Sen. Tim Johnson, whose cerebral hemorrhage in late 2006 put him out of action in the Senate for a year, is now on the air for his re-election campaign. The ad features Johnson and his wife Barb talking about why he's running again:

"Besides, I wanted him out of the house," Barb Johnson says. To which Tim replies, "And I paid for this?"

Johnson is heavily favored to win re-election over the Republican nominee, state Rep. Joel Dykstra.

It's official: Despite emergency brain surgery earlier this year, Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) will run for reelection.

“After months of rehabilitation and recovery, more than a month on the job in Washington and after my recent trips back to South Dakota it is clear, to my family, my doctors, and me that I am able to do the hard work required of a United States Senator,” Johnson said in a statement released today. “Today I am asking South Dakotans to give me the chance to give back to them by announcing that I will run for re-election in 2008.”

With Johnson facing no top-tier GOP opponent, that's one less thing for Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer to worry about.

Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who has been out of the Senate since his near-fatal brain hemorrhage this past December, returned to his office for the first time, to much press coverage:

More photos of his Capitol Hill "homecoming" are available here.

Johnson also did a brief press conference at his office, flanked by Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) and Senator John Thune (R-SD). When asked what the next big milestone would be in his recovery, he answered, "An inch at a time."

Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who has been out of action in the Senate since his near-fatal brain hemorrhage in December, will say in an upcoming interview on ABC News that he is determined "not only to return to the Senate next week, but to seek re-election in 2008," according to an ABC press release. So there you have it: Tim Johnson will run for his seat again next year.

Meanwhile, Johnson is greeting voters back home in South Dakota at an event later this afternoon, the state's local press is reporting. It's his first visit back to his home state since his near-death experience. And interestingly, a lot of Republican elected officials are there to welcome him home — including Governor Mike Rounds, who would be the strongest possible challenger to Johnson if he were to run.

Senator Tim Johnson, in a statement today: "I'm heading home."

"The doctors have given me a ‘thumbs up’, and Barb and I are incredibly excited to head home," said Johnson. "We have missed our friends and family and cannot wait to meet our two new grandchildren." This is Johnson's first return home since his brain hemorrhage back in December.

State Rep. Joel Dykstra has declared for the Republican nomination against Johnson, but Dykstra is definitely at the bottom of the barrel in state GOP politics. As of this writing, Johnson is heavily favored for re-election in 2008.

Sen. Tim Johnson may still be recovering from emergency brain surgery, but that hasn't prevented his campaign from ann hauling in some $600,000 in the last quarter.

The ailing Senator's tally comes mostly from the help of colleagues, who have helped him pull in a total of $1.3 million this year, leaving him with $1.8 million cash on hand.

Johnson is expected to be a top target of the GOP this year. But the only candidate to make serious noises about challenging him, State Rep. Joel Dykstra, isn't seen as a first-tier candidate.

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson's doctor is telling CNN that, yes, he'll be able to work in the Senate again.

Yet though Johnson may be on the mend, he's already got to start worrying about facing a challenge next year. As Steve Benen notes, John Ensign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, is already telling The Washington Post that there are several potential challengers waiting in the wings, including Republican Governor Mike Rounds.

Ensign says that they've already talked "a lot" to Rounds about targeting Johnson. How long after Johnson fell ill did they start talking about this? We'd love to know.

Control of the Senate in 2008 could potentially turn on the question of whether Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) will run for re-election. Johnson, after all, underwent emergency brain surgery several months back, and has been occupied with physical therapy instead of the action on the Senate floor.

Now Robert Novak reports in his latest column that Johnson will definitely run:

Contrary to rumors, well-placed Democrats are positive that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) will not run for the Senate next year in place of incapacitated Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). National party operatives who have talked to Johnson on the telephone say he is improving rapidly, raising lots of money and definitely will run. Democrats fear Gov. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) would run against Daschle, but not Johnson.

Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) has now checked out of the Naitonal Rehabilitation Hospital and will now receive medical care at his Washington-area home. So reports his office in a press release.

The release quotes Michael Yochelson, Director of Brain Injury Programs, as follows: "Senator Johnson is aggressive in physical therapy sessions utilizing the Lokomat® gait orthosis, a highly advanced and unique system for robotic treadmill training whereon weight bearing is shared proportionately between the Senator and the machine. As the senator progresses in his outpatient therapy on the Lokomat®, the amount of weight bearing assumed by him will gradually increase."

We're not clear on what that means, or just how long it might be until Johnson can go back to work on the Senate floor, but it sure sounds positive.

Senator Tim Johnson — who has been on the sidelines since being treated for a stroke last December — has still been able to see money flowing to his campaign coffers, the Associated Press reports, seeing over $660,000 in contributions coming in. Johnson's office told the AP that a lot of it has come from the help of his fellow Senators, over 30 of whom have done fundraising for Johnson as he mulls whether or not to run again in 2008. The money is about even with Johnson's fundraising pace in his last cycle, with a relatively low amount of money needed for campaigning in his small Western state.

Meanwhile, his former South Dakota colleague Tom Daschle is making his own comeback as a key advisor to Barack Obama's campaign, according to MSNBC. Johnson has joined Daschle in endorsing Obama's candidacy, and Daschle is busy helping to line up money and support for the campaign.

Senator Tim Johnson is continuing to recover from emergency brain surgery -- and is now reading and talking, according to a press release put out by Johnson's office.

“Senator Johnson is using limited full sentences and is initiating conversation with his family and therapists,” said Philip Marion, MD, Medical Director for the Department of Rehabilitative Medicine at George Washington University hospital, where Johnson has been doing speech therapy at the inpatient rehabilitation unit this week.

"Simply put, he is reading," Dr. Marion continued. "The test showed that he is comprehending written material and successfully following written commands. When it comes to rehabilitation, each patient’s recovery is unique but Senator Johnson continues to impress us with his progress during his daily therapy sessions.”

Senator Tim Johnson may still be in the hospital recovering from emergency brain surgery, but that hasn't stopped him from beginning to staff up for his 2008 reelection campaign. The Associated Press reports that Johnson has hired Steve Jarding, a South Dakota native and top Dem strategist, who has worked for the likes of Bob Kerrey, Mark Warner, Tom Daschle and Jim Webb. So while Johnson is still absent from the Senate floor for now, it's looking like he'll nevertheless be back on the campaign trail in 2008.

Senator Tim Johnson's recovery after emergency brain surgery has hit a milestone: He's beginning to speak. Johnson's office has just a released a statement that quotes Johnson doctor Vivek Deshmukh as follows: "Yesterday, Senator Johnson underwent an MRI which showed that his speech centers were spared of injury. This is confirmed by the fact that he is following commands and has started to say words."

Senator Tim Johnson's condition has been upgraded from "critical" to "fair," the Associated Press is reporting. Johnson's doctors say rehabilitation should start in about a week.