In South Dakota: Another Sarah Palin?
A New Republican Star Takes on a Tough Democratic Incumbent
Government Spending, Fast Driving Become Issues
Herseth-Sandlin said she does not regret standing by Speaker Pelosi in voting for the economic stimulus.
"Now look, it was hard vote," Herseth-Sandlin told ABC News. "No one wanted to go into a new Congress with a new President and have to pass an emergency measure to stabilize an economy that was out of control and hemorrhaging hundreds of thousands of jobs."
Herseth-Sandlin may have a hard time explaining that kind of spending to a state with only 4.4% unemployment. The only state with a lower rate of unemployment is neighboring North Dakota, holding steady at 3.6%.
2010 Election Maps: Follow the Senate, House and Governors' Races
Recently, controversy in the race has centered not on the economy, but Noem's driving record, which became an issue when KELO-TV reported that she has had 20 speeding tickets and other traffic violations in the past two decades, and two warrants were issued for her arrest for failures to appear in court. Noem's most recent speeding ticket was in January when she was clocked going 94 mph on Interstate 90.
While Noem says she is "not proud" of her driving record, Herseth-Sandlin has drilled down on the issue, calling it a "question of judgment."
"I think that it indicates that she doesn't deem it necessary to abide by the limits that everyone else tries to abide by," Herseth-Sandlin told ABC News. "If you can't responsibly take care of your own business, I think it calls into question the level of responsibility you take in other matters."
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