The Invisible Party

For the first time since 1930, there will be only one major party nominee in a South Dakota U.S. House election. Republican freshman Dusty Johnson will not face a Democratic nominee but will be opposed by Libertarian Randy Luallin. This ends a string of 70 consecutive elections in which both parties fielded nominees in races for the office since 1930 when six-term 1st CD GOP congressman Charles Christopherson only faced independent Henry Bormann. South Dakota had owned the sixth largest streak running nominees from both parties (behind New Hampshire, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana, and Maine), as well as the sixth longest (behind New Hampshire, Delaware, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho). The turning point for Democratic futility at the ballot box in South Dakota may have begun in 2010, when the party did not field a nominee in a U.S. Senate race against Republican U.S. Senator John Thune – a first for either party in state history.