See this from the LA Times:
It's a long way from Pacific Palisades to Pierre, S.D., but one group of influential Southern Californians is taking a personal interest in South Dakota's politics.With D.C. Republicans recruiting former Rep. John Thune to take on Tom Daschle, the Senate Democratic leader from South Dakota, Democratic Party faithful in California are rallying to Daschle's side.
Thune ran two years ago against South Dakota's other Democratic senator and lost by a thin margin of 524 votes. This time, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has broken from a tradition of remaining neutral to campaign for Thune.
Thune's reemergence with the help of GOP leaders has put a scare into Democrats, who are frantic to maintain or improve Democratic numbers in the Senate.
To that end, a fundraising lunch for Daschle is scheduled Wednesday in Brentwood. The event, costing $500 to $2,000, is hosted by former Universal Studios Chief Executive Frank Biondi; Victoria Hopper, wife of actor Dennis Hopper; state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica); and Victoria Riskin, former president of the Writers Guild of America's Western Division, among others.
The invitation points out that groups have in the past run ads in South Dakota comparing Daschle "to Saddam Hussein for opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh, for raising questions about the president's policy leading up to the Iraq war."
Thune also has received donations from California, according to campaign manager Dick Wadhams, "although we don't have any fancy movie stars." Wadhams said he is not concerned about California's cash giving Daschle an advantage. "He has spent $8 million already and the difference in the polls is still within single digits," Wadhams said.
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