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South Dakota: Club for Growth ‘Not Focused’ on Rounds

The conservative Club for Growth is taking a hands-off approach to former Gov. Michael Rounds’ Senate bid — at least for now.

“We are not focused on South Dakota’s Senate race at this time, and we do not feel the need to comment on every candidate that announces for office,” said Barney Keller, a spokesman for the group, in response to an email inquiry from Roll Call. “We will continue to watch every race and go through our normal evaluation process.”

That’s good news for Rounds, a Republican who announced his bid against Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., Thursday morning. Roll Call rates this race as a Tossup.

On Monday, the club didn’t waste time critiquing another GOP Senate candidate, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito. Just hours after the West Virginia Republican announced her bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the group blasted her “long record of support of bailouts, pork and bigger government.”

Democrats have suggested that Rounds might be vulnerable to a primary challenge. So far, no viable candidates have expressed interested, but there’s plenty of time before the primary in the spring of 2014.

But with the club laying low in this race, Rounds could have the field to himself.

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