Whalen takes ‘leap of faith’ to make run for U.S. House

By Joe Kafka, Associated Press Writer | Saturday, November 04, 2006

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PIERRE — Bruce Whalen, Republican contender for South Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House, said he lived a less-than-exemplary life until he accepted Jesus Christ in March 1995.

A longtime friend had done so earlier, and Whalen noticed the profound change. He wasn’t interested in changing his life when he initially spoke to his friend about becoming a Christian, but it wasn’t long before he relented.

“I was a very bitter person before I accepted Christ,” Whalen said. “But my life was turned around. I started putting away the things that corrupted my future and started to improve my life.”

Whalen, 44, was born in Rushville, Neb.; his parents lived on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and he is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. When he was 14, his mother moved to Salt Lake City to take a new job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Whalen would not return to his roots until 1999.

In between, there were some troubled years.

Whalen was kicked out of high school in the 12th grade. He would later get a GED.

He married in 1984 but was divorced by 1988. The marriage produced a son, Kyle, now 20. Whalen has since remarried.

Whalen went through a series of jobs before his spiritual awakening. He decided then to become a minister and had enrolled in an Oregon seminary but was quickly told he should go to college if he wanted to become a full-fledged minister.

He returned to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and enrolled in Oglala Lakota College in 1999, when he also decided his political leanings were decidedly Republican — an anomaly in an area that is a Democratic stronghold. Whalen finished college two years ago at 42.

“I’m not a quitter. I took the long route,” he said. “I have a tendency to get distracted, but I’m not a quitter.”

Whalen has since held a series of jobs with the tribe, and he worked at a Christian ministry for six months. He had also been the Republican Party’s point man on the reservation for some time but clung to his desire to become a minister and return to the reservation to provide spiritual guidance in the heart of a destitute society long racked by hopelessness, alcohol and drug abuse and a people who are among the poorest in the nation.

Whalen, an underdog in the race to unseat a member of Congress, said state GOP chairman Randy Frederick asked him to run for the House. Whalen had called Republican headquarters last December to help with the House campaign and was told there was no candidate yet. He offered to take the challenge, and Frederick called Whalen in February to tell him he was going to be the GOP candidate.

When he returned to the reservation in early 1999, Whalen met his current wife, Carol. They met while attending church and were married in 2000. They have two children: Jeremiah, 5, and Elizabeth, 3.

“I proposed to her on Resurrection Day,” Whalen said. “That memory kind of chokes me up. She was crying, and I was crying.”

Whalen said his wife was not surprised when he told her of his intention to run against Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, who is seeking a second full term.

“We’re doing this on a leap of faith,” the GOP candidate said. “The door opened up for us. We feel like it’s the right thing to do. We prayed about it. We talked to our family about it. We feel like we can accomplish a lot of things, not only for South Dakota but also on the reservation.”

“I’m not out to make a name for myself,” he added. “I’ve already got one.”

Whalen favors increased tax relief, frugal government spending, a reduction in the reliance on federal assistance and efforts to create jobs and improve wages. He opposes abortion and often claims to be a champion of family values.

“When I say that I’m the candidate of family values, I know that I’m resonating with people across the state,” Whalen said, characterizing Herseth as “the pro-abortion candidate.”

“I’m living out these family values, and she hasn’t started a family yet. She can say she’s the daughter of someone or the granddaughter, but I have children, and I have a wife. As a husband and father, your psychology changes,” he said.

A 10-year veteran of the National Guard, Whalen also supports President Bush on the war in Iraq. America should continue its military role until democracy is firmly entrenched in that nation, he said.

Whalen says his faith and empathy for others are among his strengths. He quickly adds that he can lend a different perspective if sent to Washington on the strength of victory Nov. 7. He pledges not to stray from his beliefs and said he will be a good listener.

“I think what’s important to know about me is that I’ll cry with you,” Whalen said. “I’m a man who grew up in a society that said men aren’t supposed to cry. But I’m a man who’s willing to change. I want to be a reflection of Christ.”

On the http://www.brucewhalen.org