Goodbye... for now

This blog has been quiet for a while now, and I'm afraid it's going to be quiet for some time to come.

South Dakota to apply for education aid funds

Gov. Mike Rounds has decided to apply for $26.3 million in federal education funds contained in an aid to states package, his office announced today.

Wise words about the midterms

They come from political scientist Alan Abramowitz and American Enterprise Institute scholar Norman Ornstein in the Washington Post.

Democrat Cowan drops out in District 24

Bob Mercer has the scoop that one of the two Democrats running for the two open House seats in District 24, Jade Cowan, has dropped out of the race.

Sen. Tim Johnson "feeling good," still in hospital

According to a release from Sen. Tim Johnson's office, the hospitalized senator is recovering from his gallbladder surgery. Johnson said he is feeling good, moving around the room and catching up on the news.

Herseth Sandlin to support aid to states

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin will vote after all for a bill to provide aid for states in the form of increased Medicaid money.

Sen. Tim Johnson has gallbladder removed

A new release out just moments ago from Sen. Tim Johnson's office announed that the senator had surgery Tuesday morning to remove his gallbladder.

Refresher: How Senate vacancies are filled in South Dakota

All indications so far are that Sen. Tim Johnson's hospitalization isn't going to be a big deal. But given his health problems I wondered how exactly Senate vacancies in South Dakota are filled. (I imagine people who were around in late 2006 are all familiar with this.)

Sen. Tim Johnson hospitalized, "doing well"

Sen. Tim Johnson was scheduled to visit Pierre today, with events including a lunch with people at the Capital Journal and a tour of the Stanley County Courthouse, which is using stimulus money to improve its energy efficiency.

Heidepriem campaign: Devastating poll results are "horribly tainted"

If you believe pollster Scott Rasmussen, Dennis Daugaard might consider meandering over to the governor's residence in Pierre to size up the drapes.

Elena Kagan confirmed 63-37

As expected, President Barack Obama's second supreme court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate today 63-37.

Breaking: Federal judge rules California same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

The culture wars continue unabated: a federal judge, as many people expected, ruled that California's same-sex marriage ban, enacted by popular referendum in 2008, is unconstitutional.

Odd political news: Meanwhile, across the pond...

American politics today is a mixture of serious concerns (mounting debt, an unsteady economic recovery) and triviality (most day-to-day politics).

Fascinating political statistic of the day

It comes from the great blog, The Electoral Map:

Johnson bullish on Herseth Sandlin reelection

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has faced tough polling and fundraising numbers lately for her reelection campaign against Republican challenger Kristi Noem. One of the more absurd (in my view) sideshows in that campaign over public perception of Herseth Sandlin's chances. Republican forces have expended a fair bit of public relations effort promoting the idea that Herseth Sandlin is in trouble.

News flash: Noem is a Republican, Herseth Sandlin is a Democrat

Political press releases are always fun to read, and none moreso than those put out by political parties -- who, being more impersonal, feel free to be harsh, combative and often less than wholly accurate.

Pierre gubernatorial debate canceled

Gubernatorial candidates Dennis Daugaard and Scott Heidepriem had been scheduled to face off in a debate today at the South Dakota School Superintendents Association annual meeting today in Pierre. That debate was canceled, however, after Daugaard pulled out due to a death in the family.

Smoking ban campaigning kicks off

My story from today's print edition:

Senate likely to approve Kagan despite Thune's opposition

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed despite opposition from Sen. John Thune and most other Republicans, Thune said Wednesday.

Tenth Amendment collateral damage

A federal judge just struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act — the bill that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and lets states ignore those marriages approved by other states. But rather than striking it down as being discriminatory to homosexual couples (much how Massachusetts and Vermont got same-sex marriages/civil unions in the first place), the judge struck down the bill on the basis of the Tenth Amendment.

In today's print edition

... I take a look at the oft-ignored third person in the Congressional race, independent B. Thomas Marking. His chances of winning are far, far below either of the two major party candidates, but you can't deny he's got unique ideas.

Democratic nominations

They don't have a Senate candidate, but there will be a Democrat on the ballot for every other statewide office this November.

Getting the poll results you want...

Polling is a really useful tool for understanding politics. But polls can also be misleading — especially when you move away from simple favorability ratings and political horse race questions to asking people about issues they might not understand.

My story on the PPP polls

PIERRE — Six months away from the gubernatorial primaries, a majority of South Dakota voters have yet to form an opinion about any of the candidates seeking to run the state, a new poll finds.

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