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Special election coming up to replace Janklow in Congress
by Cara Hetland, Minnesota Public Radio
May 27, 2004

Stephanie Herseth is running in South Dakota's special election for Congress. Herseth says her stance as a fiscally conservative Democrat should help her attract voters in this traditionally Republican state. (MPR Photo/Cara Hetland)

A special election to fill South Dakota's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is in the national spotlight. The June 1 election will fill the seat vacated by Bill Janklow, who resigned in January after his conviction for manslaughter. The national political parties are involved in the race. They're contributing money and campaign ads. Many say the parties are testing political messages, showing us a sign of things to come in November.

Sioux Falls, S.D. — Democrat Stephanie Herseth says this is her second job interview. She first challenged Bill Janklow in the 2002 election, and although she lost, she gave Janklow a closer race than many expected.

"I've got a few days to keep convincing, asking people to invest in me, as part of taking us forward for the future of our state. And a couple of issues in particular that come up frequently, not only in this campaign but in the last campaign," says Herseth.

Herseth is often referred to as the rising star of the South Dakota Democratic Party. She has statewide name recognition because of her family's political service. Her grandfather Ralph, was governor. Grandmother Lorna was secretary of state and her father, Lars, served in the Legislature for 20 years.

	Republican Larry Diedrich

Stephanie Herseth, 33, graduated from Georgetown with degrees in political science and law. She calls herself a moderate Democrat. She promises to caucus with the Blue Dogs, a group of Democrats in Congress who are fiscally conservative. Herseth says moderates are successful in a primarily Republican state like South Dakota. She's courting the Republican vote.

"When South Dakota has one voice, it shouldn't matter who's in the majority and who's not. Because we don't know what's going to happen in November and we don't know what's going to happen two years after that," Herseth says. "And so many of the issues we face in South Dakota don't break down along Republican and Democrat lines."

The Republican candidate Larry Diedrich disagrees. He says issues and answers often do break down along party lines.

"Anybody that sat in here that's been involved in the legislative process knows that if you want a strong voice, you need to be at the table that's making decisions. And that table will be the Republican table," Diedrich says.

Diedrich is a farmer from Elkton, South Dakota. He and his brother have farmed together for 20 years. Diedrich says their partnership allows him to get involved in politics. Diedrich was president of the National Soybean Association, and has also served in the state Legislature. He says he has experiences his opponent has only read about.

"It's more than just legislative, but business experience and having a family, raising a family in this state. Just all of those things that connect with people across this state. And I think that's why people are warming up to this campaign," says Diedrich.

	Laura Bush helps the Diedrich campaign

It's a campaign that hasn't had much time. Diedrich was nominated by the Republican Central Committee January 24. He started the campaign with almost no money, even less name recognition, and 30 points down in the polls. The gap has tightened and both candidates say it'll all come down to voter turnout.

Brent Lerseth, a political science professor at Augustana College, says both candidates have their personal message and style.

But he says Stephanie Herseth is showcasing the larger Democratic message and is doing a good job of making it her own. There was a perception in the 2002 election that Democrats didn't have a unified message.

"Things like needing to fix prescription drug benefits ... And then also discussing how to deal with the tax cuts, especially tax cuts for the wealthiest percentage," says Lerseth. "Those sort of messages are coming, that she's being consistent with other candidates that you'll see from the Democratic Party around the nation."

Lerseth says Diedrich is also talking about the Republican message. He supports President Bush's effort to make tax cuts permanent.

In the final days of the campaign, Lerseth predicts more emphasis on the differences between the two candidates. The National Republican and Democratic parties are running negative ads. While the candidates have stayed positive, Lerseth claims people remember the negatives and that usually helps the candidate behind in the polls.

The winner of the June 1 primary goes to Washington on June 2 to complete Janklow's term. Stephanie Herseth and Larry Diedrich square off again in November for a full two-year term.

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