Thune to challenge Daschle in South Dakota
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Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, left, will face challenger Republican Congressman John Thune.
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(CNN) -- Setting up an expensive, high-stakes race with national implications, former GOP Rep. John Thune of South Dakota announced Monday night that he will try to unseat the Senate's top Democrat, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, in November's election.
Thune, who served three terms as South Dakota's lone congressman, came within 524 votes of unseating the state's other Democratic senator, Tim Johnson, in 2002. In that race, he had strong backing from President Bush, who visited South Dakota several times to campaign by his side.
Thune, who turns 43 on Wednesday, announced his intentions at the Lincoln County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Sioux Falls.
Though Daschle has held statewide political office in South Dakota for 25 years as a Democrat, the state's political leanings are Republican. The GOP holds a lead in party registration and controls both houses of the Legislature, and Bush carried 60 percent of the vote in the state in 2000, beating former Vice President Al Gore by a whopping 22 percentage points.
Under Daschle's leadership, Democrats in the Senate have used filibusters to block GOP legislation and thwart confirmation of Bush's judicial nominations -- making him a prime target for Republicans and giving Thune a national network of eager donors. The state Republican Party Web site picks up on the theme, with a picture of Daschle circled and crossed out under the phrase "End The Obstruction."
But Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand said the senator is ready, having already raised $4 million in campaign cash.
"We have spent a year preparing to run a race that we intend to win," said Hildebrand.
Last time around, Johnson and Thune together spent $12.1 million to run in a state with just 755,000 people -- more than $16 for every man, woman and child in South Dakota. Much of that money was poured into copious TV and radio ads, which are inexpensive in the state's small media markets.
This race is likely to be even more expensive. Hildebrand said Daschle alone plans to raise $10 million. If Thune manages to match that total, spending per person could top $26.
The advertising wars have already started. Daschle unveiled a new ad Monday, touting his help for a woman with a serious heart condition who was dropped by her insurance company. The state GOP has put up a radio ad questioning whether Daschle can deliver on issues important to South Dakota.
Thune opted to run for the Senate rather than seek the House seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Bill Janklow, who was convicted of manslaughter in December for the death of a motorcyclist in a traffic accident. With a strong statewide political profile from both his days in the House and his 2002 Senate campaign, Thune was widely considered the GOP's best bet for unseating Daschle.
Daschle, 56, had considered a 2004 White House bid but opted instead to seek a fourth term in the Senate.
Thune's decision, which makes the South Dakota race competitive, is yet another blow to Democratic hopes to reclaim control of the Senate, where Republicans now hold a slim majority of 51 seats.
Democrats are already defending five open seats they now hold in the South, a region where Republicans are strong and Bush is expected to run well. Now, Democrats will have to divert money and attention to a race to keep their Senate leader in office.
CNN congressional producer Steve Turnham contributed to this report.
