In news of campaigns going nowhere:
Curtis Strong of Rapid City says he'll be seeking the South Dakota Constitution Party's nomination for governor. According to conservative blogger Ken Santema, Strong and his wife Stephanie (who failed to get enough signatures to run against Rep. Kristi Noem in the 2012 GOP primary) are recent converts from the GOP to the conspiracy-constipated Constitution Party. Fans of easy blogging may cheer, but I may be too busy writing up the GOED/EB-5/NBP/Benda scandal through 2014 to even notice the impending Strong press releases on Agenda 21, fluoride, black helicopters...
But hey, Curtis! Put down the John Birch flyers and talk about corruption in state government, and you just might have some relevance in the 2014 campaign.
Larry Pressler of Humboldt and Paris takes his Senate-comeback trial balloon to Mundtland. In a lengthy chat with Chuck Clement of the Madison Daily Leader, the potential independent Senate candidate says independents can win in South Dakota. Just look at James H. Kyle, who campaigned Indy and won a U.S. Senate seat in 1890.
1890. Optimists always take the long view.
Pressler also gets either Clement or the Secretary of State's office to get voter registration totals wrong:
South Dakota currently has about 87,000 registered independent voters, compared to 240,000 registered Republicans and 184,000 registered Democrats, according to the Secretary of State's Office in Pierre. There are about 13,000 additional voters registered with other political parties [Chuck Clement, "Pressler Considers 2014 Run for Senate," Madison Daily Leader, 2013.11.22].
Don't let Chuck sell you short, Larry: according to the Secretary of State's November voter registration report, you actually have over 100,000 officially independent voters to play to. There are fewer than 1,700 members of the Libertarian and Constitution parties, the only functional, officially recognized alternative parties in South Dakota. Chuck's also missing 3,700 Republicans and 3,300 Democrats.
On the good side, Pressler is talking about more meat-and-potatotes issues in his wishful campaign than any of the Republicans with whom he used to affiliate. In addition to the need for better air service that he spotlighted in his opening candidacy interview with Denise Ross a couple weeks ago, Pressler says he backs the Simpson-Bowles budget proposals, wants to scale down our overseas military presence, promote wind power and ethanol, and finish the Lewis and Clark water system to promote economic development. Pressler also says separating food stamps from the farm bill is a huge political mistake.
Dang: he's not going to win, but Pressler could lead a more intelligent conversation than most of his challengers.
Annette Bosworth continues to trick people into thinking she's a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Bosworth tweets thanks to two purported campaign donors this week, John Decker and Samuel Laffey. You guys realize you'll never get a refund, right?
I certainly agree with your assessment of Larry Pressler's potential contribution to the US Senate debates and the odds of him winning are not good right now, but given the current political climate (w/ special emphasis on the circular firing squad in the GOP), I think there are a couple of scenarios which could pave the way for an independent to surprise the conventional thinking. Keep in mind, a lot of the growing cadre of SD independents are disaffected Republicans.
Mark, good point.
With 100,000 registered independent voters, right leaning as you suggest, Pressler could deliver a successful hit on any or all candidates.
100,000 being a significant number of voters in South Dakota.
What Republican candidate would Pressler damage the most?
Do you suppose Mr. Strong can round up 250 Constitution Party members to get his name on the ballot for governor? I wouldn't bet on it.
Rorschach,
How does The Constitution Party differ from the tea party?
Most of tea party cannot have a conversation without somehow invoking The Constitution.
Strong becomes a footnote. Not even that—a toe-note?
Roger, on Pressler damaging a Republican, as an Indy on the general election ballot...
(1) Against a Rounds un-indicted by the GOED/EB-5 mess, Pressler makes zero inroad into Camp GOP.
(2) Against a Rounds laboring under association with GOED/EB-5 money laundering and other corruption, Pressler and Weiland each take a third of the vote that would have gone to Rounds. Tea Party stays home, unable to figure out what to do.
(3) Against Stace Nelson, Pressler does better than the clean-Mike scenario, pulling more mainstream GOP. But Tea Partiers turn out in force for Stace.
(4) Against Rhoden, the GOP gets so bored they forget there's an election. ;-)
(5) If the Earth opens up, swallows all the other candidates, and leaves Bosworth as the GOP nominee as punishment for our sins, Pressler takes every sane GOP vote, leaves Bosworth with 10% in the general (there's always a sucker), and runs in a statistical dead heat with Weiland.
It's only for Christians. Don't like the preamble personally, I find it divisive, excluding all other monotheistic religions.
Cory,
I suspect the scenario you laid out is probably on target.
Didn't I hear recently that Pressler has been working with gay veterans in advancing and protecting their rights? Noble work, if I'm right.
Just wondering how well those efforts will play with homophobic South Dakota voters.
Clever final paragraph Cory.