RCJ Endorses Knudson: What Bodes November?

The conventional wisdom is that the well-oiled, well-moneyed Dennis Daugaard machine has the GOP primary election in the bag. The Rapid City Journal says nuts to conventional wisdom and endorses Dave Knudson for Republican candidate for governor:

We need to curb the growth of South Dakota's government. We need to become more aggressive in addressing our budget shortfall with real cuts.

We need to reconsider the current funding formula for education but also hold school districts more accountable.

We need to work to eliminate no-bid contracts, putting an end to the secrecy. We need an advocate for open, transparent government of the people for the people.

We need someone who wants more for South Dakota, not just more of the same [Journal editorial board, "Dave Knudson Earns Journal's Endorsement," Rapid City Journal, 2010.06.02].

Now suppose the conventional wisdom holds and Daugaard wins on Tuesday. Whither the Rapid City paper's endorsement? The editors' language sounds an awful lot like the campaign lines coming from "Independent Democrat" Scott Heidepriem. If Knudson loses, the RCJ could easily rerun the above text and simply replace Knudson with Heidepriem.

Of course, Knudson backers might not want to mention that similarity to Tuesday's Republican primary voters....