January 5, 2004
IT'S OFFICIAL:
Thune says he will challenge Daschle in 2004 election (Associated Press, 1/05/04)
South Dakota will again have one of the most watched U.S. Senate races this year after an announcement Monday by John Thune that he will challenge Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle."Tomorrow I will start filing the necessary paperwork to enable me to raise the money and organize a campaign for the United States Senate," said Thune, a Republican.
He made his plans known at the Lincoln County Republicans' Lincoln Day Dinner at CJ Callaway's restaurant on the Prairie Green Golf Course in Sioux Falls.
Considering that his reluctance has seemed quite genuine, the internal polling numbers must be very favorable. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 5, 2004 10:21 PM
what do you mean?
Posted by: neil at January 6, 2004 8:48 AMI think he means that Thune has been debating this race for months, even toying with running for his old House seat (which opened up with Janklow's resignation), and that internal polls showing him leading Daschle or at least very close helped convince him to run.
Posted by: AWW at January 6, 2004 9:15 AMThune is a good man. Best of luck to him. I wish I could cross the border and vote for him (I'm in Omaha). I will try and get my law students from South Dakota to get their absentee ballots and send them in before November.
Posted by: pchuck at January 6, 2004 12:06 PMpchuck --
Push the limits. Think of the bus tours from the North east campuses to Minnesota last year. And of course, think about how many more Lakotan Democrats could have been unearthed (right out of the obituaries, among other places) since Thune was robbed last year.
Posted by: MG at January 6, 2004 3:26 PM