Sen. Johnson Critical; S.D. Governor now in spotlight

Word spread Thursday about Sen. Tim Johnson. As of 9:00 am CST, Johnson was in critical condition after having surgery for a
brain hemorrhage.

The fate of the world (or at least the U.S. Senate) would seem to rest in the hands of Republican South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds. If Johnson is unable to be a Senator, Rounds would appoint his replacement for the next two years. A Republican choice brings the Senate to a 50-50 split with Vice President Cheney giving the GOP the majority.

One can suspect Rounds would in fact pick a Republican to replace the Democrat. He did so with a state senate seat. Rounds is in his second term as governor. He's best known for signing sweeping restrictions on abortion. He handily won re-election last month. According to Wiki, Rounds was thought to be considering running against Johnson in 2008 (Talk about awkward.) but he has suggested he would not run.