Democrat Stephanie Herseth Wins South Dakota House Seat

KWAME HOLMAN:

Democrat Stephanie Herseth waited until 1:30 this morning, until just about every vote had been counted, before declaring victory in yesterday's special congressional election in South Dakota.

REP.-ELECT STEPHANIE HERSETH, D-S.D.:

South Dakota has got one voice in the U.S. House of Representatives and I want to make it count. But tonight your vote is what counted. Your voice was heard loud and clear across the state of South Dakota.

KWAME HOLMAN:

The margin of victory was less than 2,800 votes out of the more than 260,000 cast. It comes on the heels of Democrat Ben Chandler's win in Kentucky in February, filling the congressional seat vacated by Republican Ernie Fletcher, the state's newly elected governor.

Republicans still hold a 22-seat advantage in the House of Representatives, but Democrats say they have momentum. Thirteen years had passed since a Democrat won a special election for a congressional seat formerly held by a Republican. And this afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said Herseth's victory bodes well for his own reelection, though he faces a serious challenge from former Republican Congressman John Thune.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE:

And I think it's a real tribute to South Dakotans and South Dakota voters that they don't pay much attention to party labels. They look at who can do the best job, who can articulate the most effectively the needs and the challenges our state faces.

KWAME HOLMAN:

The narrow loser in yesterday's election was Republican Larry Diedrich, a former state senator and a full-time farmer. Diedrich had hoped to capitalize on the large voter registration advantage Republicans hold over Democrats in South Dakota, a difference of 45,000. And although President Bush, plagued by low approval numbers, didn't campaign for Larry Diedrich, the first lady did, and the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee helped Diedrich raise $2 million to finance his campaign. Herseth, a lawyer, never before held elective office, but she already was well-known across the state because of her run for Congress in 2002.

STEPHANIE HERSETH:

I'm Stephanie Herseth. Nice to meet you.

KWAME HOLMAN:

She lost, but ran well against popular former Gov. Bill Janklow. And when Janklow resigned his seat in January following his manslaughter conviction stemming from a fatal traffic accident, polls showed Herseth was the early favorite to replace him. With South Dakota's 760,000 residents spread far and wide across the state, about ten people per square mile, television became the most efficient campaign tool for both candidates. Herseth and Diedrich faced off in a handful of debates broadcast statewide, and they purchased hundreds of hours of air time to broadcast messages that, for the most part, were positive in tone.

LARRY DIEDRICH (Ad):

South Dakota has had some ugly campaigns, but Stephanie Herseth and I have promised no personal attacks. You deserve that. To make an informed decision, you also deserve a respectful debate on the issues — where we agree and, yes, where we disagree.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Viewers learned that both candidates supported President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq and both endorsed the president's call for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. But Herseth supports abortion rights; Diedrich opposes abortion. And while Diedrich said all of the president's tax cuts should be made permanent, Herseth argued most should, but some shouldn't. That distinction got clouded late in the campaign, finally resulting in something at least resembling attack ads.

AD SPOKESPERSON:

Political talk can be misleading. Take Stephanie Herseth's TV ads which say she supports making the tax cuts permanent. But just days ago, she told the press, "I do not favor making them permanent. It is not the best solution."

AD SPOKESPERSON:

First, Larry Diedrich misled you.

LARRY DIEDRICH (Ad):

But on the tax cuts, I think they should be made permanent. Stephanie does not.

AD SPOKESPERSON:

But all of these news articles proved him wrong. Now he's misquoting news articles.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Issues aside, Larry Diedrich tried to convince voters that South Dakota would benefit more by electing a Republican.

LARRY DIEDRICH:

One of the important things that we do know after the June 1 election is that Congress will be controlled by Republicans and one of the advantages of sending a strong voice in the Congress is being at the table, sitting at the table with the majority party.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Herseth portrayed herself as a nonpartisan candidate.

STEPHANIE HERSETH:

I've been pleased to receive a lot of support, not only among Democrats and independent voters in South Dakota, but many Republicans, as well.

KWAME HOLMAN:

The votes for Stephanie Herseth yesterday came from east of the Missouri River, in and around Souix Falls where there was a large Democratic turnout. That more than offset Larry Diedrich's strength in the traditionally more Republican western half of the state.

REP.-ELECT STEPHANIE HERSETH:

The last six months has been a long and incredible journey. I have met so many wonderful and incredible people from across the state of South Dakota who exemplify why this is such a great place to live and that is why I am so honored to be your representative in Congress.

KWAME HOLMAN:

However, Herseth still has to run for reelection to a full two-year term in November, just five months away. Her opponent will be Larry Diedrich, who launched his new campaign just this morning.