Sen. Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) and Republican John Thune are trying hard to capture the critical Native vote in South Dakota.

American Indians and Alaska Natives make up about 8.3 percent of the state population. They have the power to sway elections, as the 2002 U.S. Senate and this year's special U.S. House election showed.

Daschle hopes to get as much as 95 percent of the Native vote, The Hill reports. He is called a master campaigner who has won endorsements from all of the state's tribes.

Thune did poorly among Native voters in the 2002 race against Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota). Reservation residents chose Johnson by wide margins, pushing him over the top by just 524 votes.

Thune has been actively campaigning on reservations this time around. He recently attended the Black Hills Pow Wow, where the state GOP held a meal for attendees.

Get the Story:
Native American votes critical in S.D. contest (The Hill 10/13)

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