Don't blame Tom Daschle if he's feeling crabby. The U.S. Senate Minority Leader and South Dakota Democrat will be squaring off against Republican John Thune in November to keep his seat. But now Tim Giago, a prominent Native-American and publisher of the Lakota Journal, has jumped into the contest. As an independent. In a state where Democrats have always relied on Native-American voters to help put them over, this could spell trouble for the Senate's top D. The Rapid City Journal reports:

Bill Richardson, political science professor at the University of South Dakota, said Giago's decision could alter the result of the November general election, which also features Republican John Thune, a former U.S. representative.

'It could influence the race big-time,' Richardson said. 'The obvious possibility is that he will take away votes that possibly would have gone to Tom Daschle.'

The situation is similar to Ralph Nader running on the Green Party ticket in 2000 presidential race and as an independent in 2004, Richardson said. Nader was blamed for costing Vice President Al Gore the presidency by attracting voters who might have preferred Gore to George W. Bush.

'This is as is the case with Ralph Nader in the presidential contest. The only question is how many and how crucial they will be in a close election,' he said.

Citing failed Big Government policies, Native Americans in South Dakota have already begun defecting from the Democratic Party, with an eye on Republican Thune in the fall contest versus Daschle, as I noted here. So, Giago could possibly take some votes from Thune. But he'll take more from Daeschle.

Terry McThoughtless can't be happy about this.

Hat tip to Gary B.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at March 31, 2004 11:55 AM

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