Free Republic

For more than a week, Republicans from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Washington, D.C., have been shaken by the talk that Sen. John Thune might not seek reelection in 2022. The exit of three-termer Thune, No. 2 in the Senate Republican hierarchy behind Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, would make the odds better-than-even on Democrats winning his Senate seat.

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...

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...

Will GOPer Pull Upset in South Dakota? by John Gizzi Posted May 28, 2004 With four days to go before the special U.S. House election in South Dakota, Republicans in the state and in Washington have begun to grow upbeat about retaining a seat they had privately written off less than a month ago. Almost since the resignation of Republican Rep. Bill Janklow following his conviction on manslaughter charges, Democrat Stephanie Herseth (who drew an impressive 46% of the vote against Janklow in '02) has appeared a slam-dunk. A win by lawyer Herseth--grand-daughter of a former governor, daughter of a...

With Reach Comes Responsibility; Liberal 'Blogger' Crosses Line with Recent Statements By Bobby Eberle April 5, 2004 With today's technology, access to the Internet has become the rule rather than the exception. It is easier than ever to "surf the net," and setting up and maintaining a web site, an endeavor once reserved for "techno geeks," has become an activity enjoyed by millions of people across the country. With these advances in access and technology, web sites pushing issues on both ends of the political spectrum are popping up like mushrooms. Some of the rantings on these sites border on...

Mark Steyn notes the significance of the ties between South Dakota's Stephanie Herseth and Democratic party blog (and outpost of lunacy) Daily Kos. As you can see on her blog(http://www.hersethforcongress.org/blog04.htm), Herseth is still accepting donations from both Daily Kos and Democratic Underground. Please see this earlier post of mine about Herseth's ties to Kos and DU. ----South Dakota Democratic House candidate Stephanie Herseth, who raised $21,000 in one day on Zuniga’s site.

(Talon News) -- A rift has developed between the campaigns of Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Stephanie Herseth, the Democratic candidate for South Dakota's lone House seat over the issue of gay marriage. A month ago, the Associated Press quoted Herseth as saying, "I agree with the president on this issue. Marriage should be between a man and a woman." Her statement produced a strongly negative reaction from some Democrats, especially from inside the Daschle campaign. The Rapid City Journal reported that Steve Hildebrand, campaign manager for the Senate minority leader asked for a refund of his contribution to the...

Janklow Manslaughter Trial Begins Monday By CARSON WALKER Associated Press Writer FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) -- Bill Janklow, a former four-term South Dakota governor and the state's only congressman, returns to his boyhood hometown Monday to face a trial that may decide his political future. The 64-year-old is charged with speeding, running a stop sign, reckless driving and manslaughter in an Aug. 16 accident that killed a motorcyclist at a rural intersection in South Dakota. If convicted of manslaughter, he could face up to 10 years in prison, as well as a House ethics committee investigation. Under the committee's rules, any...