South Dakota
What Is the Democratic Ceiling Across Upper Midwestern State Legislatures?
The 2006 election saw Democratic takeovers of 3 of the 6 Upper Midwestern legislative chambers previously controlled by the Republicans. Democrats now control 5 chambers (the Iowa House and Senate, the Minnesota House and Senate, and the Wisconsin Senate) with…
Read More18 is Enough: South Dakota Democratic Senators and the Third Term Curse
South Dakota Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson was once thought to be one of the few potential targets for a GOP pick-up in the 2008 election. Johnson had won his first two elections to the Senate by a total of…
Read MoreRasmussen Poll: Obama Up Big in MN, IA, Competitive in the Dakotas
Barack Obama is looking to become the first Democratic candidate to sweep the Upper Midwest since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. New polling by Rasmussen indicates Obama is currently competitive enough in the Dakotas to have a chance at doing…
Read MoreDemocrats in Best Position to Take Control of SD Senate Since 1992
While Democrats have been able to win statewide elections in South Dakota in recent years (Tim Johnson, Tom Daschle, Stephanie Herseth), Republicans have thoroughly dominated district races for the state legislature. Since 1960, Democrats have only eked out a tie…
Read MoreLive Blog: South Dakota Primary
8:00 p.m. CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News have all called Barack Obama the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, having culled together enough superdelegates today and enough votes (> 30 percent) in South Dakota. 8:06 p.m. (9% reporting) Clinton =…
Read MoreSouth Dakota and Montana Preview; ARG Finds Clinton Up 26 Points in SD
Even as Hillary Clinton racked up victories in Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico, political analysts (echoed by cable news anchors) forecasted the final presidential primary contests on June 3rd (South Dakota and Montana) as “Obama states.” This…
Read MoreSD’s Tim Johnson Coasting in Early U.S. Senate Poll
In recent years, when Republicans have looked for a competitive race in which to pick up a U.S. Senate seat, their eyes frequently turned to South Dakota. South Dakota is a reliable state for the GOP in its state legislature…
Read MorePolitical Influence of Upper Midwest In Decline?
Iowa’s influence on presidential politics is in the spotlight right now, with its caucuses now just 37 days away, on January 3, 2008. The winner of each party’s caucus is by no means guaranteed to go on and win the…
Read MoreSouth Dakota US Senate Historical Snapshot
Now that Mississippi Republican Trent Lott has announced his retirement, 35 U.S. Senate seats will be on the ballot next November—23 held by the GOP and just 12 by Democrats. One of the few seats targeted by the Republicans is…
Read MoreSmart Politics Live Blogging At Abortion Policy Event
Smart Politics will be blogging live tonight at a program on abortion policy held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. From the Humphrey press release: “The South Dakota legislature and governor…
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