Thune's in, will Daschle be out? Thune will have no trouble raising money for this one!
January 6, 2004 New York Times
Former Representative to Challenge Daschle
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 — John Thune, a former representative from South Dakota who lost a Senate bid two years ago by just 524 votes, intends to run against Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, creating a prominent race that will pit one of President Bush's closest allies against one of his harshest critics.
Mr. Thune disclosed his plans on Monday night at a Republican dinner in Lincoln County. In prepared remarks released earlier, Mr. Thune fired his first shot at Mr. Daschle, though not mentioning the South Dakota Democrat by name.
"Deep down I still have a passion for public service," Mr. Thune said. "And for me it's not just about holding an office, it's about making a difference." Then he added, "Ladies and gentlemen, I just flat don't know of a place where I could make a bigger difference or a place that is more in need of bold new leadership than the United States Senate."
The entry of Mr. Thune into the race gives Republicans, who are trying to strengthen their hold on the Senate, a strong challenger in a state that already leans heavily in their favor. Mr. Thune, who will turn 43 on Wednesday, lost to Senator Tim Johnson in 2002 and now runs a consulting business. He remains extremely popular in South Dakota, and analysts predict that the race will be one of the closest Congressional contests of 2004.
"I think it will be a close race," said Jim Meader, a political science professor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. "I haven't done any polling but my hunch at this point is that Daschle would still be the front-runner, and that the outcome of the race could largely depend on President Bush's popularity."
Indeed, each man's relationship with Mr. Bush is likely to figure prominently into the race. White House officials played a large role in persuading Mr. Thune to run in 2002, and Mr. Bush campaigned heavily for him. As the Senate Democratic leader, Mr. Daschle is often in the position of criticizing the president, making remarks that Republicans hope to use against him at home.
But Bob Burns, a professor of political science at South Dakota State University, said that if anyone could manage the balancing act of leading the opposition to Mr. Bush while representing a state where the president was very popular, Mr. Daschle could.
"Senator Daschle makes very few mistakes," Mr. Burns said. "Even though in his role as Senate minority leader he may have to adopt certain policy positions that run counter to majority views in South Dakota, he counters that with support of legislation that is very meaningful to South Dakota, and he also counters it with exceptional constituent services, and also bringing home the bacon."
Mr. Daschle, for instance, supported the energy bill — which failed in the Senate and was opposed by a number of Democrats — and was the champion of its provision to expand the use of corn-based ethanol, an issue extremely important to his state. In a recently published autobiography, "Like No Other Time," the senator said that South Dakotans cast their ballots based on personal relationships, not party alliances.
"This is one of the reasons, I think, that I've never faced much hostility when I go home, even in the staunchest Republican strongholds," he wrote.
Last year, Mr. Daschle chose not to run for the Democratic presidential nomination, a decision he called excruciating. He has raised $3.7 million for his re-election bid, and his aides say he plans to raise $10 million. Dan Pfeiffer, a spokesman, said Mr. Daschle planned to be "the best organized, best-funded, best-prepared candidate in the country."
But Republicans, sensing that Mr. Daschle is vulnerable, have been recruiting Mr. Thune for months. In November, Senator George Allen of Virginia, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, visited South Dakota and publicly urged Mr. Thune to run.
Mr. Thune's candidacy has generated excitement among Republicans in South Dakota, where the political landscape has been in turmoil since Representative Bill Janklow, the state's only House member and a Republican, said he would resigned after being convicted of manslaughter in a traffic accident. Mr. Thune recently announced he would not run for Mr. Janklow's seat, raising speculation that he would take on Mr. Daschle.
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