BIG RUMOR ALERT: Haugaard to supposedly announce for Governor in coming weeks

@SoDakCampaigns

I’ve hearing it from multiple sources over the last couple of days, including at the GOP Senate trapshoot fundraiser, from sources at SDSU where Haugaard was allegedly trying to enter the parade without noting for what office (* he did have a car as a legislator) and other people keep pinging me that former Speaker of the House Steve Haugaard is going to be announcing his candidacy for Governor against Kristi Noem, and possibly will do so in the next few weeks.

This rift between the two seems to have been growing for a while.

Haugaard has been relatively critical of Noem for some time now. There have been direct conflicts, and asides with other parties where he’s expressed criticism of the state’s chief executive.

Most recently, Haugaard was critical of one of the Governor’s signature pieces of legislation, the Freedom Scholarship. After the recent Lincoln County Lincoln Day Dinner, Haugaard had taken a group of College Republicans at the event aside, and I’m told, was explaining why the Scholarship (a measure he voted against) wasn’t the job of State Government.

Predictably, that chat went over like a candy bar in a pool, with a few reaching out to me express their outrage.

You more directly saw the divide when Haugaard banned lobbyist Yvonne Taylor from the House Chamber, which triggered Taylor to file suit, a suit Haugaard eventually cried uncle on. The Governor was most definitely not shy about expressing her opinion of the whole situation.

Let’s not forget the ridiculous 2019 legislative dress code for women created by the Haugaard leadership team in the House which dictated that female legislators wear nylons, and were skirts had to be a certain length.  Between that and the Taylor lawsuit, at one point Noem called down House leadership to her office, chewed them out, and told them to knock it off.

Ever since Noem took office and Haugaard was sworn in as speaker, it seems that we can just say that the two have been at loggerheads.  If this Haugaard announcement rumor holds true, how do I think this race is going to go? As I noted in a previous column in September of last year..

I have the feeling that the concept of Haugaard challenging Noem would literally be the most lopsided mis-match since ex-legislator Lora Hubbel challenged sitting Governor Dennis Daugaard. It wasn’t even an actual campaign, as much as a months-long complaint by Lora that no one took her seriously, and no one would help her.

Read that here.

Like Taffy Howard’s ‘exploration’ against Dusty Johnson & Bruce Whalen/Mark Mowry/Other guy fumbling aimlessly against US Senator Thune, if a Haugaard campaign emerges, it is once again just a manifestation of the hard right fringes of the GOP complaining that a strongly conservative GOP isn’t conservative enough in their own minds.

And I really doubt it’s going to go anywhere. No one competent is getting involved in their campaigns, there’s no depth to fundraising, and it’s just going to be a months long complaint against ‘the establishment.’

The only benefit of the apparent collection of misfit toys who are challenging incumbents is that in recent weeks I’ve seen more business owners and traditional Republicans who have sat on the sidelines over the last few elections are getting motivated, becoming more active, and are deciding it’s way past time that they show up, pitch in, and get involved.

Stay tuned, as this is far from the end of it.

33 thoughts on “BIG RUMOR ALERT: Haugaard to supposedly announce for Governor in coming weeks”

  3. Too bad a lot of the Governor’s bills don’t match up with the party platform. He has a right to oppose bad legislation.

    1. Noem isn’t a threat to Einstein’s place in history and has some crazy positions. But Haugaadd is wacko.

  4. 3 questions he must answer:

    1. By banning the Director of the Municipal League, you cut off local governments decades-long process for working with the Legislature. Will you apologize to the Mayors and Council members of every City in South Dakota?
    2. 2 members of the legislature have admitted to belonging to a group attempting to overthrow the government of the United States. Should they be expelled from the Legislature?
    3. Do you condemn the attack on the United State Capitol on Jan. 6?

    1. 1–I have found these leadership groups don’t actually represent their members…they are arrogant and self righteous and when you actually talk to the members they agree, but the lobbyists have been there forever.

      2–shouldn’t you be asking Schoenbeck? Stalzer is in the senate.

      3–how is that relevant to a governor’s race, for EITHER candidate.

  5. Noem is not popular in the state. She has had scandal after scandal, it seems lately to just drip out. The fact that a republican is willing to run against an incumbent Republican governor says a lot. I Highly doubt Haugaard would jump into the race without doing some research first and chatting with state-wide republicans.

  6. If one of the college Republicans was offended by not getting their college paid for by the state, maybe they should sign up for another political party.

  7. I think we have to recognize the double standard.

    Nobody complained when Bob Ewing took his shirt off during the waning days of his Senate representation of Lawrence County.

    When I spoke with Bob at the Lawrence Day Lawrence Day Dinner a few years back, he said, “[I should be allowed to distract, defray, and manipulate the ladies if I want to .. and some of the dudes, too, as I understand it.]”

    Pictured – Bob Ewing demonstrating his unique method of cutting hay:
    http://plainstribune.com?&service=events.Image&id=b295efa30a0000050018b9bba95b798d

    In all seriousness, I think Governor Noem would be a shoe-in if not for the cannabis issue.

    2. Mr. Dale please do not include those blue links. You and Lar’s links go to sites that are porno filled places that are not good especially for a Sunday.

  8. Mr. Haugaard is the puppet master of the insanest in the legislatures. He is fun to laugh at and watch fail, over and over. BuwahahaHAHAHA.

    1. So since you are probably a Noem supporter, all you have to attack Haugaard is calling him names like an elementary kid instead of actual facts to support your not liking him. When you are ready grudnzick to be a big boy and have a big boy discussion then please come with thoughtout discussion points. Until then, let the big boys talk.

        1. I hear what you are saying, I think most of South Dakota does not want Noem as their governor.

  11. How about instead of Haugaard, we beg and plead for Lee Schoenbeck to run against Noem. Now THAT would be a campaign I’d love to see. There’s been plenty of conflicting positions between Noem and Schoenbeck for Lee to campaign and position himself as a more reasonable alternative.

    Then again, Schoenbeck is probably one of a few a front runners for the GOP nomination in 2026 at this point, so maybe he sits out 2022 and builds a war chest for 2026.

      1. That very well might be true, but I know Lee very strongly disagreed with a few of Noem’s positions recently. Whether those differences of opinion are enough to motivate Lee to potentially run against Noem make for interesting fodder.

  12. A Haugaard candidacy will bring out and help us truly identify all the ultra-right loons of the Republican party (if you can even call them Republicans). Although the Noem Governorship has been a bit disappointing at times, a Haugaard administration would throw us back into the stone ages on a number of fronts. Yet, I do love the idea of Lee running! Hopefully in 2026, he would be a breath of fresh air for sure!

    1. Noem’s governorship has been more than a bit disappointing. She has accomplished nothing and cost the state’s taxpayers millions of dollars.

  13. Noem is unpopular with the people who think she should have made masks and vaccinations mandatory.
    She is also unpopular with the people who think she should prohibit any business, school board or local government from mandating masks and vaccinations.

    As a result, she has a deficit of popularity. It can be hoped that these two groups will neutralize each other and let the saner voters decide.

    1. And everyone that voted for legal cannabis should be pissed at her for overturning our votes simply because she’s a stick in the mud.

  14. The Governor knew her tweet wasn’t true, because discussing Speaker Haugaard’s legal bills wasn’t even on the EBoard agenda.

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