We're lucky that SDP is following all of Thune's stops on the national media circuit. I haven't done the best job on that front because I'm working on the final Why Thune Won article. Speaking of Why Thune Won, here's what he said on The News Hour last night:
GWEN IFILL: You ran for the other Senate seat against another Democrat two years ago, yet you lost by 542--524 votes, very narrow. What was different this time?
SEN.-ELECT JOHN THUNE: You know, I think this time around, obviously there was a presidential race which I think helped with turnout. We did a much better job of getting the vote out this time than we did two years ago. And I think in this race there was real definition on the issues, a lot of contrast, two years ago maybe not so much so.
And I think that between Sen. Daschle and myself, we had a lot of difference on the issues and I've always maintained that elections are about differences. And I think this year in South Dakota we gave people a very clear choice. And I also think that for better or worse, by virtue of his position as a national Democrat Party leader, Sen. Daschle had to block things on the agenda that people in South Dakota were very supportive of.
So I think the whole issue of obstructionism was a key central theme throughout the course of our campaign, and I think in a lot of races around the country, that was also a theme that a lot of Senate candidates sounded.
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