South Dakota Senator Won't Run Again - New York Times

WASHINGTON — Senator Tim Johnson, the South Dakota Democrat who suffered a major brain hemorrhage a month after his party retook the Senate in 2006 and recovered enough to run again two years later, announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in 2014.

Jay Pickthorn/Argus Leader, via Associated Press

Senator Tim Johnson at a news conference Tuesday announcing his retirement when his term ends in 2015.

“I will be 68 years old at the end of this term and it’s time for me to say goodbye,” Mr. Johnson said during a brief news conference in Vermillion, S.D. After thanking his family and staff he added: “The Bible says that there is a time for every season under heaven. It is now our season to spend more time with our six grandchildren and in the state we love.”

Mr. Johnson’s decision, coming on the heels of a spate of retirement announcements from Democrats, opens up a potential new opportunity for Republicans in the state that President Obama lost by a large margin last year. Further, the retirement of Mr. Johnson, a moderate who is chairman of the powerful banking committee, will open up that slot, should Democrats maintain a majority. His replacement could be critical as Congress continues to deal with regulatory issues.

Senators Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey and John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, all Democrats, have said they will not seek re-election. Two Republicans, Senators Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Mike Johanns of Nebraska, have also said they will not run.

Republicans, who are hoping that 2014 will finally be their year after two opportunities to take back the Senate majority have slipped from their fingers, are eying Mr. Johnson’s seat eagerly.

“South Dakota voters rejected the liberal agenda by nearly 20 points in 2012, and it’s a prime pick-up opportunity for Republicans regardless of whose name ends up on the ballot,” said Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Former Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, had already planned to challenge Mr. Johnson. Another possible contender would be Representative Kristi Noem, who came in on a Republican wave in 2010.

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, thanked Mr. Johnson for making his decision early enough to allow his party to mount a strong defense of the seat.

Mr. Johnson’s success has been a thing of wonder since almost the beginning of his Senate career. After serving in the House for five terms, Mr. Johnson was elected to the Senate in 1996, winning by two percentage points in an expensive race for the low-cost state.

In 2002 he ran again, beating John Thune (who went on to win a Senate seat in 2004) by a mere 524 votes of more than 330,000 cast, and focused largely on agricultural issues, taking moderate positions along an array of issues.

In 2006, just a month after ascending to new powers with his party’s victory, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from which he struggled to recover, threatening his party’s fragile majority. In 2008 he ran again and won after proving that, with slurred speech and the frequent use of a scooter to ferry him around the Capitol, he could still manage his Senate career.

Among Democrats in South Dakota who could succeed him, the greatest speculation centers on Mr. Johnson’s son Brendan and former Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who was defeated by Ms. Noem and has kept a relatively low profile since but remains popular in the state.

“I’ve not discussed in detail what comes next, whether it’s Stephanie or Brendan or whatever,” Mr. Johnson said, in response to questions about whom he would like to see succeed him.

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AP sources: South Dakota Sen. Johnson won't seek re-election; 5th Democratic ... - Washington Post

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota plans to retire at the end of his term, party officials said Monday — a departure that gives Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat as they attempt to win back control of the chamber in 2014.

Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2006 but later returned to the Senate and won re-election in 2008. He has recovered significantly, though sometimes uses a motorized scooter.

The Democratic officials who described Johnson’s plans spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. They said they were not authorized to pre-empt a formal announcement expected Tuesday at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Johnson’s retirement announcement is the fifth by Senate Democrats. Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also say they won’t run for re-election in 2014. Two Republican senators have also said they plan to retire.

Republicans must gain six seats to win a majority in the Senate, and South Dakota now leaps to the top of the party’s list of most favorable states. Republican Mike Rounds, a popular former two-term governor, has been campaigning for the seat since last year, though he declined to comment Monday on Johnson’s retirement.

Johnson is viewed as independent minded and reserved, having voted against the resolution to allow military action in Iraq but supporting the Keystone XL Pipeline. He also has about $1.2 million in his campaign account, a healthy nest egg for a state where advertising is relatively inexpensive, and a deep-pocketed fundraising network.

While those votes and fundraising make the former congressman, who has never lost an election, a formidable opponent, South Dakota’s GOP-trending electorate could complicate the next election. His last term also has been physically demanding for the 66-year-old Johnson, whose speech remains compromised.

But Democrats rejected the notion that Johnson’s retirement opens the door for a GOP senator. In last November’s election, some Republican Senate candidates who appeared to be the heavy favorites ended up losing to Democratic rivals — including Rick Berg, who lost to Heidi Heitkamp in neighboring North Dakota.

South Dakota Democratic Chairman Ben Nesselhuf noted Democrats’ successes over the past 30 years, including former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.

“I reject the idea that somehow the Republicans has a lock on this state,” Nesselhuf said. “By no means is this an impossible task, or even improbable.”

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Johnson through his top Senate staff were unsuccessful. Johnson aides would not confirm the retirement but said the senator would hold a news conference on his political future at University of South Dakota in Vermillion Tuesday afternoon.

Aware that Johnson might decide to retire, Democrats in South Dakota and nationally have discussed possible successors on the ticket, including Johnson’s son Brendan, South Dakota’s U.S. attorney. The younger Johnson Monday said in an interview that he was unaware of his father’s decision and declined to discuss whether he would seek the office.

Former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a contemporary of Brendan Johnson and another heir to a South Dakota Democratic legacy, also is looking at running. A granddaughter of former South Dakota Gov. Ralph Herseth, Herseth Sandlin served six years in the U.S. House before being defeated for re-election in 2010.

Action within Johnson’s party is expected quickly. An open Senate seat is rare in South Dakota, and Republicans have gained an upper hand in the state, controlling the governorship, the Legislature, its other Senate seat and its lone U.S. House seat.

Brendan Johnson, appointed U.S. attorney in 2009, has never held elected office and faced questions about his father’s involvement in the confirmation process. Assets for the younger Johnson include his father’s advisers and donor base.

Herseth Sandlin also has an in-tact network and following in South Dakota, but she could face some problems in a potential primary with Johnson. She opposed to the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a position that is out of step with a majority of party loyalists.

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Espo reported from Washington.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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