South Dakota primary voters enjoying flirtation with relevance
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 18, 2008
Now that Barack Obama has officially opened a campaign office in South Dakota, could the presidential candidate himself soon be on South Dakota soil?
Obama opened an office in Sioux Falls on April 12 and will soon open offices in Rapid City and Aberdeen. As the protracted race between Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination drags on, it appears the 23 delegates from South Dakota could be crucial.
After Tuesday's Pennsylvania's primary, only seven states -- plus Guam and Puerto Rico -- remain on the primary calendar. The June 3 South Dakota and Montana primaries will be the last in the nation.
Many political commentators figured the race would be over by February. Yet, with 42 of the 50 states having conducted presidential primaries or caucuses, it's starting to look like South Dakota Democratic voters may very well get the opportunity to play a significant role in picking the party's nominee.
Kathy Lessek of Elk Point thought Obama came off better than his rival in Wednesday night's debate, but she hasn't picked a candidate.
"I keep going back and forth. It is really, really tough," Lessek said.
"I haven't really decided which one I wanted because I never figured it mattered. It's always been decided before they get to South Dakota, so you don't have to pick. ... It is just exciting this year that we may have a chance to effect a difference."
Rick Hauffe, executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said 10 of the 23 delegates will be determined June 3 by primary voting. The other 13 delegates, including seven superdelegates, will be settled by June 28.
If Clinton loses Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, "it will be tough" for her candidacy to continue, Hauffe said. If she wins Pennsylvania, it will extend the campaign and put South Dakota into play, Hauffe said. In that scenario, he predicted, "We will have candidate visits."
South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, an Obama supporter, said South Dakota is "poised to get some attention"
"I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if the (presidential) campaign continued through June 3," she said.
She said she spoke with Obama during a recent visit in Montana and said the Illinois senator is likely to campaign in the state.
"He assured me he was going to be in South Dakota campaigning toward the June 3 primary," Herseth Sandlin said.
Lessek said she and husband Paul Lessek went to see Clinton on Labor Day 2007 when she and Bill Clinton spoke in Sioux City, but she hasn't seen Obama in person. She said she would travel to Sioux Falls if either of the Democrats campaigned there.
"You'd want to go hear them, and then you'd make your decision," Lessek said.
Hauffe said Iowa gets a lot of attention for the first-in-the-nation January caucuses but the votes of South Dakota and Montana Democrats, while cast last, still have meaning.
"They save the best for last," Hauffe said. "They waste Iowa's potential too early."
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
The delegate count
Delegates needed: 2,025
Barack Obama: 1,650
(1,416 pledged, 234 superdelegates)
Hillary Clinton: 1,511
(1,252 pledged, 257 superdelegates)
Obama opened an office in Sioux Falls on April 12 and will soon open offices in Rapid City and Aberdeen. As the protracted race between Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination drags on, it appears the 23 delegates from South Dakota could be crucial.
After Tuesday's Pennsylvania's primary, only seven states -- plus Guam and Puerto Rico -- remain on the primary calendar. The June 3 South Dakota and Montana primaries will be the last in the nation.
Many political commentators figured the race would be over by February. Yet, with 42 of the 50 states having conducted presidential primaries or caucuses, it's starting to look like South Dakota Democratic voters may very well get the opportunity to play a significant role in picking the party's nominee.
Kathy Lessek of Elk Point thought Obama came off better than his rival in Wednesday night's debate, but she hasn't picked a candidate.
"I keep going back and forth. It is really, really tough," Lessek said.
"I haven't really decided which one I wanted because I never figured it mattered. It's always been decided before they get to South Dakota, so you don't have to pick. ... It is just exciting this year that we may have a chance to effect a difference."
Rick Hauffe, executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said 10 of the 23 delegates will be determined June 3 by primary voting. The other 13 delegates, including seven superdelegates, will be settled by June 28.
If Clinton loses Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, "it will be tough" for her candidacy to continue, Hauffe said. If she wins Pennsylvania, it will extend the campaign and put South Dakota into play, Hauffe said. In that scenario, he predicted, "We will have candidate visits."
South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, an Obama supporter, said South Dakota is "poised to get some attention"
"I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if the (presidential) campaign continued through June 3," she said.
She said she spoke with Obama during a recent visit in Montana and said the Illinois senator is likely to campaign in the state.
"He assured me he was going to be in South Dakota campaigning toward the June 3 primary," Herseth Sandlin said.
Lessek said she and husband Paul Lessek went to see Clinton on Labor Day 2007 when she and Bill Clinton spoke in Sioux City, but she hasn't seen Obama in person. She said she would travel to Sioux Falls if either of the Democrats campaigned there.
"You'd want to go hear them, and then you'd make your decision," Lessek said.
Hauffe said Iowa gets a lot of attention for the first-in-the-nation January caucuses but the votes of South Dakota and Montana Democrats, while cast last, still have meaning.
"They save the best for last," Hauffe said. "They waste Iowa's potential too early."
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
The delegate count
Delegates needed: 2,025
Barack Obama: 1,650
(1,416 pledged, 234 superdelegates)
Hillary Clinton: 1,511
(1,252 pledged, 257 superdelegates)
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