By Denise Ross

GOP US Senate candidate Joel Dykstra boldly proclaimed his optimism in his underdog campaign as he started the final stretch in his 16-month-long campaign against incumbent Dem. Tim Johnson.

(Photos by David Larson)

We have every reason to believe we can win, Dykstra told the crowd.  

Dykstra launched his series of town hall meetings Thursday night in Rapid City, on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He was answering a question about Johnson’s campaign contributions from the now infamous mortgage-mucking twins, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Johnson, he said, is relying on his multi-million campaign war-chest to mount his 2008 campaign - including a lot of TV ads. But, Dykstra said, he is relying on South Dakota’s tradition of retail politics. (Johnson has refused to debate Dykstra, citing his continued speech trouble since suffering a brain hemorrhage in December 2006.)

There will be between 380,000 and 400,000 South Dakota votes cast in November.

If you start early enough, you can meet a lot of those people. You don’t have to spend a lot. You don’t have to compensate for the fact that you’re not out here talking to average South Dakotans.

Dykstra must have enthused more than a few voters, as campaign workers had to set up extra chairs before the event could get underway.

A 2-dimensional Joel, at left, greeted people as they arrived.

Stay tuned to Hoghouse Blog for more of what Dykstra said and who attended his town hall meeting. For more coverage, see also Kevin Woster’s story in the Rapid City Journal, Badlands Blue blog and several entries at Dakota Voice blog (see the archives list in the left-hand column.)

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