KELOLAND News Poll: Janklow (R) Pulls Ahead [SD-AL]

There's a new leader in the U.S. House race. After trailing earlier this fall, our latest KELOLAND News Election poll shows Republican Governor Bill Janklow ahead of Democrat Stephanie Herseth.

Last week we asked 600 registered voters if the election were held right then, would they vote for Bill Janklow or Stephanie Herseth? Their answers were different from what we've heard so far.

Forty-seven percent of the registered voters we polled said they'd vote for Janklow. 42 percent would cast a ballot for Herseth and eight percent haven't made up their minds yet.

Jim Hagen, Janklow Campaign Spokesman, says, "We're very excited about the poll results. I think it's a reflection of how hard the governor has been working in the last couple months."

Stephanie Herseth says, "One would always like to be a little up instead of a little down in the polls but we've seen so many numbers and so many polls and what counts is neither of us has reached 50 yet."

In August and early October Janklow's support was at 41 percent. But when we asked voters last week, he climbed six points. Herseth showed a steady gain early in the fall, but dropped three percent in the last couple weeks.

Jim Meader, KELOLAND Political Analyst, says, "I wouldn't put too much into the fact that maybe she's peaked. I guess I'd turn it around and say Bill Janklow as we've gotten closer to the election has become more of a candidate."

Meader says Janklow's focused on his experience, and started to take the race more seriously than he did early on. Both candidates say in the final days, their strategy is the same.

Hagen says, "We're going to keep working until the very last minute and then it's up to the voters of South Dakota."

"We know we've really got to continue to make a big push here and squeak it out," says Herseth.

Herseth does quite well with younger voters, while Janklow is stronger with older ones. Because older people tend to vote more, that gives him an advantage. But Meader says if Herseth can get voters 35 years old and younger to the polls, it could be even closer.

This is a report from one of my friends who lives in South Dakota.

"Bush in Aberdeen, South Dakota, what the News won't tell you." His trip was a disaster.
One woman in the hospital. Many citizens mad.
It started out with the ticket give away. Many people lined up the night before to get their free ticket to see President Bush at the local collage in Aberdeen South Dakota. The local college Barrnet Center was to give out 1300 tickets but I have heard as many as 3000 tickets were given out or more. Many people drove in from other areas hoping to get a ticket and sat out side in the 18 degree weather all night in line. Some people got rooms at the local motels only to be kicked out by the Secret sService. I thought this was a free country not a Dictatorship.

The Secret Service came in and decided they wanted a 40 room squared block at the Ramkota hotel. They took all the luggage of those who already paid for their rooms and left their belongings in the hall. No one asked the people to leave. They just took over the rooms. So when the people came back to their rooms they found their luggage in the halls. Hope there wasn't any thing of value. I guess the Secret Service forgot to make reservations.

The day of the Presidents visit, the people who got tickets started to line up to get in to the Barrnet Center at about 5:00 am.
The secret service only started their security checks about 45 minutes before the President arrived to let the people in.
This was around 9:00 am. It was supposed to open at 7:00 am. I guess they didn't want to leave their warm hotel rooms anytime early.
One woman who was in line had to go to the hospital because of frostbite after waiting so long.
Just before the President arrived the Secret Service now realized not all the people would be able to go through the security check in time so they closed and locked the doors. Some of the people were trapped inside the building in a hall with no exit and now very cold and very mad at the wait. I heard a fight broke out with a large number of these people and possible Secret Service.

There were many protesters. Mostly local farmers demanding farm aid that was promised but they were moved behind the building out of view of news cameras and the President. Then there was the fact that those who did get in was the local businesses. We here call them the "Big 5". This is 5 families that basically run the town of about 25,000 people. It is well know they keep the wages down here. It is easy when they own most of the town.

Many of the schools had planned on getting in. Groton's school class on government had tickets. They had a good 1 1/2 hour drive to get here never got in. They now have a taste of how a government is being run here in the U.S. Other schools were turned way that had tickets to see the President too. But the friends and associates of the "Big 5" all got in. I wonder if any of them had rooms in the hotel and when they returned found their luggage in the hall?

I have no reason to doubt my friend. This is not what I wanted to read about our President and the Secret Service.

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