Narrow loss will do, says Diedrich (Republican for S.D. senator)

[Cocoa]

I wonder when we'll see Bush lowering his expectations this low.

http://www.thehill.com/news/060104/diedrich.aspx

<snip>

Pointing out that he was 30 points behind Herseth when he entered the race in late January, Diedrich said that as his name recognition has jumped, so have his poll numbers.

What matters, Diedrich said, is that South Dakotans see that momentum is on his side. If he loses by a narrow margin, he added, voters will think the June 1 election came too soon.

Democrats dismiss Diedrich’s logic, countering that the Republican has all the advantages going into the special election. Not only does the GOP maintain a significant voter-registration edge in South Dakota, but in today’s 25 state House and Senate primaries, there are far more competitive Republican than Democratic races. Strategists from both parties said that should drive up Republican turnout more than usual.

Also helping Diedrich is John Thune (R), who is challenging Sen. Tom Daschle (D). Thune opted to stay off the airwaves so that he could focus on fundraising and let Diedrich introduce himself to voters, said Thune’s campaign manager, Dick Wadhams. Thune has $2.5 million on hand, Wadhams said. Herseth, by contrast, has had to compete for attention with Daschle, who has been running television ads for months.


more...

[Ediacara]

1. You mean...

Republican for SD-AL?

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. That's Some Weird Reasoning

That's got to be a first.

I don't think I've ever seen a candidate for elected office in the U.S. basically say that they would be happy with 2nd place.

Two comments on Diedrich's comments:

1) What a fallacy. Only real losers use the "perpetual race" argument;
2) Who freaking cares what the voters "think" if you lose, jackass? You still lost, your opponent won, and the voters who "think" the election was too early voted for your opponent, not you.

What kind of f---ed up logic is this? Oh wait...I forgot...Republicans don't do logic, they only do faith.

[fishwax]

7. It is a perpetual race

In this case, it is a perpetual race, since they must face each other again in November. It's actually the SD House seat, not the Senate seat, and this is a special election b/c of Janklow's manslaughter conviction. The winner today will hold the seat, but will be up for "re-election" in November. So in a sense it does matter what the voters think about him after he loses, b/c they'll have a chance to change their mind here in a few months.

That said, I still think he's dreaming. I think he'll lose today and then he'll lose again in November.

[DakotaDemocrat]

3. Reasoning?!?!

Geesh - that's like saying, "Well, we were down by 10 runs by the third inning, but we only lost by 5 runs in the end, so we should win tomorrow's game..."

Heard her speak Friday on her last tour - go Stephanie!

[AndyTiedye]

4. Close Only Count in Horseshoes...

and Republican candidates in certain (s)elections.
Have they installed new voting machinez in SD?

If so, "not really close" is good enough. Ask Senator Chambliss.

[gratuitous]

5. I agree with Diedrich!

I'm totally at peace with his losing today's special election. I don't much care if it's by 5 points, 50 points or one lousy vote. As long as Herseth gets the seat and he doesn't, I'll be happy.

[aquart]

6. There's an important election today?

Oy. Now I get to worry many hours.

[gratuitous]

8. I think it's the South Dakota primary

Stephanie Herseth and some puke named Diedrich are vying to replace convicted killer Janklow for South Dakota's seat in the House of Representatives. Herseth narrowly lost to Janklow in 2002, and is the odds-on favorite to flip this seat to the D side of the aisle.

Check The Daily Kos for updates; this is one of his featured races. Because if Herseth wins, you ain't gonna see nothin' on the national news.

[goobergunch]

9. It's a special election, not a primary

The winner will serve in the House for the rest of the year.

[DakotaDemocrat]

10. Yep, we have to go through all this again...

...at the general election - which is great! get to vote for Stephanie twice!

[lancdem]

11. If she wins, it's a great portent

The last time the Dems won a special election for a seat held by the Repukes was 1991, the year before Clinton recaptured the presidency for the Dems. Her victory would be the second such special-election victory this year alone.

[ps1074]

12. actually the last time the Dems won a special election held by repukes

was earlier this year when a dem won a seat in Kentucky (if my memory serves me right).

So, by winning thi sseat it will be ... well not unprecedented BUT a very good sign for the upcoming general elections. Dems will win 2 special elections in a row for open seats held by republicans in heavy republican districts and in heavy GOP states.