'Indian fighter' runs for Congress

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002

Gov. Bill Janklow (R) of South Dakota takes pride knowing that American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier is still behind bars, having personally lobbied President Bill Clinton against executive clemency.

Were he elected to U.S. Congress, Janklow might work to ensure he stays there. But he insists in an interview with The Sioux Falls Argus Leader that his relationship with Indian Country hasn't changed since his early days as a legal services attorney on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation.

That could mean bad or good things, depending on who does the talking. While working there, he drew fire from both the White and Native communities.

That means he's just doing his job, Janklow told the paper. "If you've never done anything, there is not much to bracket," he said.

Janklow served as the state's attorney general during the tumultuous times on the Pine Ridge Reservation that led to the shooting of two FBI agents.

The incumbent is Rep. John Thune, a Republican (*). He is running for U.S. Senate in a challenge to Sen. Tim Johnson (D).

* Note: Thune is a Republican not a Democrat as was incorrectly stated.

Get the Story:
'I get frustrated when things don't get done' (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/29)

Relevant Links:
Bill Janklow, governor's site - http://www.state.sd.us/governor/index.htm