Bob Mercer, who is a stringer provides stories (per correction in comments) for several daily papers, has an interview with Secretary of State Shantel Krebs in her pursuit of the Congressional Seat being vacated by Kristi Noem against former PUC Commissioner and Daugaard Chief of Staff Dusty Johnson:

She said South Dakota voters tell her they are frustrated and want “the mess cleaned up” in Washington, D.C.

“It’s not working,” Krebs said. “I want to help him deliver results.” She added: “That’s what my logo is: Get it done.”

How she’s organized her campaign: Krebs said it’s “a lot” of evenings and weekends. Her daytime focus is the office in Pierre. “I was elected to be secretary of state,” she said.

From my mailbox:

Meet John Fitzgerald, candidate for Attorney General, on Sept 16

The Brookings County Republicans will meet Saturday, September 16th, at 9:00 AM at the County Resource Center Board Room in the Swiftel Center.

Following a short business meeting, John Fitzgerald, Lawrence County State’s Attorney, will update us on his campaign for the office of South Dakota Attorney General.

John is a 1977 graduate of Black Hills State University and a 1979 graduate from the University of South Dakota Law School. He has been a practicing attorney in South Dakota since 1980.

John was the Butte County State’s Attorney from 1981‐1995 and a Deputy State’s Attorney in Lawrence County from 1990‐1995.  In 1995 he became  the Lawrence County State’s Attorney and has been serving Lawrence County ever since.

John Fitzgerald is one of three declared candidates for the office of Attorney General.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

LINCOLN COUNTY REPUBLICAN DENIM & DIAMONDS DINNER, FRI, SEPT 15 5:30 PM

Lincoln County Republicans will have their annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner on Friday, Sept 15 starting at 5:30pm at CJ Callaway’s. Lt Gov Matt Michels will be the Emcee. 

South Dakota is one of the rare states that gives voters a chance to meet and get to know their elected officials & candidates on a personal level at various events.Tickets are $50 ea, but limited and available by contacting Betty Otten @ 605-368-5716 or online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lincoln-co-gop-lincoln-reagan-denim-diamonds-dinner-mc-matt-michels-tickets-36819607437.

Confirmed speakers include US Congressional candidates Shantel Krebs & Dusty Johnson; gubernatorial candidates Kristi Noem, Lora Hubbel, and Marty Jackley; Kristie Fiegen PUC; Constitutional Officer candidates Rich Sattgast, Josh Haeder, Steve Barnett, Ryan Brunner; and SD Attorney General candidates Charles McGuigan, Jason Ravnsborg, and John Fitzgerald.

Leave the suits, ties, and formal wear at home — jeans, cowboy boots, and a lot of bling are the preferred dress! 

xxx

The South Dakota Republican Party’s candidates and office holders have all converged on Huron this weekend for the South Dakota State Fair, and we’re continuing to bring you the highlights:

‪There’s only one way to close out the summer: going to the state fair.

A post shared by Senator John Thune (@senjohnthune) on Sep 2, 2017 at 8:27am PDT

 

Congresswoman Kristi Noem is kissing babies and meeting voters at the Fair:

Attorney General Marty Jackley takes in the evening entertainment – Skynyrd! Free Bird!

Attorney General Candidate Jason Ravnsborg is banging it out from sun up to sundown at the GOP Booth!

Congressional Candidate Dusty Johnson is out working the fair booth hard both in person and in spirit!

Secretary of State Shantel Krebs is out working the crowds as well:

Stay tuned for more State Fair action!

Here to Serve You
By Sen. John Thune

An issue I frequently discuss with folks while I’m traveling the state is the wide range of services I can offer to South Dakotans through any of my Senate offices. It doesn’t matter if you contact my office in Sioux Falls or Rapid City, Aberdeen or Washington, D.C., my staff is the best of the best. They’re always ready, willing, and able to help you any way they can. Although my offices mainly assist South Dakotans with federal issues, if your concern relates to something that falls to the state or your local government, my staff will help point you in the right direction. Either way, we’re all here to serve you.

Spring break is always a popular time to visit Washington, D.C., and I see a lot of South Dakota families and students who travel there each year. As most folks may know, I can help you arrange tours of certain federal buildings while you’re in town, including the Capitol and White House. My office can help with other elements of your trip, too, like offering advice on where to stay or other places to visit around the city.

Wherever you might be, when it comes to problems you’re having with federal government agencies, I want to help you cut through the federal bureaucracy. My office can act as a liaison between you and the government to get questions answered and hopefully get your problem resolved. For example, if you’re a South Dakota veteran with medical needs and you’re having difficulties with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or if you’re a South Dakota senior and you’re having trouble receiving your Social Security benefits, we can certainly try to help.

Are you traveling abroad on short notice? I can help expedite the passport approval process if you need to renew one for you or a family member, apply for a new one, or have an existing passport corrected. Anyone who has gone through the standard passport process will tell you that it isn’t quick, but if your request is urgent, my office can try to work to reduce the wait time.

If a friend or family member is having a milestone event in his or her life, such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or retirement, I can help you recognize it. With several weeks’ notice, you can purchase a U.S. flag through my Senate website (at cost), and I can have it flown atop the Capitol on a particular date in honor of your event. After it’s flown, the flag and a certificate will be mailed to you or a recipient of your choice. With similar notice, I’m happy to mail a congratulatory letter directly to your loved one ahead of his or her big day.

