Rhoden for Governor Unveils “Did the Right Thing” Ad
Pierre, SD – Today, the Rhoden for Governor campaign unveiled the “Did the Right Thing” ad. The ad features State Senator Amber Hulse and emphasizes how Governor Larry Rhoden delivered the largest property tax cut in South Dakota history.
“The largest property tax cut in South Dakota’s history would not have happened without Larry Rhoden’s leadership,” State Senator Amber Hulse says in the ad. “He put aside politics and did the right thing for the people of South Dakota.”
Senator Hulse points out that the average South Dakota homeowner will see at least a $1,000 property tax cut on their home – 30% or more in total relief in counties that adopt the local option provided for in SB 96.
“In the Legislature – and in life – all you have is your word. I think Larry embodies that,” concluded Sen. Hulse. “Larry Rhoden delivered that relief that families need here in South Dakota.”
The gubernatorial runoff election is July 28, 2026.
Learn more about Governor Larry Rhoden’s results to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free at RhodenResults.com.
It’s only Monday of convention week, and it’s already crazy.
The State Republican Party tonight and this past weekend improperly held platform committee hearings via Zoom, for which there is no provision in the State bylaws to conduct electronically. But those in charge of the Republican Party don’t seem to worry about the rules.
And now tonight, Republican Party Convention chair and Pennington County Republican Party chair, Amy Wagner, decided to use the Pennington County Republican Party mail server to attack one of the candidates for Attorney General on the cusp of the convention.
Someone explain to me why the State GOP’s executive board isn’t holding an emergency meeting tonight to replace her as convention chair?
I think if there is any danger to the convention process, it’s being brought about by the fact that people aren’t following the bylaws, and using their position and titles to try to influence the process. Despite a long, long-standing tradition of the party not doing that.
That kind of nonsense is going to erode any credibility from the convention far before anything.
You never know what you’re going to find out there. Just picked this campaign ribbon up, pretty inexpensively.
I think mainly because no one had a clue what it was.
It’s actually coincidental, because we’re going to be voting for the – if not in name, in spirit – the successor of the office this weekend, as we select the candidate for School and Public Lands.
This ribbon is for the 1902 SDGOP Convention fight over who the nominee should be for the South Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. M.A. Lange of McCook County was in a convention fight against George W. Nash, who won the nomination (Sioux Valley News, May 30, 1902):
Methinks the people in charge of the Republican party at the moment are a little nervous about having skipped an important part about how the party platform has been formed over, oh the past 8-10 decades.
Because today, in another e-mail that half the delegates – including myself – are not getting despite having registered, they have announced that they are holding platform zoom calls.
Those in charge seem to think that this somehow fulfills the State Party bylaws (as referenced with the Secretary of State, and their own website)?
SECTION IV
STATE CONVENTION
4. Convention Organization:
C. Committees: Prior to the state convention, the state chairman shall designate the members of the platform committee, rules committee, resolutions committee, and credentials committee. The platform committee shall conduct hearings around the state prior to the state convention. The convention chairman shall appoint any other convention committees.
Here’s the problem. This section of the State GOP’s bylaws are VERY specific that the platform committee shall conduct hearings around the state prior to the state convention.
That’s shall. Not, oh, if you remember to do it.
Equally important to note is that under this section there is NO provision for electronic meetings.
Under Section I of the bylaws, there’s a provision for electronic meetings for the State Central Committee Meetings.
I. Electronic Meetings: A meeting of the State Central Committee may be held electronically.
The Exec Board can do it under Section II (A meeting of the State Executive Board may be held electronically.). And County Central Committees can also do it under Section III.
E. Electronic Meetings: A meeting of the County Central Committee may be held electronically.
Buuuuttt… THERE IS NO PROVISION FOR ELECTRONIC MEETINGS FOR THE STATE CONVENTION.INCLUDING THE PRE-CONVENTION PLATFORM HEARINGS.
If they have provisions for electronic meetings in other parts of the bylaws, but not under the portion for the State Convention, they can’t send out a zoom call announcement to convention participants and pretend they’re following the bylaws.
It doesn’t work that way. And it takes the legitimacy out of the process since they can’t seem to read and follow their own rules.
All of the views and opinions Professor Simmons expresses here on are his as an individual and do not reflect the views of the Board of Regents, the University of South Dakota, its Knudson School of Law, their employees, faculty or administrators. The foregoing editorial represents only his views as a private citizen.
