Johanns to urge Hoeven run in N.D.

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Peter Savodnik
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will attend the North Dakota Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner early next month in President Bush’s latest effort to persuade Gov. John Hoeven (R) to challenge Sen. Kent Conrad (D) in 2006, state Republicans said.

The administration wants to convey to North Dakotans that Hoeven, if elected, would have the ear of the president and the secretary, these Republicans said.

The Agriculture Department — and the fight for more farm subsidies and greater protection from foreign producers — is of paramount importance in a state teeming with corn, wheat and soybean farmers.

The strategy to link Hoeven with the White House is similar to that used in 2004 in neighboring South Dakota, where Bush lobbied John Thune to challenge Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, whom Thune ultimately defeated.

more: http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/021505.html

[CatholicEdHead]

1. Intresting

"The strategy to link Hoeven with the White House is similar to that used in 2004 in neighboring South Dakota, where Bush lobbied John Thune to challenge Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, whom Thune ultimately defeated."

This means they plan on spending lots of "cheap" money (relitive to media market) to drown ND in mud as SD was the last 2 years.

I know former governor Ed Schafer has also been mentioned as a Senate Canidiate in ND.

Conrad is still pretty established and it would take lots of new (and mostly flat out made up) smear material to have Hoeven win.

If Hoeven would run, who would be coming up in the GOP who would want to run for Governor to replace Hoeven?