PIERRE, S.D., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- South Dakota elections officials Tuesday certified incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson as the winner of last week's election for U.S. Senate.
Johnson beat Republican Rep. John Thune by 524 votes -- four fewer than appeared to be the case last week. Johnson received 167,481 votes to 166,957 for Thune. Libertarian candidate Kurt Evans received 3,070 votes.
Thune has three days to decide whether to seek a recount and a spokeswoman said he has not yet made a decision.
President Bush convinced Thune to abandon his gubernatorial aspirations and instead take on Johnson. The president made five trips to South Dakota on Thune's behalf during the campaign, two in just four days as the election approached. Thune will be succeeded in the House by Gov. Bill Janklow.
Johnson attributed much of his victory to South Dakota's Indian population. Some 4,000 Native Americans had been registered to vote since July and returns from the Pine Ridge reservation erased the 3,000-vote lead Thune held before votes were counted on the traditionally Republican western side of the state.
Johnson said he was heartened by the turnout among Native Americans.
"They made a huge difference, no question," Johnson told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
In return for their support, Indians are hoping Johnson, who has been active on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, will work for a new federal law recognizing tribal sovereignty.
"Between Congress, the Supreme Court and litigation brought by several states, we are getting litigated out of existence," said Steve Emery, director of the Sinte Gleska University Policy Institute.
Johnson said the issue is respect.
"They are asking that the government-to-government relationship that is supposed to exist between the tribes be honored and that the federal government not try to impose Washington solutions that are contrary to what the Native people themselves want," Johnson said.
Johnson said, however, he is unlikely to orchestrate passage of a measure that would return the Black Hills National Forest to the tribes even though Indians consider the area sacred. He said there just isn't much support for such a measure, and he and the tribes would be better off focusing on issues that are achievable.