Tulio Buscaglia by Thomas E. Simmons
For anyone with a father, I’d like to recommend a short book, “Papa, My Father: A Celebration of Dads” (copyright 1989). It’s out-of-print but used copies sell for a dollar and change. Mine cost me four bits at the local library sale. I consumed it in a single evening.
Those who were living during the 1980s may remember with fondness its author, Felice Leonardo “Leo” Buscaglia (1924-1998). He was a WWII vet and a professor at the University of Southern California. He taught courses on special education. He became a nationally known speaker.
He was such a dynamic speaker that his televised lectures became some of the highest rated broadcasts on public television, which is where I discovered him, sweating and gesticulating for effect as he ranted about love and family. A key moment in each of his lectures was the point when his perspiration reached the level where he removed his suit jacket in order to continue. He gushed warmth and goodwill.
Dr. Buscaglia is remembered for introducing himself to everyone on an elevator and for hugging everyone after one of his speeches. He was a cauldron of Italian energy. Unreserved. Benevolence radiated from him, even through the TV screen. He was an advocate of hugs. While I’m not much of a hugger, his essays on the benefits of hugs are difficult to fault.
In “Papa, My Father,” Buscaglia writes, of course, of his father. Buscaglia writes through the lens of recollection, acknowledging:
“I am aware that years of having known and loved my father have transformed him from Papa, the simple human being, into Papa, the near saint. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with that. Creating saints of our departed loved ones can help us fill the void and make the parting easier.”
These recollections are divided into ten terse chapters with three-word titles like “Papa, the Husband,” “Papa, the Patriot,” and “Papa, the Oenophile.”
Papa (his Christian name is given only once: Tulio) spoke a Piedmontese dialect and grew up in a tiny village in northern Italy, “the son of a dirt-poor farmer.” He worked hard his entire life. In the family’s Los Angeles home lived Papa, a loving mother, Leo, his ten siblings, and one bathroom.
In the chapter, “Papa, the Philanthropist,” Buscaglia writes:
“Philanthropy is often equated with money or wealth. Still, the dictionary definition of the word is simply ‘one who shows goodwill toward all, whose actions and efforts are directed toward promoting human welfare.’ The word has its roots in the Geek language, meaning ‘love for mankind.’ If this is so, then papa was certainly among the world’s greatest, albeit poorest, philanthropists.”
In the chapter, “Papa, the Philosopher,” Buscaglia recalls being beaten up by a group of boys who called hm a ‘dop’ and his mother a ‘garlic licker,’ then running home in tears and into his father’s arms. After his tears subsided, his father spoke, quietly:
“I see. It’s finally happened. They finally found you. Those people who hurt us and make us cry. They don’t know us, but they hate us all the same. Those cowards who are strong only in groups and pick on us because they know we’re few and not likely to fight back. I know they hurt you, but what happened wasn’t meant just for you. You just happened to come along. It could have been any of us.”
Young Leo snarls, “I hate being Italian! I wish I could be anything else!”
His father’s voice grew strong and threatening: ‘Never let me hear you say that again! You should be proud to be what you are. Just think about it. America got its name from Italians. Italians make sweet music, sing gloriously, and build beautiful buildings. How can you not be proud to be an Italian? And you’re extra lucky because you’re an American, too.”
“But” – Leo objects – “I’d rather be like everyone else”
Papa cautioned, “Well, you’re not. God never intended us all to be the same. He made us all different so that we’d each be ourselves. Different is good. Would you like to be like the boys who beat you up and called you names?”
At the time, young Leo didn’t find his father’s explanation satisfactory. He especially didn’t care for his father’s suggestion: “Bring them home with you! When they know us, they won’t be able to hate us anymore.” Such is often the case with fatherly advice; what once seemed absurd, with time, becomes astute.
The wisdom of Tulio Buscaglia soaks each page of this short book. But for his son’s pen, the lessons might otherwise have disappeared when his father died. In the final chapter, a list of Papa’s rules is preserved. Among them:
South Dakota Searchlight has a wide-ranging interview with Congressman Dusty Johnson on the primary election, and what the future may hold for him in the coming years. He hits on what the fiture holds, why he believes he came in a close third, and the fact that in part because of his support, South Dakota will have a functional legislature in January:
Johnson will remain a U.S. representative until January. He has no specific plan for his future after that, other than remaining in Mitchell, where his wife has a business and one of their three sons is still in high school.
