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Herseth Sandlin Should Return to House
October 31, 2008 | Rapid City Journal

THE ISSUE: Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is facing
challenger Chris Lien for a two-year term in the House.

OUR VIEW: The Lien campaign has failed to clearly establish
the challenger as a viable replacement

The race for the U.S. House seat could go down as one of the most decent, and least noticed, of all time.

Chris Lien is challenging Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for the two-year House seat but the race has had a subdued tone, to say the least.

The tone was refreshing, but it also left us with a serious question: What exactly does Lien stand for and how would he serve the state better than Herseth Sandlin?

We couldn’t answer that question and we don’t think the majority of South Dakotans will be able to either. Lien failed to identify his strengths and his opponents’ weaknesses and that will likely cost him at the polls.

Herseth Sandlin has not failed to identify her strengths and has taken bold actions in Congress. We like what we are seeing. We recommend Herseth Sandlin be returned to Washington for another two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Herseth Sandlin continues to work hard for South Dakotans and she represents the state well. She understands the implications of the U.S. presence in the Middle East and has a well-balanced view of the country’s future there.

Her energy plan is both progressive and responsible and includes efficiency and conservation as part of the discussion — two words we haven’t heard often enough from Washington.

Closer to home, she is concerned about the crime rate on the state’s reservations and has worked to address those serious issues and she has proven she’s well aware of the issues that our armed forces are dealing with every day while serving and, also, when they return home.

We were particularly impressed when the congresswoman refused to vote in favor of the $700 billion bailout bill, saying scare tactics shouldn’t compel Congress to act.

That decision was one of many that show Herseth Sandlin’s good sense and responsiveness to the people in her home state.

Herseth Sandlin is one of the 49 members of the Blue Dog Coalition — a fiscally conservative Democratic coalition that has the stated goal of appealing to mainstream values and transcending party politics.

We think she is doing that and South Dakotans are the beneficiaries.

Lien has run a relatively quiet campaign. Although he has traveled around South Dakota talking to people at every stop, he hasn’t presented solid ideas for action to the voting public.

His campaign, he said, was designed to give South Dakotans a choice in the House race. Voters do have a choice, but not one that has two clearly differentiated sides from which to choose.

Lien has proven to be a decent, thoughtful candidate during this race. He hasn’t, however, made it clear why he would do a better job in Washington than his opponent. His fair play is admirable, but that is not reason enough to send him to the U.S. House.

We recommend supporting Herseth Sandlin for another term in the House.

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