Senate Race #2 – South Dakota

Continuing to look at the 2010 Senate picture, we’ll move on to our neighbors to the northwest, South Dakota.

On January 7th, 2011, Senator John Thune will celebrate his 50th birthday. He will celebrate by beginning his second term as the junior senator from the great state of South Dakota. I make this statement with certainty because of two reasons: First, Senator Thune is very popular in South Dakota. Second, and more importantly, Democrats in South Dakota chose against running an opponent against Thune due to his popularity and his mainstream conservative values that lie squarely in line with the vast majority of South Dakotans.

First, a little history. In 2004, John Thune was in the midst of a very competitive election against Tom Daschle, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate. At the end of very tough campaign against perhaps the most powerful Democrat in the United States, Thune was victorious by less than 5,000 votes. After six years of solid, mainstream conservatism in the Senate, he is up for reelection this year.

However, this reelection campaign has important implications for the future of the Republican Party. John Thune is considered a potential Presidential candidate by many insiders. As such, if he has the opportunity to help other Republicans around the country with their reelection campaigns, he may gain friendships, support, and potential future endorsements.

Thus, if Senator Thune is indeed thinking of running for the Presidency, he can thank the Democratic Party of South Dakota for giving him a great 50th birthday present…a 2nd term in the Senate and a possible springboard to the Presidency.


Thune v. No Democrat


Polling average, not from Pollster.com, because they do not have a chart

JT – 70%+
ND – 0%

Percentage chance of a party change
0%

Current status
Safe Republican Seat

Election night results estimate
Thune 80%+
Democrat 0%

Final Thoughts
I really like John Thune, and I think he would make a great addition to the 2012 primary race for President.