Posted on 12/04/2012 12:12:30 PM PST by Impy
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 Conservative Union rating: 16.67 percent). During eight years (2002-2010) in the statehouse, Rounds held the line on taxes and spending and took a strong pro-life stance. A Rasmussen Poll in October of 2010 showed that 67 percent of South Dakotans approved of his performance.
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
He should be favored to win and if Johnson retires will win for certain.
Note: Johnson is in his third term not his second as the article says.
Ping
—wonder if he could get away with a campaign that consists of “MIKE !” as “TIM !” did his last go-around?
This is what the enemedia calls a moderate or even a conservative Democrat. Tim Johnson is an embarrassment to the state.
Still, he probably has more functioning grey matter than our own Bob Casey, Jr.
I am sorry we didn’t hold Indiana, and failed to take Missouri, Montana and North Dakota, all of which should have been gimme’s, even with Obama winning by 3 points. But, 2014 should be a bumper crop for us, with a real possibility of taking the Senate.
SD - this is a terrific “recruit”
Other states in which we we should do well:
AK
LA
NC
WV
The following states I put in the “depends” category. That is, depends on candidate recruitment.
IA - Terry Branstad?
MN - Tim Pawlenty?
NJ - Chris Christie?
VA - Bob McConnell?
What about:
AR - Why doesn’t Mark Pryor come over to our side? There is no future for Democrats in this state.
CO - We need a concerted effort to restore our party to competitiveness in this state
NH - ditto
FINALLY I don’t see any of our seats at risk.
The map is very favorable to us.
RINO Collins in Maine is the only Republican up in bad state and she is popular.
Georgia could be an open seat if Chambliss is primaried out. Should not lose it either way,
We need 6, I’d like more.
There are 20 rat seats up. Only a few would I initially write off, like DE and IL.
If John Kerry joins Osama’s cabinet Scott Brown could win his seat.
I don’t think Johnson will seek re-election. He is fortunate to be alive and should retire and enjoy his family. He was also fortunate that he didn’t have to say a word in his last campaign. While Rounds isn’t a great speaker, I don’t think Johnson can duck him. He has made progress returning from his injury but I don’t know if the voters will be as sympathetic as last time. I don’t believe Stephanie Herseth Hyphen’s return to live and work on the state was anything other than to position herself as a “South Dakotan” and wash a bit of her last couple years of Washington lobbyist stink from memory. The only question I have is who the SD dems feel should be his heir: Herseth-Hyphen or his son Brendan.
Rounds should’ve run in 2008.
AK - Gov. Parnell should run
LA - Gov. Jindal may run (though I prefer Rep. Jeff Landry)
NC - race hasn’t shaken out yet, though the State House Speaker Thom Tillis may run
WV - Rep. Shelley Moore Capito has already declared (minor expectation that Rockefeller may retire, especially with his now visceral antipathy to the coal industry)
IA - Terry Branstad? - unlikely, he’ll be running for another term as Governor (he passed on running against Harkin in 1990 when he should have). Rep. Steve King should take on Harkin.
MN - Tim Pawlenty? - I believe he is leaning towards running.
NJ - Chris Christie? - He’s more focused on his reelection campaign for next year.
VA - Bob McDonnell? - It’s expected he will run against Mark Warner, although his more immediate concern is making sure the VA Governorship stays in GOP hands with Atty Gen Cuccinelli, as the Lt Gov Bolling is making sounds about running 3rd party (which would hand the office to moonbat Dem Terry McAuliffe)
AR - Why doesn’t Mark Pryor come over to our side? There is no future for Democrats in this state. — Because Pryor is from a premier Democrat family and he is a liberal. We have three Republicans (excluding Rep. Griffin, who removed himself from contention) who can run against Pryor. I’m leaning towards Rep-elect Tom Cotton.
CO - We need a concerted effort to restore our party to competitiveness in this state — We’ve had a disastrous turn there running weak or unpopular candidates. Rep. Mike Coffman is a possibility. He has won statewide office as Secretary of State. At present, I have no idea who will run for Governor (which is also up in ‘14).
NH - ditto - One I’m stumped about. Sununu, Jr. may mount a rematch against Shaheen. However, since both GOP House members were defeated by ultra-moonbats, other than the legislature, we don’t have much of a bench. It may be a period when the state will swing wildly back and forth every two years.
Who knows, he may have lost if had run in that awful year.
I didn’t think Johnson would live this long.
Hints of a possible Johnson retirement:
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/sen-tim-johnson-signals-possible-retirement-84640.html
I have never seen video of Johnson after his stroke. I don’t see where he is up to the rigors of facing an opponent who could easily beat him. I don’t think he could even debate.
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