Born to Die

Bob Mercer (free registration required) commenting on Jon Lauck's new book, points out that South Dakota Senators seem destined to lose.

PIERRE - In his new book Jon Lauck supposes a quaint notion.

Lauck suggests that U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle lost his bid for re-election to a fourth term in 2004 because the Senate Democratic leader was finally swept from power by a great tide of history.

In Lauck's view, with Republican John Thune's victory, the Reagan conservatism of the 1980s washed away the McGovern-McCarthy Democratic liberalism of the 1960s and ‘70s.

That is a convenient argument for Lauck, who has been on the Thune payroll since the 2004 campaign and is listed by his book publisher as a senior advisor to the senator.

                                                                                                                                          

Unfortunately Lauck's book overlooks the elemental fact about South Dakota's U.S. senators.

They typically don't last. If their health doesn't get them, the voters do.

Three died in office and a fourth couldn't continue when his term ended.

For those fortunate enough to have remained among the living, voters almost always rejected them as they sought a third or fourth term.

                         

The fact is that in the past quarter century (plus a couple) South Dakota has voted out of office George McGovern, Jim Abnor, Larry Pressler, and Tom Daschle.  Given the relatively high re-election rate of US Senators (about 80%), that's a lot of slain incumbents.  And let's not forget that Tim Johnson narrowly escaped defeat in 2002 (yes, if Thune had won that race Daschle probably wins in 2004).  I have a few ideas about why this is the case, but I think I'll save them for a book on South Dakota political culture that is in its planning stages.