Monday, December 30, 2013

South Dakota's Larry Pressler Running for Senate Again, as Independent



South Dakota's Larry Pressler Running for Senate Again, as Independent
Sunday, 29 Dec 2013 01:36 PM
By Greg Richter
Longtime Republican Sen. Larry Pressler is throwing his hat into the ring for his old job – this time as an independent.

Pressler, 71, served three terms in the U.S. Senate from South Dakota from 1979 to 1997, when he was defeated by Democrat Tim Johnson, who is not seeking re-election in 2014.

Republicans aiming to take control of the Senate in the midterms have a large field of candidates vying for Johnson's seat, while Democrats so far have only Rick Weiland seeking the post. Pressler's candidacy throws uncertainly in a race that had been seen as one of the GOP's best hopes, The Washington Post notes.

Pressler said he wants to offer an alternative to people fed up with both parties, The Argus-Leader of Sioux Falls reports.

"I want to ... end the poisonous bipartisan deadlock in Washington," Pressler said.

The moderate Pressler endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008 and in 2012, but said he doesn't feel that will hurt him in November.

South Dakota voted against Obama in large numbers.

He says he is a "deficit hawk," who wants to cut military spending as part of a plan to balance the federal budget.

Others weren't as convinced of Pressler's chances as the he is.

"It’s hard for me to believe that people are going to take Larry Pressler seriously as a contender for the United States Senate," Stu Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, told The Argus Leader. "There will be some people who like the idea that he’s not a Republican or Democrat, and are so outraged with Washington that they say we need an independent. But it’s not as easy as that."

Larry Pressler
Larry Pressler was a U.S. Senate senator, and is a member of the Cosmos Club.

Note: Julia Chang Bloch is a member of the Cosmos Club, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Robert E. Hunter is a member of the Cosmos Club, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
William A. Nitze is a member of the Cosmos Club, and was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Thomas R. Pickering is a member of the Cosmos Club, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Peter J. Tanous is a member of the Cosmos Club, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Robert S. McNamara was a member of the Cosmos Club, and an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), the Human Rights Watch, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank).
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and was a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank), Common Cause, the Children's Defense Fund, the Aspen Institute (think tank), the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Urban Institute (think tank), and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Michael E. Gellert is a director at the Human Rights Watch, and a member of the Cosmos Club.
J. Stapleton Roy is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
James A. Leach was a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank), the chairman for Common Cause, and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
Patricia S. Schroeder is a governing board member for Common Cause, and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Maya Angelou was a director at the Children's Defense Fund, and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
Charles M. Firestone is an executive director, Communications and Society Program for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Elliot F. Gerson is the EVP for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Ann McLaughlin Korologos was the chair emeritus for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
William A. Nitze is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Thomas R. Pickering was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
Robert S. McNamara was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Marvin Kalb is a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Donald F. McHenry is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Thomas R. Pickering is a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
William Gorham is a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Ann McLaughlin Korologos was a trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Cosmos Club.
Robert S. McNamara was a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and a member of the Cosmos Club.
Roger W. Wilkins is a director emeritus at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and a member of the Cosmos Club.

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