The manslaughter trial for Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.) ended after surprisingly-brief jury deliberations yesterday. He was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter, reckless driving, running a stop sign and speeding for an Aug. 16 crash that killed motorcyclist Randy Scott.
It’s a sad story about a tragic incident.
At the risk of appearing insensitive, I wanted to go over the political consequences of the trial’s outcome.
Facing few options, Janklow announced his resignation from South Dakota’s sole House seat about two hours after his verdict was announced. His resignation will take effect on Jan. 20, the same day he’s scheduled to be sentenced. The truth is, Janklow didn’t have much of a choice — his conviction would have likely prompted a House ethics committee investigation, which probably would lead to his expulsion.
Janklow’s resignation will lead South Dakota voters to elect a new representative on June 1, the same day as the state’s presidential primary, to fill out the rest of his term.
Considering the political dynamic in South Dakota right now, Janklow’s resignation changes just about everything.
Stephanie Herseth, a Democrat who lost in a relatively competitive race to Janklow in 2002, will be seeking the seat again next year. Considering Herseth’s standing and base of support, the GOP will likely be pressuring John Thune, who was the state’s House rep before 2002, to jump into the race. If Thune decides to run for his old seat, he’ll be the odds-on favorite to return to Congress.
However, if Thune does seek the House seat, he’ll have to abandon his intended campaign — challenging Tom Daschle in next year’s Senate race.
To be sure, Thune stands a better chance of beating Herseth in a House race than beating Daschle in a Senate race. Assuming Thune realizes this, he’ll probably be inclined to succumb to party pressure and abandon his Senate bid.
Of course, if he does, there will be no significant challenge to Daschle’s re-election bid and the GOP will lose out on the chance to target a Democratic incumbent whom they consider vulnerable in a conservative state in a presidential election year.
Decisions, decisions…