Rapid City Journal excerpt:
Even though NBC News has apparently forgotten about the June 3 primary in South Dakota, the state's Democratic Party's executive director isn't worried that the candidates will.
Last Saturday, "NBC Nightly News" aired a story by correspondent Lee Cowan about how Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are campaigning diligently in Montana. Cowan said Montana is holding the last primary in the nation, on June 3.
Cowan and NBC apparently forgot that South Dakota also has its primary on June 3.
If the presidential race isn't settled among the two Democratic candidates by the Pennsylvania primary on April 22 or by the spate of primaries in May, South Dakota -- and Montana -- could play a role.
South Dakota Democratic Party executive director Rick Hauffe expects that both Obama and Clinton will make campaign appearances in South Dakota before the June 3 primary.
"The events up in Montana and North Dakota were just tremendous for party building and raising money," Hauffe said Tuesday. "We don't want to be the one state that didn't get helped by these campaigns. I don't imagine that's going to happen."
Hauffe noted that Tom Daschle is working for Obama, and George McGovern is supporting Clinton. "They're the two premier Democrats from South Dakota. I can't imagine that their clout would be so ineffective that they wouldn't bring them (Clinton and Obama) to South Dakota," Hauffe said.
Right now, Clinton and Obama are tightly focused on winning Pennsylvania, especially Clinton, Hauffe said.
"If Pennsylvania holds for Hillary, this thing's going to run all the way to the convention," he said. "If Obama wins Pennsylvania, the math is a problem for Hillary."
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