picked Senator Johnson in the first place, his 524 vote victory in 2002 had major legal issues, which John Thune (whom, I sure you know, unseated Dashle 2 years later and is now Johnson's colleague in the Senate) chose not to persue.}

As someone has already pointed out, When Coverdell died in Georgia, a Democrat was appointed to take his place (even if it was Zell, at the time, nobody knew Zell would turn out the way he did). There isn't any historical reason to appoint a Democrat either.

Anyhow, I hope all this is irrelevant, because I wish Senator Johnson a full and speedy recovery, and the ability to fill the term to which he was elected. But should the worst happen, there is no compelling reason for Gov. Rounds to ignore the fact that the voters elected him as a Republican, and gave him the authority to appoint people in the event of a Senate vacancy, and that his supporters undoubtedly believed that it would be a Republican in that unfortunate event.