South Dakota Politics

Herseth Sandlin

As reported yesterday, Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of House Democrats are touring Europe to discuss the climate:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on an overseas trip to embrace an audience and a topic for which President Bush has shown scant affection: "Old Europe" and global warming.

Pelosi, D-Calif., and seven other House members left Saturday for meetings with scientists and politicians in Greenland, Germany and Belgium on ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The trip comes shortly before a climate change summit next month involving the leading industrialized nations and during a time of increased debate over what should succeed the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 international treaty that caps the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted from power plants and factories in industrialized countries. It expires in 2012.

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is with Speaker Pelosi on this trip.  In a related item, Mount Blogmore is asking where Sandlin's political future might take her.

Herseth Sandlin's Campaign Treasury

The Associated Press has the latest on Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's campaign coffers in an article entitled "Congresswoman has almost $330,000 in campaign treasury."

Sandlin Endorses Edwards

This Associated Press story reports that Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has endorsed John Edwards for president:

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., has endorsed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in the 2008 Democratic presidential sweepstakes.

“Our next president needs to understand and prioritize the needs of rural America, including South Dakota. My endorsement of Senator Edwards is based upon his vision for rural states like South Dakota,” Herseth Sandlin said in a statement.

During a visit to Pierre on Friday, the South Dakota congresswoman said she likes his positions on biofuels and on ways to ease poverty.

“He’s not a Johnny-come-lately on biofuels,” Herseth Sandlin said.

“And I think his focus in the last few years on poverty has a particular role to play as it relates to poverty in rural America and poverty in Indian Country, so I like what he stands for.”

Edwards, who served one term in the Senate, was the running mate of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who lost the 2004 race to President Bush.

Herseth Sandlin said Edwards has clearly outlined his commitment to rural America through a detailed rural policy plan that mirrors many of her priorities.

On Monday, the Edwards campaign released the details of his Rural Recovery Act, which he said would restore economic fairness and create new jobs and businesses in rural America and help protect rural people and their way of life.

“His recognition of the challenges we face, such as rural health care, and the opportunities we provide, like renewable energy, have earned him my strong and enthusiastic support,” Herseth Sandlin said in a release from the Edwards campaign.

His role in poverty?  This, from a guy whose home is the largest in the county he lives in, and whose haircuts cost $400?  I have nothing against the guy getting rich, and in fact I say good for him.  But when you factor in those two incidents, plus the S Corporation tax shelter, which saved him from paying thousands in Medicare taxes, it makes you look awfully hypocritical when you claim the top one percent is not paying their fair share.  As one Democrat remarked: "It's one thing to be a millionaire, but it's totally tone-deaf to be using Katrina victims while you're putting the finishing touches on your multimillion-dollar mansion."

Mrs. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

Associated Press:

South Dakota's only member of the U.S. House is now known as Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

The Democrat married former Texas Rep. Max Sandlin on Saturday at First Lutheran Church in Brookings among friends and family.

The two plan to live in Brookings when they are not in Washington. Sandlin, who was defeated in a 2004 re-election bid, is a lobbyist for Fleishman-Hillard, a Washington, D.C., public relations and government relations firm.

Sandlin, 54, was a member of the U.S. House for eight years.

Herseth and Sandlin plan to honeymoon in the Caribbean, where she said they will to do some sea kayaking and mountain biking. The House will not be in session that week.

Herseth announced the engagement at her 36th birthday party in December.

Congratulations to the newly weds!

Barbara Lee sent volunteers for Herseth

Representative Barbara Lee, who cast the lone vote against authorizing military force in Afghanistan after September 11, played a role in the House special election here in South Dakota earlier this month. The Contra Costa Times has the details in an article headlined "Rep. Lee volunteers canvass S. Dakota." Excerpt:

East Bay Republicans doubted whether volunteers from afar had an effect on the election. Alameda County Republican Party Chairman Jim Hartman said his organization did not send volunteers to the election.

"We believe South Dakotans should decide the election, not people from Oakland or Berkeley," he said.

Roll Call on Herseth's romance with Texas congressman

The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call has an item in today's edition headlined "Sitting in a Tree," regarding Stephanie Herseth's relationship with Rep. Max Sandlin, a Democrat from Texas:

Sorry, guys. The newest, most eligible bachelorette in Congress appears to be off the market.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D), who just won the special South Dakota election, had a boyfriend waiting for her on Capitol Hill when she arrived last week.

He's Democratic Rep. Max Sandlin, a four-term Texan.

The couple met during Herseth's failed 2002 election bid against then-Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.), who recently was released from prison for his second-degree manslaughter conviction. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has its own version of a "big buddy" program, appointed Sandlin to be Herseth's mentor during that campaign.

Maybe the DCCC should have a match-making business on the side?

"Representative Herseth and Representative Sandlin met during the last election cycle. They remained friends after the 2002 election and have had a relationship for approximately a year," her spokesman, Russ Levsen, told HOH.

Sandlin, who is divorced with four children, also worked hard to campaign and raise money for his girlfriend during her winning campaign against GOP state Sen. Larry Diedrich in the June 1 special election.

He said having just arrived in Washington, the new Congresswoman has not found permanent housing yet. For now, he said, she's staying at the Capitol Suites.

But Herseth, 33, and Sandlin, 52, were seen Wednesday morning in front of Sandlin's apartment building near D and First streets Southeast.

Pelosi and Herseth

Here's an interesting AP piece discussing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's efforts on behalf of Stephanie Herseth: "Pelosi raising cash, sharpening message for Democrats."

