ROLL CALL: Who’s Afraid of John Thune? So far, everybody.

South Dakota Democrats are still looking for a candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. John Thune, and don’t seem to be having an easy time recruiting one in the strongly conservative state.

Thune famously beat former Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle in 2004, and in 2010, Thune ran without a Democratic opponent. At the time of his first reelection campaign, the former South Dakota Senate Minority Leader and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem told a local paper “we just concluded that John Thune is an extremely popular Senator who is going to win another term in the Senate.”

South Dakota Democrats aren’t ceding the race this time, said Michael Ewald, communication director for the party. But he also said he could not give names of potential candidates at the moment: “There are multiple people.”

Ann Tornberg, chairwoman of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said having a Senate candidate could have an important effect down the ticket. “In a presidential year, it’s important to have candidates up and down,” Tornberg said. “We would put up a candidate whether or not we see him [Thune] as vulnerable.”

South Dakota currently has an all-Republican congressional delegation, two senators and one representative. But Zach Nistler, who is campaign manager for South Dakota State House Rep. Paula Hawks’ Congressional campaign, said he’s optimistic his party will find a candidate.

Well, okay then.