Former Republican Sen. Larry Pressler, who’s now running for the South Dakota Senate seat as an independent, insisted on Sunday that he won’t necessarily caucus with the Democrats.
Even though some Democrats believe Pressler would side with them in the Senate, and despite Pressler’s comment last week about being a “friend of Obama,” the Independent won’t be boxed in.
“I want to end the poisonous disputes between Republicans and Democrats. I’ve not made a decision who to caucus with and I’m not into all this bets and polls,” Pressler said on MSNBC’s “Up With Steve Kornacki.” “I only have about a $100,000 in a campaign where each side has $10 million.”
When Kornacki pressed Pressler on who he would side with if he were elected, Pressler said that he has supported candidates from both parties.
“I’ve been a mixture of the two. I don’t vote a straight ticket. I’m an independent at heart, and as such I will talk to members of both parties,” he said.
As for his “friend of Obama” comment, Pressler said that he just wants to be able to work with Obama even though he doesn’t support all of the President’s policies.
“President Obama needs somebody there that he can talk to. That doesn’t mean I agree with him,” he said.
Pressler said he is “disappointed” in Obama, “but that’s doesn’t mean that I’m for impeaching him.”
“These things that I’ve said about being friends with Obama, that would be the fact that he’s going to be our president for two more years, and I want to work with him the way a United States Senator is supposed to,” he said.
Kornacki also asked Pressler about reports that the former Senator lives in Washington, D.C., not South Dakota. The candidate already explained that he maintains the residence in Washington, D.C. because his wife still works there. He added that he has farmland in South Dakota and has been teaching in New York and overseas.
“This is nothing new to the people of South Dakota. I’m very open about it,” he said.
Watch the full interview via MSNBC:
