Are Dem Party Leaders blowing off South Dakota U.S. Senate candidate?

[think]

The race for retiring Senator Tim Johnson's seat in South Dakota could be very interesting. But the current Democratic candidate is getting the cold shoulder from Harry Reid and others in the Democratic establishment.

Perhaps it is because Rick Weiland is promoting a progressive or populist campaign as his campaign manager calls it and party leaders don't think he can win in South Dakota on those issues. Weiland wants to push for single payer and is against the Keystone pipeline.

Making the race more interesting is that former Republican Senator, Larry Pressler is running as an independent and has not said who he would caucus with if he won. Pressler has stated that he is against the money in politics and he would only run one term so he could focus on issues and not fundraising.

The former Republican running as an independent will likely end up splitting some of the Republican vote but apparently the Democratic establishment don't think this will matter according to The Hill.

Here is The Hill article:

Why is Rick Weiland getting cold shoulder?

March 25, 2014, 07:54 pm - By Alexandra Jaffe

Rick Weiland will be the Democratic Senate nominee in South Dakota, but party leaders are less than thrilled about it.

Stuck with a candidate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has publicly trashed and a race the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee routinely leaves off its competitive list, the seat of retiring Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). now looks like a lost cause for Democrats who face an increasingly difficult map to hold onto the Senate.

Filing for the June primary closed on Tuesday, and Weiland will be the only Democrat running. He’ll likely face off against the winner of a crowded GOP race — expected to be former Gov. Mike Rounds (R) — and former GOP Sen. Larry Pressler, who’s running as an independent.

Even though the DSCC is expected to endorse Weiland, he’s faced open hostility from his own party. The underdog became the subject of a rare public feud between Reid and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), for whom Weiland worked and who’s backing him in the race.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/201746-dc-dems-give-cold-shoulder-to-south-dakotas-rick-weiland#ixzz2xJAp6B1u
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To learn more about Democratic US Senate candidate, Rick Weiland, here is his website:

http://rickweiland.com/

[Scuba]

1. Seems our candidate there is too progressive for the Third Way's tastes.

[think]

2. It does feel like that doesn't it.

One might also wonder if the experts are underestimating the popularity of former Senator Larry Pressler and the impact he could have on the election.

With the Dem party at this point not showing great support for Weiland, I can only hope that Weiland can manage on his own. Or that Pressler can beat the Republican, Mike Rounds and then caucus with the Dems.

[djean111]

3. So - support and help elect Dems - unless they are progressive.

Guess the Third Way/DNC is not DU material, eh?

[JNelson6563]

4. In some ways, he's better off.

While the funding would be nice I don't think a top down outfit like the DSCC (or the DCCC) has any clue how to run a race in a widespread rural area. The DCCC took over our 1st district race in '12 and they sucked. Totally top down, hired kids who knew nothing (and would demand nothing), ignored offers from lots of people, wanted only phone-banking.

These guys lost countless opportunities that would have been helpful to our lackluster candidate, it was frustrating. I could have put together a better campaign.

Julie

[Eleanors38]

5. DNC's main goal: Do not question corporate power.

[octoberlib]

6. I like this guy.

And there will not be a lot of corporate cash flowing to Weiland, who says his first act as a senator will be to propose a constitutional amendment declaring “that the votes of all, rather than the wealth of a few, shall direct the course of the Republic, Congress shall have the power to limit the raising and spending of money with respect to federal elections.”
But Weiland, a veteran congressional aide and advocate who formerly headed the South Dakota branch of the American Association of Retired People, has mounted a high-energy campaign that has already seen the candidate visit more than 300 of the state's 311 towns with an old-school populist message. “I was born here. I grew up on this land. It was ours because our democracy kept it that way," he says. "Today our democracy is being bought by big money and turned against us. To feed their profits we lose our jobs, our homes and our farms, our kids’ education, even our health, and the Congress they have bought looks the other way, or worse."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/28/1288156/-Open-thread-for-night-owls-Elizabeth-Warren-gives-populist-politics-a-boost