For the past 29 years, Tim Johnson has served South Dakotans to the best of his ability, achieving more for the state than those who first elected him to the state House of Representatives in 1979 would have ever imagined.
And we believe the incumbent senator will continue to push above and beyond the expectations of the citizens of South Dakota, despite many people’s concerns about his health.
Since August, we have had the opportunity to meet with the senator twice, and each meeting resulted in candid, informative and intelligent conversation about the senator himself and issues facing South Dakotans and Americans. He may not talk as well as he used to, and he may become tired faster than before. But he has not given up, and in our opinion, he never will.During our conversations with Johnson, he brought up some interesting points.
He said this has actually been his most successful year in the U.S. Senate since his first election to the chamber. This year he sent home more money for South Dakota projects than ever before, and his positions on the Appropriations Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee have put him in one of the most powerful and valuable situations for South Dakotans.
Johnson also told us that South Dakota needs a senior senator at the national level, as well as a Republican and a Democrat.
And we agree.
Having two freshmen Republican senators in an election year that is likely to be won by the Democratic Party wouldn’t be best for South Dakotans.
And in reference to one of the seemingly biggest issues among voters, Johnson talked about his decision not to debate during this campaign, saying in Washington most of the work is done in committees and there isn’t much need for debate.
Johnson also has a proven track record of voting in alignment with South Dakotans’ wants. Even though he originally endorsed Barack Obama before the presidential primary this year, he cast his super delegate votes for Hillary Clinton because she had won the state.
Most importantly, Johnson’s values and priorities are in line with South Dakotans’. He supports legislation that helps agriculture, veterans, American Indians, economic development, education, the environment, health care and senior citizens, as well as other worthwhile South Dakota causes.
We believe he is the right person for the job.
The Capital Journal editorial board is made up of
• Steve Baker
• Rebecca Cruse
• Bob Miller
• Brenda Forman
• Scott Isburg
• Deb Mortenson
Recent News Articles
- October 31, 2008 | from Aberdeen American News Tim Johnson Right Choice for U.S. Senate The American News endorses Tim Johnson for South Dakota's U.S. Senate seat in Tuesday's election.
- October 29, 2008 | from Mitchell Daily Republic Endorsement: Congressional Incumbents Deserve Re-election U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin are farm-state lawmakers. They’ve proven it during their terms in office, and because of their work in the past for farmers and this state’s agrarian concerns, we feel they both deserve election on Tuesday.
- October 24, 2008 | from Pierre Capital Journal Johnson the Right Choice for South Dakotans For the past 29 years, Tim Johnson has served South Dakotans to the best of his ability, achieving more for the state than those who first elected him to the state House of Representatives in 1979 would have ever imagined. And we believe the incumbent senator will continue to push above and beyond the expectations of the citizens of South Dakota, despite many people's concerns about his health.
- September 11, 2008 | from Black Hills Pioneer Sen. Tim Johnson celebrates second year back at work by trumpeting achievements In the midst of his promising re-election bid, South Dakota's senior senator celebrated his second year back on the job after a life-threatening brain injury with a party and a 151-page report on his work. A bit more than a year ago, Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., returned to the U.S. Senate after nine months recovering from an AVM, arteriovenous malformation. The bipartisan fanfare that greeted Johnson seemed as much a reflection of the Senate's well known collegial tradition as of Johnson's recovery from his initial grave condition.
- September 05, 2008 | from Pierre Capital Journal Meeting With Senator Johnson Provides Answers About Condition In the past few weeks, it seems that every newspaper, Web logger and voter in general has formed an opinion about Sen. Tim Johnson's decision not to debate this election year.
