Chris Nelson's Awesome Maps Show How He Lost

...or, "I shaved my mustache for this?!?"

Give Secretary of State Chris Nelson credit for continuing to offer great election stats and maps online. Here's a map of how South Dakota's counties broke in the GOP Congressional primary:

The Secretary's map is better, because it's interactive: hover your mouse over a county, and up pop the percentages for each candidate! Zowie!

Nelson won some of the wide open spaces. He got his coworkers in Pierre to vote for him, and Dan Lederman brought him the Dakota Dunes vote down in the southeast corner. But Nelson ceded the northeast to home-girl Kristi Noem. He also failed to win the majority of single-digit (license plates!) counties. Noem won the nine largest counties in the state, representing 60% of the state's population.

Noem also managed to beat Nelson back in his family homestead turf of Mellete County. Oof. Stupid me! I had a brain fart, was thinking White River instead of White Lake. Ms. Shaw below reminds me that Nelson did indeed win his old home in Aurora County amidst that swath of central SD Nelson country.

Today's big lesson: even Chris Nelson can't coast on reputation. Campaign conservatively, and you will lose. Always play to win!