Sen. Tim Johnson says no to debates

By Dennis Gale, The Associated Press | Saturday, August 09, 2008

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SIOUX FALLS -- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson says he won't take part in "traditional political debates" during his 2008 re-election campaign.

Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage in December 2006 and went through extensive rehabilitation, slowly learning to walk and speak again. The 61-year-old Johnson, whose speech is slurred, is still undergoing speech rehab.

"I have been open and honest about my recovery," he said in a news release. "While my speech continues to improve, it is not yet 100 percent and I have not yet reached a point in my rehab where my participation in a debate would accurately reflect my capabilities. Therefore I will not participate in traditional political debates during this campaign."

He faces Republican state Rep. Joel Dykstra of Canton in the fall election.

Dykstra said his own campaign is focusing on his capabilities and the issues he believes are important to South Dakotans.

"I think it's disappointing that the South Dakota voters will be deprived of the opportunity to see the candidates in action, to weigh their relative plusses and minuses and to make their own decisions about who's capable to serve them," he said in an interview.

Bob Burns, retired head of the South Dakota State University Political Science Department, said Johnson's campaign strategists must have believed this was the best move for their candidate.

"He does not want to put himself in a position where voters might begin to question his ability to be a strong lawmaker, and the fewer public appearances he has with extended speech requirements, probably the better it is for the campaign," Burns said.

"On the other hand, it is going to cause some citizens to be concerned about whether he can be effective as a persuader in the United States Senate. So it could have a mixed result."

The first debate of the season had been proposed for Aug. 20 at a farm show near Mitchell.