Disunity among South Dakota Dems starts to emerge

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a piece today headlined "Daschle, Herseth Split on Gay Marriage Amendment." Excerpt:

A month ago, the Associated Press quoted Herseth as saying, "I agree with the president on this issue. Marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Her statement produced a strongly negative reaction from some Democrats, especially from inside the Daschle campaign. The Rapid City Journal reported that Steve Hildebrand, campaign manager for the Senate minority leader asked for a refund of his contribution to the Herseth campaign.

It's interesting that this rift between the two campaigns has emerged, particularly in light of the fact that Linda Daschle encouraged Herseth to run for congress in 2002, according to a story in the American Prospect at the time, headlined "Civil Offensive." Excerpt:

When she was encouraged to run by Linda Daschle -- Tom Daschle's wife -- Herseth had no idea whom she would be up against.