Father worried for his daughter's future in politics, but now she's in Congress

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin seeks to emulate her father's style

By Kevin Woster, Journal staff | Monday, June 16, 2008

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Lars Herseth had some reservations when his daughter, Stephanie, decided to follow the family tradition into politics for the 2002 U.S. House race in South Dakota.

He didn't even know at the time that she would be facing an especially formidable foe in former four-term South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow.

But as a near-miss Democratic candidate for governor in 1986, Herseth understood the personal and financial pain that a statewide political campaign could inflict. And he worried that it was too soon for that in her career.

"When you put your name on that ballot, it's kind of a different test out there. And you have to be ready for people to reject you, and sometimes you don't always know why," Lars Herseth said. "It takes a kind of emotional toll. It also takes a financial toll in many cases."

Herseth suffered both in losing to Republican George Mickelson. And he thought about that more than his many successful campaigns for the state Legislature, when he measured the odds for his daughter and worried.

"Stephanie was young, and she had so many kinds of doors open to her that would compensate her much better than politics," Herseth said. "You second guess, and figure maybe it would be better financially to postpone that move for 10 years then get involved."

But Stephanie Herseth Sandlin couldn't wait. And despite the looming presence of Janklow on the Republican side of the ticket, the young Democratic candidate was leading the race in some polls during the summer of 2002.

With the nation sliding toward a war in Iraq, however, voters turned to the more experienced hand in Janklow in November. And Herseth Sandlin learned the hard lesson of loss in her first big campaign.

It was less of a setback than you might think, for the daughter of an accomplished state legislator and the granddaughter of a governor and secretary of state.

Herseth Sandlin put her loss in the context of a political life and remembered her dad's defeat in 1986, a campaign she worked in vigorously in as a teenager.

"I certainly learned a lot from that race," she said. "You can watch your parents put in everything they had, their whole heart and soul and their financial resources, and come up a little bit short," she said. "But my dad did it for the right reasons, had a lot of good ideas for the state, many of which would later be implemented."

Like her father, who after his 1986 defeat returned to the farm near Houghton and also continued a successful career in the state Legislature, Herseth didn't quit after a big loss. She ran again for the House seat Janklow vacated after a vehicular manslaughter conviction, winning the special election in June of 2004 and full terms that fall and again in 2006.

And she has since tried to fashion a lawmaking style similar to her father's, seeking congressional compromise and respectful dialogue as much as possible.

"Since I've been in Congress, certainly I've tried to emulate much of what I saw in terms of my dad's legislative successes and the manner in which he was respected on both sides of the aisle," Herseth Sandlin said. "It wasn't just at work, but in the friendships he developed on both sides of the aisle, and the respect."

Herseth Sandlin continues to consult with her father on issue of policy, particularly those involving agriculture and alternative energy development, calling him an important adviser.

Herseth acknowledges that role but also say he never consciously tried to shape the politician she would become.

"I think that's just part of what she acquired in being around, at the dinner table and talking with individuals," Herseth said. "I don't remember ever saying things specifically. I think it was just more osmosis."

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Father worried for his daughter's future in politics, but now she's in Congress