Johnson to Retire with 2nd Longest Tenure on Capitol Hill in South Dakota History

At 26+ years and counting, Senator Tim Johnson has already eclipsed Tom Daschle but will fall six years short of the Mount Rushmore State’s all-time record set by Karl Mundt

South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson made it official Tuesday – the three-term U.S. Senator will be retiring from his seat at the end of 2014.

Speculation that Johnson would retire had been percolating for months, and his retirement undoubtedly increases the chances of a GOP pick-up in the deep red state in November 2014.

Former Republican Governor Mike Rounds is already running for the seat, though it is unclear how many primary challengers he will face as well as who will emerge on the Democratic side in an attempt to hold the seat for the party.

Johnson cited age as one of the reasons for his retirement and, to be sure, he has spent a long time on Capitol Hill.

In fact, at the end of his third term in January 2015 when he is 68 years old, Johnson will have spent over 41 percent of his life serving in the nation’s upper and lower legislative chambers.

A Smart Politics review of information provided in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress finds that – at 26.2 years and counting – Tim Johnson has already logged in the second longest stretch in Congress out of the 52 men and women to serve from South Dakota in the U.S. House and Senate since statehood.

Johnson first entered Congress after an 18.4-point open seat win in 1986 to South Dakota’s at-large U.S. House seat after incumbent Tom Daschle opted to run for the Senate instead.

Johnson would win five terms in the House by an average of 32.5 points before upending three-term GOP incumbent U.S. Senator Larry Pressler by 2.6 points in 1996.

Johnson won reelection by a razor-thin 532-vote margin over John Thune in 2002 before cruising to a third term by 25.0 points during the Democratic wave of 2008.

All told, Johnson has served nearly 26 years and three months between the two chambers and, provided he finishes his term, will end up with 28 years of service by his retirement date in January 2015.

Even more impressive, Johnson owns more than 20 percent of the total time spent in Congress recorded by all South Dakota Democrats collectively (26.2 of 128.5 years, 20.4 percent).

The only South Dakota politician who has served longer in Congress in the history of the state is Republican Karl Mundt.

Mundt also served 10 years in the House plus four terms in the Senate from 1939 to 1973 for a total of 34 years on Capitol Hill.

After Mundt and Johnson, only five other South Dakotans have recorded 20 or more years of service in Congress:

· Democrat Tom Daschle: 26 years in the House (1979-1987) and Senate (1987-2005).

· Republican Francis Case: 25.5 years in the House (1937-1951) and Senate (1951-1962).

· Democrat George McGovern: 22 years in the House (1957-1961) and Senate (1963-1981).

· Republican Larry Pressler: 22 years in the House (1975-1979) and Senate (1979-1997).

· Republican Ellis Berry: 20 years in the House (1951-1971).

Rounding out the Top 10 are Republicans Royal Johnson (18 years in the House), Robert Gamble (16 years in the House and Senate), and Peter Norbeck (15.8 years in the Senate).

Republican John Thune, Johnson’s fellow delegation member, is currently at #11 all-time at 14.2 years in the House (1997-2003) and Senate (2005-present) and counting.

At-large U.S. Representative Kristi Noem – who some are suggesting may challenge Mike Rounds for the GOP nomination in 2014 – ranks 37th.

Length of Service on Capitol Hill by South Dakota U.S. Representatives and Senators

Rank	Congressman	Party	House	Years	Senate	Years	Total
1	Karl Mundt	Republican	1939-1948	10.0	1948-1973	24.0	34.0
2	Tim Johnson*	Democrat	1987-1997	10.0	1997-present	16.2	26.2
3	Tom Daschle	Democrat	1979-1987	8.0	1987-2005	18.0	26.0
4	Francis Case	Republican	1937-1951	14.0	1951-1962	11.5	25.5
5	George McGovern	Democrat	1957-1961	4.0	1963-1981	18.0	22.0
5	Larry Pressler	Republican	1975-1979	4.0	1979-1997	18.0	22.0
7	Ellis Berry	Republican	1951-1971	20.0			20.0
8	Royal Johnson	Republican	1915-1933	18.0			18.0
9	Robert Gamble	Republican	1895-1897; 1899-1901	4.0	1901-1913	12.0	16.0
10	Peter Norbeck	Republican			1921-1936	15.8	15.8
11	John Thune*	Republican	1997-2003	6.0	2005-present	8.2	14.2
12	James Abdnor	Republican	1973-1981	8.0	1981-1987	6.0	14.0
12	Charles Burke	Republican	1899-1907; 1909-1915	14.0			14.0
12	Charles Christopherson	Republican	1919-1933	14.0			14.0
15	Eben Weaver	Republican	1901-1907; 1908-1915	12.3			12.3
16	William Bulow	Democrat			1931-1943	12.0	12.0
16	Chan Gurney	Republican			1939-1951	12.0	12.0
16	Sterling Thomas	Republican			1913-1925	12.0	12.0
16	William Williamson	Republican	1921-1933	12.0			12.0
20	Richard Pettigrew	Republican			1889-1901	11.3	11.3
21	James Kyle	Populist			1891-1901	10.3	10.3
22	Benjamin Reifel	Republican	1961-1971	10.0			10.0
23	James Abourezk	Democrat	1971-1973	2.0	1973-1979	6.0	8.0
23	Harold Lovre	Republican	1949-1957	8.0			8.0
25	Alfred Kittredge	Republican			1901-1909	7.6	7.6
26	John Pickler	Republican	1889-1897	7.3			7.3
27	Stephanie Herseth Sandlin	Democrat	2004-2011	6.6			6.6
28	Joe Crawford	Republican			1909-1915	6.0	6.0
28	Charles Dillon	Republican	1913-1919	6.0			6.0
28	Harry Gandy	Democrat	1915-1921	6.0			6.0
28	Fred Hildebrandt	Democrat	1933-1939	6.0			6.0
28	Edwin Johnson	Democrat			1915-1921	6.0	6.0
28	William McMaster	Republican			1925-1931	6.0	6.0
34	Harlan Bushfield	Republican			1943-1948	5.7	5.7
35	Frank Denholm	Democrat	1971-1975	4.0			4.0
36	Theodore Werner	Democrat	1933-1937	3.8			3.8
37	Kristi Noem*	Republican	2011-present	2.2			2.2
38	Philo Hall	Republican	1907-1909	2.0			2.0
38	John Kelley	Populist	1897-1899	2.0			2.0
38	Freeman Knowles	Populist	1897-1899	2.0			2.0
38	William Lucas	Republican	1893-1895	2.0			2.0
38	Clint Roberts	Republican	1981-1983	2.0			2.0
43	Herbert Hitchcock	Democrat			1936-1938	1.9	1.9
44	Oscar Gifford	Republican	1889-1891	1.3			1.3
44	Gideon Moody	Republican			1889-1891	1.3	1.3
46	William Parker	Republican	1907-1908	1.3			1.3
47	John Jolley	Republican	1891-1893	1.2			1.2
48	William Janklow	Republican	2003-2004	1.0			1.0
49	Joseph Bottum	Republican			1962-1963	0.5	0.5
50	John Gamble	Republican	1891	0.4			0.4
51	Vera Bushfield	Republican			1948	0.2	0.2
52	Gladys Pyle	Republican			1938-1939	0.2	0.2

* Still in office. Notes: William Parker served 480 days, six days less than Oscar Gifford and Gideon Moody. Vera Bushfield served 82 days with Gladys Pyle serving just 56. Data compiled by Smart Politics from information provided in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

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