In the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, of all places, this blurb can be found:

Now that Democrat Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota has won a special election and been sworn in as the state's congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, can say he is enjoying a congressional romance.

Sandlin, who is divorced, and Herseth, who is single, were together often in Austin last summer during the redistricting saga. And Sandlin helped raise money for her congressional race.

This is not Sandlin's first high-profile political romance. He dated Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and chief of staff to Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass.

Herseth and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Brian Hansen, a former punter in the NFL, and currently the state director of the South Dakota chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, has an interesting letter in today's edition of the Rapid City Journal:

Regarding the recent TV ads featuring Stephanie Herseth and her reference to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes: The South Dakota Fellowship of Christian Athletes has not been contacted about the use of our name in her ad. We do not endorse or support Stephanie Herseth in any way, and we were very surprised to see FCA mentioned in her ad.

FCA, as a non-profit charitable organization, is not able to support or endorse any political candidate or cause.

However, our hope and prayer for the candidates of this very important race in our state is that they will be led by or led to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

BRIAN HANSEN

State Director, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Sioux Falls

UPDATE: You can view the Herseth ad referring to the FCA (entitled "Faith") HERE.

Steyn's latest mentions Herseth

Mark Steyn has a new piece about the Daily Kos blog, published in the UK Spectator (registration), headlined "Murderous Rhetoric." Excerpt:

You can find anything on the Internet if you look hard enough. But not many website wallahs who exult in the murder of American citizens are as well-connected as Mr Zuniga. He claims his site is ‘the most popular political weblog with over three million monthly visits’ and boasts of his access to Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The Daily Kos carries advertisements from Democratic congressional candidates around the country, including incumbents — North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy — and challengers — South Dakota Democratic House candidate Stephanie Herseth, who raised $21,000 in one day on Zuniga’s site.

Via LGF. As Ryne McClaren notes, Stephanie Herseth is still taking donations from a site whose operator exults in the murder of American citizens.

Herseth still hasn't rebuked Kos

Ryne McClaren has a list of all the Democrats who have publicly withdrawn their association with the liberal blog Daily Kos due to Kos' unsavory comments about the barbaric murder of Americans in Fallujah. The list includes John Kerry. This list does NOT include Stephanie Herseth. Her silence is a scandal.

A Democratic congressional candidate in Ohio has also pulled her ad from Daily Kos.

So John Kerry delinks from Daily Kos, but Stephanie Herseth, a self-described conservative Democrat, still has a link to Daily Kos on her website. A Herseth clone in Ohio has publicly pulled her ad on Daily Kos, but Herseth cynically hunkers down, hoping the media in South Dakota won't sniff around this story, and that it goes away. Sadly, that's most likely what will happen.

Powerline has more HERE and HERE. Also, see Hugh Hewitt's observations. And Professor Volokh's.

Herseth and Daily Kos

The blogosphere is abuzz about the outrageous post made by the operator of the Daily Kos blog regarding American citizens brutally killed, dismembered, and incinerated in Fallujah, Iraq this week ("Screw them" Kos wrote). OpinionJournal has the details. Also, read Instapundit.

Stephanie Herseth advertises on Daily Kos and has a link to Daily Kos from her website. She has reportedly reaped thousands of dollars in campaign donations as a result.

Congressman Martin Frost of Texas has already publicly repudiated Daily Kos. Stephanie Herseth should too, as the state GOP has already urged. A South Dakota political candidate has no business associating herself with someone who gloats over the barbaric murder of Americans fighting and dying to build a free and democratic Iraq.

A question to pose to Herseth

Earlier this week, Stephanie Herseth was quoted as making the following howler to the local press:

"EMILY's List is not a pro-abortion organization."

One blogger has a suggestion:

Someone ought to ask Stephanie Herseth to name some pro-life women that EMILY's List has supported[.]

Quote of the Day

"EMILY's List is not a pro-abortion organization." - a direct quote from Stephanie Herseth, according to today's edition of the Rapid City Journal.

The Dems' caricature of South Dakota

The blog "Dimmy Karras" takes a dim view of the intemperate remarks made by South Dakota Democratic Party executive board member Ben Hanten posted on Daily Kos regarding Stephanie Herseth's support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Excerpt from the "Dimmy Karras" blog:

Don't these people realize some moderate South Dakota voters might take umbrage at the Herseth campaign popularizing such a caricature of their state in seeking donations from a national liberal web site? Do they think no one in South Dakota can pull up Daily Kos on a web browser, or that their opponent won't seize on these remarks? Perhaps they've already weighed these risks and decided the need to raise money over the Internet is large enough to put this statement out anyway. It must be awfully difficult to be a progressive running in a state like South Dakota. (I also enjoyed the part about Herseth having to mend fences with South Dakota's gays--all five of them.)

Indeed. And, obviously, some people in South Dakota can pull up Daily Kos on a web browser.

UPDATE: Randy Dockendorf at the Yankton Press & Dakotan has a piece in today's edition about Ben Hanten headlined "Local Democrat reflects youth movement."

Daily Kos posts a fascinating message sent by an executive board member of the South Dakota Democratic Party regarding Stephanie Herseth's support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. (Thanks to reader Cory Skluzak for the item.)

Herseth "qualifies" her support of gay marriage ban

Stephanie Herseth, the Democratic candidate for South Dakota's at large House seat, has managed to alienate some of her most exuberant supporters with her views on the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The Daschle v. Thune blog has more.