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across-the-board cuts, Nelson said, but he sees some "low hanging fruits" such as eliminating the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.
• "Education should be a local-control issue," he said. "This is something we need to get the federal government out of."
• Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University, said Nelson's fundraising hasn't been as strong as expected. He raised a little more than $31,000 during the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to more than $516,000 for Rounds.
• But the state lawmaker has the strongest tea party support among the five Republican candidates and he has a constituency, and there's a chance Nelson could cobble that together into a plurality, Schaff said.
• "He's also got a constituency that's extremely motivated, and on primary day, that matters," he said.
• Nelson has sometimes crossed swords with Republican legislative leaders during his four years in the Legislature. In 2011, Nelson and several other lawmakers accused GOP leaders of asking legislative staff to reveal confidential information about research and bill drafting done for other lawmakers, but an investigation found those charges were unfounded. Nelson and House Republican Leader David Lust of Rapid City called each other liars during a committee hearing in 2012.
• Nelson said he stands for principles, and he is willing to fight even when they differ from colleagues.
• "It takes one person taking a principled stand," he said.
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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Ranchers in the Dakotas whose herds were devastated by an early October blizzard can begin signing up for federal disaster aid next week.
• The federal Agriculture Department on Monday said farmers and ranchers can start signing up for disaster assistance programs authorized by the new federal farm bill on Tuesday, April 15. They include the Livestock Indemnity Program, which could cover as much as two-thirds of a rancher's loss.
• The snowstorm that hit Oct. 4-5 brought first rain and then heavy snow, killing more than 43,000 cattle and other livestock in South Dakota and more than 1,000 farm animals in southwestern North Dakota.
• The farm bill was signed into law on Feb. 7, and the Agriculture Department agreed to expedite the Livestock Indemnity Program after pressure from congres

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