Bad Lands

“IT’S hard to explain, and I don’t think there’s an easy answer,” says Rep. John Thune, Republican from South Dakota. It’s late on a recent Friday afternoon, and Thune is discussing his state’s politics as he begins the long drive from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, where he’ll take part in a forum on energy prices the next day. Heading across the prairie, he’s found a spot near the town of Wall—population 818, not counting tourists—where he can make a scratchy, fading cell-phone connection to Washington.

The question for which Thune has no easy answer is this: In the nation’s capital, party loyalty is a fairly simple thing. Republicans support President Bush and Democrats support Tom Daschle, Thune’s fellow South Dakotan, who is now Senate majority leader. While some are more loyal than others, nobody in Washington enthusiastically supports Bush and Daschle. And yet a majority of people in South Dakota do precisely that—60 percent voted for Bush and, two years earlier, 62 percent voted for Daschle. How can that be?

About the Author

Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

Featured Tags

Presidential Election

“IT’S hard to explain, and I don’t think there’s an easy answer,” says Rep. John Thune, Republican from South Dakota. It’s late on a recent Friday afternoon, and Thune is discussing his state’s politics as he begins the long drive from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, where he’ll take part in a forum on energy prices the next day. Heading across the prairie, he’s found a spot near the town of Wall—population 818, not counting tourists—where he can make a scratchy, fading cell-phone connection to Washington.

The question for which Thune has no easy answer is this: In the nation’s capital, party loyalty is a fairly simple thing. Republicans support President Bush and Democrats support Tom Daschle, Thune’s fellow South Dakotan, who is now Senate majority leader. While some are more loyal than others, nobody in Washington enthusiastically supports Bush and Daschle. And yet a majority of people in South Dakota do precisely that—60 percent voted for Bush and, two years earlier, 62 percent voted for Daschle. How can that be?