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you only have two or three people representing you."
• Abdnor survived a bruising Republican primary challenge while seeking re-election in 1986 by then-Gov. William Janklow, who called Abdnor a weak candidate and cited his lack of speaking skills. The senator embraced the criticism with humor, saying in a television ad: "So I'm not a great speaker. Heck, I'm not a great dancer either, but I'm a great fighter for South Dakota."
• But he was defeated in the general election by then-U.S. Rep. Tom Daschle, who went on to serve three terms in the

Senate before narrowly losing in 2004 to former Rep. John Thune, who considered Abdnor his mentor. Thune, an assistant to Abdnor during his Senate days, credited him for his own interest in politics.
• "Jim Abdnor was one of the most decent people to ever serve South Dakota in public life and was a great inspiration to me toward public service," Thune, now a second-term U.S. senator, said shortly before he was sworn into office in 2005.
• When Abdnor lost his Senate seat, Reagan appointed him head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, a post he held for two years.
• Then-Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole praised Abdnor shortly before he took on the job in 1987, saying: "It is Jim's commitment and understanding of small-town America, of small businesses, its special needs and concerns, that makes his nomination so right."
• Thune, who first met Abdnor when the politician chided him for only making five

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