Reading political tea leaves is a fickle business.  Nonetheless the game is played by many in order to predict an outcome.  The constant need for news at any time of day or night allows an endless string of pundits to make their case for even the most mundane of issues.

However, the United States Senate race in South Dakota is one of those unique exceptions.  The seat is currently held by Democrat Tim Johnson who will retire at the end of his current term.

Here are the facts that make this race an attention-grabber:

  1. The Democrats and Republicans are at such odds with each other in Washington that any advantage gained is counted as monumental.
  2. An office-holding Democrat in a predominately Republican state is galling to the elephant and delightful to the donkey.
  3. The previous election cycle was barely over when a candidate, Mike Rounds, announced his intention to run for the Senate seat.
  4. The unclear status of Tim Johnson’s intentions at the time of Round’s announcement did not derail the restarting of the campaign machine.

At this time, Rounds is the only one to make it official. But that has not stopped the Democrats from circulating the names of Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin who most recently served in the U. S. House of Representatives and the son of the current Senator, Brendan Johnson who is a U. S. Attorney for South Dakota.

The hierarchy within the Democratic party do not want a primary, saving all their ammo for the general election.  Which would mean the clock is ticking for an announcement from either Herseth-Sandlin or Johnson the younger.

One pundit is staking his territory on a run for the Democratic Dame. Argus Leader Media publisher Randell Beck sees the recent buzz around the former Representative and boldly predicts “she’s in.”

Beck cites the entry written by reporter David Montgomery as one example.  In the article, Stephanie admits that she is strongly considering a run and will announce her decision in the next couple of months.


Randell Beck Boldly Predicts A Stephanie For Senate Run


To back up Beck’s claim, KDLT-TV secured an interview with the potential candidate as well.

Brendan Johnson’s supporters have constructed a Facebook campaign to draft him for an election campaign, but if he wants to beat Ms. Herseth-Sandlin to the Senate show, he has a time frame in which to work.

Plus, there’s always the potential Brendan Johnson for House 1-2 punch that Democrats could serve.

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