Roll Call Examines Approval of South Dakota Abortion Ban's Effect on State Politics

Roll Call on Wednesday examined the approval of a bill last month that bans abortion in South Dakota except to save the life of the woman.

According to Roll Call, the bill has been the state's "biggest political earthquake in a quarter century," with abortion-rights supporters "apparently benefiting" from its impact more than abortion-rights opponents. The South Dakota Democratic Party, which before the ban "seemed nearly moribund in nonfederal races," has "leapt back to life, ... fielding" candidates in 90% of the state legislative races, Roll Call reports. In addition, two "credible Democratic candidates," Jack Billion and Dennis Wiese, are running against each other in a primary to challenge Gov. Mike Rounds (R) in the November elections, according to Roll Call.

However, "[n]o one is ready to consign the [state Republican Party] to minority status in South Dakota," with Rounds' approval rate still at about 60% and Republicans holding 51 of 70 state House seats and 25 of 35 state Senate seats, Roll Call reports.

Some political analysts say that Democrats could fill more than one-third of the seats in both chambers of the state Legislature after the election, giving them more power on appropriations and other bills requiring two-thirds majorities, and abortion-rights supporters from both parties "could coalesce into a de facto majority," according to Roll Call (Jacobson, Roll Call, 4/26).
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=36869