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• THE CONGRESSIONAL RACE HAS NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
• The congressional race between Republican Rep. Kristi Noem and Democratic challenger Matt Varilek will determine how South Dakota's lone member of the U.S. House speaks and votes on taxes, spending, budget cuts and health care in the next two years. In a closely divided Congress, that could play a role in what happens to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, what changes are made to Medicare and what provisions are included in the next farm bill.
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• THE LEGISLATURE WILL LOOK DIFFERENT
• The makeup of the next Legislature will help determine state policy on budgets, education, economic development and other issues. But no matter which party prevails in the fight for House seats, it's likely a new face will be in at least one in every five chairs. Legislative turnover has been between 20 percent and 25 percent in recent elections.
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• THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SKIPPED SOUTH DAKOTA FOR A REASON
• Republican presidential candidates nearly always carry South Dakota. No Democratic presidential candidate has won the state since 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson defeated Republican challenger Barry Goldwater.
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Democratic US House candidate pulls TV ads in SD
CHET BROKAW,Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Hoping to sway voters fed up with negative campaigning, Democrat Matt Varilek has pulled television ads blasting Republican Rep. Kristi Noem in the final days of their contentious race for South Dakota's lone U.S. House seat.
• "I think people appreciate the fact I've decided on my own to run only positive TV ads to the end of the campaign," Varilek said Monday.
• Varilek slammed Noem during their final debate on Friday for running attack ads, including one that depicts him as a monster beheading people. The 37-year-old former congressional staffer pulled his own negative television ads Saturday and urged Noem to do the same, but she continued to run ads accusing Varilek of supporting Democratic President Barack Obama, the president's health care overhaul and plans to increase taxes.
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