CUSTER DIED FOR A DEMOCRAT SENATE:

Baghdad, S.D. (Florida Times-Union, October 19, 2002)

The latest poll shows Tim Johnson, the junior senator, trails Republican challenger John Thune by 5 percentage points. Daschle is a close ally of Johnson, and President Bush recruited Thune to run. Daschle's 2004 presidential aspirations will be dealt a severe blow if he cannot even win a proxy fight against Bush in his home state.

Democrats have a one-seat majority in the Senate and polling data indicates there is a 50-50 chance Republicans will regain control. Daschle could lose his powerful position but Democrats no longer would be able to block Republican economic stimulus packages nor continue keeping judicial nominees tied up in committee indefinitely.

Perhaps that is why dead people have been registering to vote in South Dakota.

An FBI investigation concluded that many people who do not exist have registered there, as have minors and dead people. A woman registered to vote just a few days after she was buried.

The key suspect is a former staffer of the state's Democratic Party, who allegedly falsified registration forms.

It must give a Florida newspaper particular pleasure to run an editorial chastising the electoral practices of others. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 20, 2002 12:00 PM