We can also try to help veterans receive medals or awards that are long overdue, students who are interested in attending a service academy, or families who are pursuing international adoptions, among many other services.

For questions on these or other services, please feel free to call or visit any of my offices throughout South Dakota or in Washington, D.C. You’ll always be greeted by a friendly face or voice, and they will be glad to assist you. If it’s outside of regular business hours, don’t worry, my website is always open! Visit www.thune.senate.gov on your computer or mobile device for contact information and additional resources about my work in South Dakota and Washington.

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Thank you for your Hospitality
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

August is an important month for me. It is the traditional time in which members of Congress spend extended time back home, and this year was no exception. During the shortened in-state work period, I had the opportunity to travel across the state for various events. We held open coffees in Chamberlain and Deadwood, as well as other ceremonies, roundtables and meetings in Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Pierre, Rapid City, Huron and elsewhere. I thank those of you who took the time out of your day to meet with me and share your thoughts.

Throughout our visits, people brought up many topics, including national security, ag policy, veterans, banking and overregulation, just to name a few. However, health care continues to be a top concern for many. While I was disappointed in the result of this summer’s vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, the fight to relieve South Dakotans from our failing health care system is far from over. Our premiums have gone up 124 percent in the last four years under Obamacare and are expected to rise another 20 percent in 2018. This is simply unsustainable, and why I have continued to work with my colleagues on ways to stabilize the market and prevent premiums from continuing to skyrocket.

During veterans’ events in Huron and Sioux Falls, I had the opportunity to thank our men and women in uniform for the sacrifices they and their families have made to keep us safe. Working with other members on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we have begun the process of making major reforms, including passing three significant pieces of legislation that will improve the lives of our nation’s veterans.

At the annual ag forum during Dakotafest, we heard from farmers about their priorities for the upcoming farm bill, particularly the importance of maintaining and strengthening safety net provisions such as the crop insurance program. We also heard concerns about perpetual easements, access to capital and burdensome regulations that are hurting producers’ ability to operate.

We also had the opportunity to hold a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) subcommittee field hearing on the Army Corps’ management of the Missouri River. The purpose of the hearing is to make certain the Army Corps is working in a responsible manner to properly manage the Missouri River. During the hearing, we heard from both Army Corps officials and local leaders about their experiences along the river. The hearing gave us important insight to the practices of the Corps, such as their ability to increase and decrease water flows that result in drastic fluctuations in short periods of time. We will now be following up to make sure the Corps is acting appropriately.

I’m always grateful for the hospitality I receive when visiting communities across the state. Even when we disagree politically, I appreciate the opportunity to engage in healthy, respectful discussions about the issues you care about. Washington can learn a lot from what I call ‘South Dakota common sense’.  I look forward to bringing your thoughts and opinions with me to Washington when we return.

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Back to School
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Can you believe the kids are back in school? Kassidy and Kennedy are in Brookings now – Kassidy for work and Kennedy to wrap up her last year at SDSU. I can’t figure out how time flew by so fast! At least we still have Booker at home for a few more years. He started his sophomore year this fall and already has a few football games under his belt (Go Chargers!)

With one in high school, one in college, and another just getting into their career, I have a front-row ticket to the continuum of our education system. From this perspective, one thing is abundantly clear: states, individual school districts, and parents should have more control over what happens in schools than the federal government.

The Obama administration had pushed to federally regulate everything from what was taught in the classroom to what was served in the lunchroom. Whether it was a student in inner-city L.A. or Booker in Hamlin County, South Dakota, they wanted every student to learn the same thing, eat the same thing, do the same thing. I wholeheartedly disagree with that approach.

Last Congress, I helped get the Every Student Succeeds Act signed into law. At its core, the legislation stops federal micromanagement. It gives states greater flexibility to spend money in a way that benefits their students most. It empowers parents to hold schools accountable and modernizes the Impact Aid program, which many South Dakota schools rely on.  Maybe most notably, the new law ensures the federal government can’t pressure states into adopting specific academic standards, like Common Core.

Now, I’m working to do the same thing for school lunch. The Obama administration created a failing one-size-fits-all meal program that severely restricted meats, grains, sodium, and more without a good scientific basis for doing so. The sodium restrictions, for instance, were so limiting that many schools would have a difficult time serving milk or cheese because of the naturally occurring sodium in those products. Unbelievable!

I’ve introduced legislation to retain the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research and recommendations as a resource for schools, but there would be no requirement to follow the existing mandates.

I believe in the same philosophy of local control when it comes to colleges and universities too. Earlier this year, I helped the House pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act, which among other things would give states and local community leaders more flexibility in using federal education dollars. This way, states can innovate new learning experiences, better encourage apprenticeships and internships, and develop programs around the local economy’s needs. Understanding the relationship between those educating Kennedy and those hiring Kassidy is essential as we prepare all students for good-paying, in-demand South Dakota jobs.

The bottom line is that I want kids of all ages and backgrounds to be excited about their future in South Dakota. That is best accomplished by decentralizing education and giving those closest to our kids greater control.

During their first few days back, I got to speak with fourth and fifth grade students in Rapid City. These kids were so inquisitive, so eager to learn. It was clear they were surrounded by teachers and school administrators who care deeply about their success. It’s this community and involved parents that I can trust to make decisions about our kids’ education, not federal bureaucrats who are trying to put every student into a single, nationwide model