That was timely. Newquist, and Kneebone withdraw from race.

The anonymous commenter on my post below (where I pointed out that fellow blogger and state legislative candidate David Newquist was beating myself and SDP about the head and shoulders) wasn't just whistling dixie when they said that Newquist was out of the race.

A call to the Secretary of State's office confirmed it. As of today, both he and Ted Kneebone are out.

It would seem that his rant where he says "South Dakota Politics and South Dakota War College are symptoms of the degradation of American politics" coincided with him putting the letter of withdrawl in the mail.

What's left to be said on this, aside from the points I was making before? Nothing really. My position that he said some things that could be controversial in a political race stands. I just did a little opposition research and discovered several quotes that aren't going to do him any favors in a political race.

Coincidentally, an AP story I read today seemed to only uphold my opinion as correct:
Republican Rep. Anne Northup of Kentucky was caught in an uncomfortably close race a few campaigns back, until she plucked the fruits of months-old research that her campaign had compiled into her opponent's record.

The resulting commercial showed Eleanor Jordan in an unflattering moment, standing on the floor of the Kentucky Legislature urging fellow lawmakers to wrap up their work. "I have a fundraiser at 6 o'clock and I want to get out of here," Jordan said with an impatient glance at her wristwatch.

Jordan "lost her momentum after that," Northup recalled recently - neither the first nor the last candidate to benefit from a political subspecialty known as opposition research.

"Votes, quotes and anecdotes," Michael Gehrke, a veteran Democratic researcher, called his area of expertise. "At the end of the day, all you're really finding is nuggets."

To some, opposition research is a tedious but important part of politics. To others, it's a black art. By any description, the art of combing a politician's past for fact or flaw has taken on a wider role in recent years.

"Votes, quotes and anecdotes," And that's coming from one of the people on his side of the aisle that do the same thing I do. Except he'd probably congratulate them, while he says that I engage in "the politics of the lower order creatures clawing and pecking their way to a higher status within the dog pack or the chicken flock."

What's in store for David? Who knows? I thought he was engaging and fierce in his debates on the issues, so it's with some regret that I see he's backed out. Although, with Ted Kneebone withdrawing from the race, he could very well be setting himself up for a Senate run instead. It wouldn't be a shock.

In fact, it might even be expected, as Bob Mercer commented in his column this week that Democrats likely didn't see Kneebone as a winning candidate since they were trying to recruit Sutton* to run.

But with a history of quotes and anecdotes as long as David Newquist's are, somehow I don't know if he could be any stronger. Depending on what the next two weeks bring, we'll see if there are going to be two new challengers, or two more seats the GOP is guaranteed to pick up.



*Just as an aside, one of my readers with an inside track into the situation informed me that the Duane Sutton recruitment effort was initiated by the Dems, who were on the phone the next day trying to get him to run. They were quite insistent that Duane was NOT the one doing the approaching.

Given the respect I have for this source, I'll take him at his word, and hope you will too.

Comments

Anonymous said…
this is a loss for the Republicans since Newquist was such a nut---at first i gave him the courage of his convictions for getting in the race and putting his efforts where his mouth is....turns out he's just another angry liberal windbag who hates the world and knows the voters would reject him...given his obvious superiority to everyone, such a rejection is more than he could take...so he QUIT...good riddens
Anonymous said…
"good riddens"? Jeeze.
Anonymous said…
You might try to save some face for Sutton, but Republicans in District 3 know the Democrats in the District did not approach him. He would not have received the required votes from the precinct committees. Too many liabilities in their eyes.
PP said…
I'm not trying to save face for him, but the source was a pretty good one.
Anonymous said…
Senator Latterell...NOT! Dr. Newquists posts have nothing to do with his withdrawal and his withdrawal has nothing to do with his posts or PP for that matter. Apparently the Brown and McPherson County GOPPERS are completely in the dark.

What is going on is all being done by "intelligent design".
Anonymous said…
District 3 will have a full slate of democrat candidates and at least 2 of them will win. Keep watching that one.
Anonymous said…
Maybe Lattterrrellll should change his name to something simple like Novstrup so that District 3 GOPsters can run as the all-Novstrup team.

Ah, what does it matter? They're all going to lose anyway.
Anonymous said…
It is too bad that Newquist has withdrawn as District 3 voters could have had a clear choice between David Newquist's liberalism and Al Novstrup's conservatism.

Has Newquist indicated why he was unwilling to let the voters have a clear choice?
PP said…
Anon 6:06, when did I ever say I caused him to withdraw?

I just said his rant was written about the same time he sent it in.

And.... wait. Why am I explaining things to an anonymous boob?

You are deleted. So, nyeah.
PP said…
As written by anon 10:29 - "LOVE your definite problem with free speech, pp! Apparently, you are unable to take criticism when criticism is due"

Anon, I'm criticized all the time.

As far as free speech goes, this isn't "the free speech forum." It's my blog.

So paraphrasing the opening credits of the 1960's tv show "The Outer Limits" - I control the horizontal.. I control the vertical...

and... again, why am I taking time to explain things to someone who is writing anonymously?

So, you are once again deleted. Not beacuse of censorship. Simply because it amuses me.

And, double nyeah on you this time.
Anonymous said…
The reason Newquist dropped out of the race is that he will finish dead last and his ego can't take the sound thrashing that he will experience if he stays in the race.
Anonymous said…
You are a laughable joke. Keep on preening for your boys at SDP. We know they have contributed numerous 'anonymous' comments here. Funny. Like you.
PP said…
Maybe. But you're reading it aren't you? And taking advantage of the fact I allow anonymous comments.

Which just goes to prove the old adage - They can call me a son-of-a-bitch anytime as long as they spell my name right.
Anonymous said…
PP's funny? Funny how? Funny like a clown? He amuses you? He makes you laugh? He's here to f***in' amuse you?

Where's the baseball bat?
Anonymous said…
If everyone could only see the comments that you delete. You clearly are not equipped to take criticism.

Carry on.

Oh, and delete this, too.

Cheers!

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