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economy.
• "I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish for our state in the last 18 months," Noem said in a written statement.
• Elizabeth Smith, an associate political science professor at the University of South Dakota, said Varilek likely will try to convince voters that Noem doesn't care about them and is out of step with South Dakota.
• "That's going to be the campaign," Smith said.
• Varilek benefited in his primary campaign from endorsements by Johnson and former Democratic U.S. Sens. George McGovern, Tom Daschle and James Abourezk. Those endorsements might not help as much in a general election campaign, but they are a reminder that Republican voters have often sent Democrats to Congress. Johnson, Daschle, McGovern and Abourezk all held a House seat before being elected to the Senate.
• He raised more than $300,000 in campaign funds by the May 16 reporting date, but Noem had raised nearly $1.8 million by then.
• The Democratic nominee declined to say exactly how much money he will need to mount an effective campaign against Noem, but said he's confident he will raise enough money to get his message out.
• Varilek said he has built the kind of campaign organization that previous Democratic candidates have used to win in a Republican state.
• "We worked hard to build an organization of staff and volunteers around South Dakota who could compete statewide," he said.
•

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A federal judge threw out a South Dakota prison inmate's claim he was permanently harmed when he was circumcised as an infant.
• Twenty-eight-year-old Dean Cochrun had sought $1,000 in damages from Sanford Health. He also demanded "restoration" surgery.
• U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier dismissed the case last week. She says the court doesn't have jurisdiction because both Cochrun and the hospital are in South Dakota.
• Cochrun's lawsuit says he was circumcised shortly after he was born in Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. The hospital is now known as Sanford Health.
• Cochrun says the circumcision left him feeling inadequate and unable to fully enjoy sexual intercourse.
• Sanford Health says circumcision wouldn't have been done without parental con

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