66 Year Old Democrat Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota to Announce Retirement, Will Not Seek Reelection in 2014

Another challenge for Democrats and Harry Reid to hold the majority in 2014 …

United States Democrat Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota does not plan to run for reelection in 2014 and is retiring. According to Roll Call, Johnson will announce his retirement plans on Tuesday.  The 66 year old Democratic chairman of the banking committee proves to leave a void for Democrats in the Senate and a possible loss for the Donkeys in the conservative leaning state. Tim Johnson was elected to the Senate in 1997 after representing South Dakota in the House of Representatives. In 2006, Johnson had a leave from the Senate when a blood vessel bursting in his brain. Many thought he would retire at that time. We wish him well.

Senator Tim Johnson, the Democratic chairman of the powerful banking committee, does not plan to run for re-election when his current term ends in 2014, two sources familiar with the matter and a Capitol Hill staffer said on Monday.

Johnson, 66, a three-term senator from South Dakota, has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday in his home state to discuss what his aides described as “his future plans.”

His retirement would leave a vacant seat in a conservative-leaning state that could be difficult for Democrats to defend as they try to protect their majority in the Senate.

Political analysts expect Johnson’s son, Brendan Johnson, who is South Dakota’s U.S. attorney, to emerge as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2014 election. The younger Johnson has not announced any formal plans to seek the Senate seat.

Democrats face an uphill battle to retain the Senate in 2014 as the following Democratic Senators have announced they will be retiring: Tom Harkin of Iowa, Levin of Michigan, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. Republicans Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Mike Johanns of Nebraska also have said they will not run for re-election; however, these are both pretty safe GOP states.

However, if the GOP wants to win back the Senate, they best get their act together and worry less about pandering to groups they have no chance of winning and worry about their base. Republicans need to figure out what they stand for and what has brought them victories in the past.