Rapid City Journal: More on Dems courting Adelstein. (can we start talking about the winner in the race now?)

The Rapid City Journal has a huge Sunday front page above the fold article on whether or not Stan Adelstein will change over to the Democratic Party:

Republican state Sen. Stan Adelstein is caught in a crossfire of conflicting opinions about whether he should switch his party affiliation to Democrat and challenge GOP rival Elli Schwiesow in the general election this fall.

And the impact of his decision could be felt well beyond his home district in Rapid City.

Some Democrats are trying to sweet talk Adelstein into their party and onto the November ballot in the District 32 Senate race. But others oppose the idea, questioning whether Adelstein would be a phony Democrat simply using the party for a chance to hold on to his Senate seat and pay back Schwiesow.

And faithful party members on both sides debate whether Adelstein's switch - if it comes - would be telling evidence of a backlash against extremist views in the Republican Party or simply one more attempt by the long-outgunned Democrats to gain seats in the GOP-dominated state Legislature.

Adelstein said this week that he would provide his part of the answer within two weeks, when he decides whether to switch registration and accept the Democrats' offer to replace current party candidate Tom Katus on the Democratic ticket for the District 32 Senate seat.

State Democratic Party chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel said the party was ready to embrace Adelstein, who suffered a bitter loss to Schwiesow after a primary campaign focused in large part on a controversial near-total ban on abortions in South Dakota, HB1215, that Adelstein opposes and Schwiesow supports.

As a Democrat, Adelstein could shake that single-issue focus and the Republican Party's current preoccupation with social issues, occupying himself instead with a broader range of problems facing South Dakotans, Olson Duhamel said.
Last I knew, Republicans were talking about far more than social issues. In fact, the primary election reinforced that. Because the ones focusing on social issues, stating "how extreme the GOP was on social issues" (i.e., founding members of the MainStream Coalition) were removed from office.

The Democrats (and Stan) keep trying to paint us with that brush. Most Republicans don't want to talk about social issues. They want to talk about less government, lower taxes, and a good education. And that's what we're going to run on this fall.

Now getting back to the article - it looks like Democrats are not unanimous about wanting him to run in on his white horse and save the day for them:
But other Democrats question Adelstein's motives for switching parties and worry about the effect it would have on the party and Democratic candidates already on the ticket.

"The whole thing is just painful," said Jay Davis, an outspoken Rapid City Democrat known for an unyielding defense of what he considers to be core party principles. "We've got one of the best Democratic tickets in Pennington County and across the state that we've had for years, and I don't think a self-proclaimed Goldwater- Reagan Republican and one of (Republican Gov.) Mike Rounds' biggest backers should be on it."
So, it's not necessarily a given that even Democrats are going to jump on the Stan-wagon.

Go read the whole article here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Stan's ideology is power. He doesn't care about the GOP and he doesn't care about the Dems. He cares about himself, and Jody Severson cares about landing another lucrative consulting deal so that he can run another lousy campaign.
Anonymous said…
Good for Mr. Jay Davis, who said it well. It is sad when a real Democrat like Mr. Katus is willing to put himself out there as a candidate, then is pushed aside by the Dems when somebody else comes along. Talk about being abandoned by your party! It's enough to make me think about re-registering as an Independent.
Anonymous said…
I disagree with anon 945. The Republicans-In-God-Only are the ones that are concerned about power.

These Republicans-In-God-Only have abandoned their party principles of less government and being fiscally conservative.

These Republicans-In-God-Only continue to think that science is their puppet, and weild "science" to further their Godly agendas.

I also think that Woster is doing good work for the Republican base, like he always has. He's gotten the word out about Adelstein switching, he's done several big articles about it now, and I see alot of the Republicans-In-God-Only warming up their flip-flopper lingo.
Anonymous said…
Just exactly how does one change parties given the wide space to traverse.
You could not have cared too much about the party you are moving from. This is not professional sports. You belong to a particular political party because of what it stands for not because you were drafted.
Stan is coming apart at the seems and what was underneath is showing and it is ugly.
Anonymous said…
I agree with anon 9:45. Stan's vicious campaign style has run it's course, and people are tired of him.
Anonymous said…
Anon 10:27:

Sounded to me like Mr. Katus was willing to step aside. All the quotes from him sounded very supportive of Stan. I think he was even referred to as an Adelstein supporter, although I can't state that for certain.

I don't think he is being "abandoned" by his party.
Anonymous said…
Changing parties because you lost the race is a little like taking your ball going home.
I would be suspect if I were a Dem.
Anonymous said…
every one that Stan has favored has lost. He tried to buy city council seats in Rapid City for Jean French and Tom Hennies in the last two election cycles and both were smoked by the opposition.


Word is that Mike Schumacher is running for Mayor of Rapid City next year, and I wonder if Stan will again pump money to Jim Shaw.
Anonymous said…
Stan is one sorry loser.

If he switches (rather than fight) he will go from Republican In Name Only -RINO,

to Democrat In Name Only -DINO.
The former is endangered. The latter is extinct!
Anonymous said…
anon 4:09

What politician in his right mind is going to say his party is throwing him over for a defeated candidate from another party? I'm pretty sure Katus wouldn't either. He would save face and say it's his choice ot step aside. But don't believe it.
Anonymous said…
"Republicans want to talk about less government, lower taxes, and good education." Either PP is talking about the party switchers, or he is disseminating.

Once again, Republicans have brought SD more government, over 800 new state employees in 3 1/2 years of Rounds. GOP hopes you are stupid or have a short memory.

Republicans have brought SD higher taxes - more than $20 million/year in increased taxes proposed by Rounds and passed with a GOP 2/3 majority in 2003 almost entirely without any Democratic support for these tax increases. Even with $1 billion in reserves, GOP raised taxes. Like sheep, GOPs do whatever their leaders tell them and hope you don't notice or don't remember. Then they lie about it later and claim they're for lower taxes.

Lastly, Republicans are not for good education. They have twiddled their thumbs and neglected education while over 80% of school districts were forced to opt out and raise property taxes (Yes, Rounds and GOP have forced schools to raise almost everyone's taxes even though there is $1 billion in reserves). Still the lowest paid teachers in the nation.

Did anyone read the Sunday Argus? South Dakota has not complied with No child left behind - apparently many are left behind - incompetence in action. Republicans ignore all of these problems while they try to force abstinence-only education on every school district (so much for less government).

GOP, your entire party is built on a foundation of lies.
Anonymous said…
Anon 10:03--

I like the idea of Mike Schumacher for Mayor of Rapid City. I hope it's not just a rumor. Tom Johnson would make a lousy mayor and Shaw is so unpopular that Johnson would be able to beat him.
Anonymous said…
Has every one heard the saying --going to Hell in a hand basket?I have spent my whole 65 years in SD and until a few years ago I was very proud of that.We had a Legislature that met every other year--stayed out of peoples business and did not drag us into nationwide news to have shame heaped on us.The elected seem to think we who support this state are stupid and can not possibly know what we want or need.I have a flash for all of them.They are wrong.Last years election and the pile of referendums should have been a wake up call but they are back in session and back to the same lame issues.Healthcare paid for by the population in general is SOCIALISM--SOCIALISM does not work--nor will it ever work.Huge schools run by overpaid administrators turn out graduates who can't read --don't know anything about history --current events and for that matter ,can't count change back or sign their name let alone write cursive.
Think about these topics and I would like to hear your ideas.
One more thing--it is my intention to run for Mayor in Rapid City in 2007.

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