Entries in 2002 Senate Election (2)
Yours Truly Quoted in Roll Call re Thune 2002 Race
Your blogger in chief was quoted by Lou Jacobson today in his Roll Call (subscription) column on the court contest of the Washington governorship and whether that makes good politics.
Lou looked at several other very close races where the losing candidate bowed out gracefully instead of heading to court.
One of his examples was Sen. John Thune's 525 vote loss to Sen. Tim Johnson in 2002.
Here's the excerpt regarding South Dakota:
In South Dakota, Thune could have easily contested his 524-vote loss to Sen. Tim Johnson (D) in 2002 because it came amid allegations of vote fraud on Indian reservations, which traditionally support Democrats.
But "South Dakotans do not like poor losers," said Robert Miller, executive director of the South Dakota Electric Utility Companies. "If Thune had launched a court challenge, his South Dakota rating would have fallen way
off. And if he had won the court challenge, I believe he would have set himself up for a defeat in the next election."
Todd Epp, an attorney and Democratic activist in Sioux Falls, agreed that Thune's actions "put himself in the good graces of South Dakota voters." If anything, Epp notes, then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.)--the man Thune defeated in 2004--may have squandered goodwill when he sought and won a minor court victory over election procedure on the eve of the 2004 election.
I also told Lou that I thought the reservation allegations were baseless, and that the Republican AG at the time, Mark Barnett, did not bring charges.
Anyway, as WJM's Ted Baxter would say, "Thanks Lou!"
Todd Epp
in 2002 Senate Election
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The View From Across The Pond On Thune in 2002: Is the past prologue?
Admittedly, this posting is a bit of a departure. The "news peg" is over two years old and its from the BBC--as in British Broadcasting Corporation. The "Beeb" profiled the John Thune/Tim Johnson race. Nick Bryant wrote:
The sitting Senator, Democrat Tim Johnson, is a tireless grafter, whose campaign slogan - Working Hard, Making a Difference - is much like the man himself: uninspired but believable.
The 55-year-old is a serious-minded senator from a serious-minded state. A politician who much prefers to pour over the minutiae of legislation behind the closed doors of a conference committee on Capitol Hill rather than manufacture the kind of synthetic charm that's needed on the campaign trail.
Republican John Thune, who for the past six years has served as South Dakota's only congressman, could hardly be more different. With slicked-back hair, a Colgate smile and turbo-charged charisma, he looks like an American politician should. Restless and ambitious, he clearly views a seat in the Senate as a stepping stone to the presidency.
Hmmm. President John Thune. That wasn't mentioned in his "It's Time" campaign theme last year, was it? Would that make John "a D.C. resident?"
Todd Epp
in 2002 Senate Election
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