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Democracy depends on a constant exchange of ideas and ideals. On March 30, South Dakota may remove itself from the debate by not having a major party candidate run against incumbent Sen. John Thune. This would be the first time both major parties were not on the senate ballot in South Dakota. Democrats should run a candidate against Thune because their failure to do so would hurt democracy, Democrats, Republicans and Thune himself.
If Democrats fail to run someone, it would hurt democracy by leaving the voice of the opposition mute. While it is likely Thune is popular enough to get re-elected, regardless if he’s opposed, the idea that 100 percent of the state supports him is fanciful. Further, Thune should be held accountable for his votes on legislation, just as any congressperson should. Over his term he has accumulated a litany of votes and should justify them to South Dakota. He is our representative, thus he should explain his manner of representation, which may not happen unless he’s called out by an opponent.
There is also the matter of campaign strategy. It would help Republicans for Thune to have opposition because when senators run unopposed, their supporters often times stay home. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.) ran unopposed in 2006, and Democrats picked up three house seats. While Lugar certainly was not the only reason for the Democrats’ success, it was a factor.
Any Democrat would likely lose, the most recent poll, from March 2009 showed Thune defeating Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin 51 percent to 39 percent in a hypothetical match-up. It was his worst showing and she has since passed on the race. The advantage for Democrats of running a candidate would be to mobilize the anti-Thune vote and hope it transfers to the gubernatorial race, in which is competitive, and to groom a future candidate. Whoever runs will get their name in the statewide press, gain supporters and build a political apparatus for running statewide in the future in a more winnable race.
Finally, it is widely believed that Thune is preparing for a 2012 presidential run. This is even more reason why he should face a real race. While defeating the Senate minority leader was no small task, that’s no reason to rest on his laurels. Campaign skills fade and if he expects to explain to the country why he should be elected in 2012, then he should explain to us why he should be re-elected.
No one gets a free ride, even in politics.Democrats should run a candidate against Thune so he can make his case to the people why he deserves another term. This would be a positive for Thune, who gets to hone his skills for 2012, both parties who mobilize voters and democracy. The free exchange of ideas on the campaign trail for Senate has been uninterrupted in South Dakota for almost 100 years, don’t start now.
Reach Opinion Editor Taylor Poro at Taylor.Poro@usd.edu.
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