Joel Dykstra has three more days to enjoy his role as perceived leader of the political pack.

Then, he'll either be a loser or an underdog. He's hoping for underdog.

Dykstra is the favorite to win the Republican U.S. Senate primary election in South Dakota on Tuesday, following a campaign of unfamiliar faces that has failed to capture much media attention. But even if he succeeds as expected against even-lesser-known Sam Kephart and almost-unheard-of Charles Lyonel Gonyo, Dykstra will wake up Wednesday in second place.

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson has barely begun to fight in his campaign for reelection. But regardless of his Republican opponent, he will start the general-election race with the lead, the name, the money and the powers of incumbency.

And while Dykstra argues that anything could still happen and that he isn't taking the primary for granted, he also speaks more about Johnson and the fight to come than his primary opponents and the June 3 vote.

"The day after the primary, I go from being the front-runner to being the distant challenger," Dykstra, 50, said Friday, as he campaigned in Rapid City. "I'm not taking this for anything more than it is: It's a step on the road to something else."

It's a more important step than that for Kephart, and one that might prove too tall for a candidate who managed to raise just $40,000. That amount is likely to be exceeded by several state legislative candidates this year.

If Kephart faces difficult odds in overtaking Dykstra in the primary, he might still be in a better position than Gonyo, a former veterinarian from Trent who rarely grants news interviews and campaigns almost entirely on an anti-immigrant platform.

Unlike Gonyo, Kephart has tried to define himself on a broad range of issues, most of which are consistent with Republican roots. He has a Web site that describes his philosophy and an oratory style that captures attention, if not necessary contributions, party endorsements and enough votes to win.

A California transplant and relative political newcomer in South Dakota, the 57-year-old self-employed advertising man from Spearfish argues that he is a candidate likely to bring "transformation" to the U.S. Senate.

And there's a difference, Kephart says, between that and the common call for "change" that Dykstra is offering - largely in preparation for a hoped-for race against Johnson.

As a party leader in the Legislature, Dykstra is part of a system, a dialogue and a way of thinking and acting that runs from the state level to the U.S. Congress, Kephart said.

"I believe Joel is in the race because it's the next logical step-stone in a chosen professional political career," Kephart said. "Joel is a state party leader. His first loyalty, de facto, is to Pierre. Mine is to the needs of the people. I'm loyal to the party. However, I'm not blindly loyal. I'm an idealist, not an ideologue."

Kephart said one of the many ways he would bring a transformational style to the Senate is through on online program that would allow citizens to ask questions about ongoing Senate debates and votes.

Kephart said he also would be committed to honest dialogue that didn't get personal or nasty, something once common in Congress but increasingly rare in this age of strident exchanges and party-based stalemates. Being an outsider is an advantage when it comes to really transforming the political dialogue and cooperating with other lawmakers to find solutions, Kephart said.

"There really is a difference between 'change" and 'transformation,'" Kephart said. "It's not a word game. It's physics. And no one has looked at the physics of politics."

Dykstra has looked at the financing of politics, where he is well behind Johnson but well ahead of Kephart. Dykstra has raised more than $250,000 through the primary period. That's relatively small campaign change compared to Johnson's campaign coffers of at $2.5 million.

Kephart said it's a sad statement about politics that campaigns so often live or die based on finances. But it is a reality that Dykstra, who was endorsed by 56 Republican state legislators, including the majority leaders in the House and Senate, said he is prepared to live with and compete in. Money is also a sign of support, which Dykstra said comes in part from his experience in the Legislature, where he served as assistant Republican leader.

"It's related to experience. And, frankly, money is how people express their support prior to making a vote," he said. "I think money, that's an indicator."

Dykstra thinks he has a realistic chance at raising $1 million to $2 million for a challenge of Johnson, should his primary expectations prove out. He refers to himself as the front-runner and favorite in the campaign and makes no apologies for focusing on Johnson and the general election.

"Generally, yes, I've been defining the differences between Johnson's record and my qualification," Dykstra said. "I don't spend much time talking about the others in the primary."

Dykstra brought his campaign to Rapid City on Friday, and he continued campaigning in the area Saturday, May 31, leading up to the Pennington County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Kephart will be at the dinner, too, and will be campaigning in Rapid City and Spearfish today. And as much as he dislikes the power of money in today's political campaigns, he'll also be wondering what he could have done with more of it.

How often does he think about that? "Every day," he said.

"I'm absolutely not jealous in any way, shape or form of the financial success Joel has had. I know how hard he had to work to get that money," Kephart said. "Having said that, I'm absolutely wistful - not jealous, but wistful - about what might have happened to my campaign with that quarter of a million dollars."

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