Political analysts and defense industry experts don't see a connection between the latest Base Realignment and Closure round and the election battleground of red and blue states....
Factors like political clout didn't carry the day for too many states, [Dean Spiliotes] said. For example, in South Dakota freshmen Republican Sen. John Thune thought he could count on the Bush administration's support to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base off the list after defeating Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in November, but he was disappointed, Spiliotes said. Thune and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had stood in front of Ellsworth's gates and said electing Thune would help keep the base open.
Republican Sen. Trent Lott also couldn't keep the historic naval station in Pascagoula, Miss., off the list even though he managed to do that during the 1995 BRAC round, Spiliotes noted.
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