Tim Johnson is going against the conventional wisdom of some Democratic party stalwarts, including former Sen. George McGovern, who are urging Hillary Clinton to drop out of the presidential race.
Johnson on Wednesday told reporters that, although he supports her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, he thinks Clinton should stay in the race through the last of the primaries, including South Dakota’s June 3 primary.
Johnson is thinking of his home state and voters here.
“I think that South Dakotans deserve a right to vote for whoever they want,” Johnson said Wednesday.
But he also said that whoever is losing after June 3 should withdraw.
But, at least according to the national pundits and most party leaders, there is no question that Clinton will still be losing—or at least behind in the delegate count, popular vote, and number of states won—come June 4.
It’s sort of like asking a middle reliever who is getting hammered in a baseball game to stay in there to “take one for the team.”
Of course, Clinton has shown few signs of quitting until now and is planning to campaign in Sioux Falls on Thursday.
If she drops out, South Dakota’s primary will be a lot less interesting.
Maybe that’s why early voting has been slow so far around the state. Secretary of State Chris Nelson said early voting might pick up if Clinton stays in the race.