He did not rule out a return to politics, but said his “heart isn’t set on that,” adding that his motivation has always been “to do something” rather than “to be something.”
“It’s about the impact,” he said.
and..
I mean, at some point, we know that these primaries are going to be hard-fought. I’m not a sore loser. Toby and Larry won, and I didn’t.
And I think one of the reasons that I can handle the loss so well is that my motivator has never been to be something. It’s always been to do something. And we still have an opportunity to work together to improve South Dakota education, improve South Dakota public safety.
I don’t have to be governor for our state to make great things happen. And we deserve a great state. We deserve a great governor. And I’m committed to those things even if I’m not going to be the guy.
and..
I don’t think there’s any irony that Larry and Toby will have a more functional Legislature because of my hard work. I want South Dakota to have a good Legislature, regardless of who was governor.
I’m not interested in a functional South Dakota only if Dusty Johnson’s governor — I love the state, regardless.
Had someone forward me an e-mail that the State GOP had supposedly sent out to delegates/precinct committeepeople last night. Which despite my status as a precinct person who was in an contested election and won, I did not receive.
Even did a search of my e-mail, but no e-mail from the party yesterday.
Which is kind of odd, since I registered. Have the e-mail receipt that I did register to go along with my certificate of election from Brookings County. (Cool fact, the County Finance Office here in Brookings laminates these here, which I find tremendously amusing).
Which brings up questions to me about how well the convention is being managed, how well they are following their bylaws, and what else they are forgetting to do.
Such as this rule under the State Republican Party bylaws:
C. Committees: Prior to the state convention, the state chairman shall designate the members of the platform committee, rules committee, resolutions committee, and credentials committee. The platform committee shall conduct hearings around the state prior to the state convention. The convention chairman shall appoint any other convention committees.
Does anyone recall the State Party hosting the required platform committee “hearings around the state prior to the state convention?” Me neither.
On the news and press release and calendar sections of the SDGOP’s website, they spend a lot of time contemplating the lint in their navels, but nothing about the required platform committee meetings. Hm. There’s no provisions for these to be done via zoom, so they’re supposed to have honest to god hearings.. which don’t seem to have happened?
Does this mean that they won’t be able to put forth a platform, since they haven’t followed their own platform rules? How is that going to affect the legitimacy of the entire convention?
Because, now that they’re in charge, I’m sure the people in charge of the convention wouldn’t want to be accused of screwing things up. And not following their own rules.
“Prediction Markets” Are Siphoning $1 Billion From State And Tribal Economies – Including South Dakota. By Bill Miller, President and CEO, American Gaming Association
In 2020, South Dakota’s voters decided to legalize and regulate sports betting, and a mere six years later, so-called “prediction market” platforms have engineered a backdoor into your legal, state- and tribal-regulated sports betting market. By rebranding sports bets as “event contracts” and “derivatives,” these platforms are mass-marketing sports betting as investing while evading the state and tribal regulations that govern the gaming industry and generate critical tax revenue.
South Dakotans know a sports bet when they see one. In fact, 81% of South Dakotan voterssay wagers offered by companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket are gambling — not investing. But what voters and policymakers may not realize is the quickly snowballing cost of this marketing deception: since 2025, “prediction markets” have already siphoned an estimated $1 billion in potential state gaming tax revenue that funds critical community projects in South Dakota and across America.
In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This action gave states the authority to decide whether to legalize sports betting. Since then, 40 jurisdictions – including South Dakota – have done so and built sophisticated systems overseen by more than 8,400 regulators nationwide. Congress has also long recognized tribal sovereignty in gaming, as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)established tribal authority to operate gaming as a means of self-sufficiency.
The state- and tribal-regulated sports betting industries generate significant public and tribal funding. In South Dakota, legal sports betting funds critical problem gambling services and tourism programs. Tribal gaming also serves as a key economic driver for tribal governments across the country, like the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe’s Dakota Sioux Casino.
The funding for these community services and economies is being undermined by backdoor sports betting through “prediction markets.” In a recent Senate Commerce Subcommitteehearing, a US Senator asked if prediction markets are allowed to continue operating as unlicensed sportsbooks, will his state’s resources be diminished? The answer is yes.
Prediction markets claim they are offering financial derivatives – instead of a sports wager – and should fall under the regulatory oversight of the Commodity Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC), the agency that regulates markets critical to our nation’s economy. For generations, South Dakota’s farmers have used legitimate commodities markets to hedge real economic risk like weather and crop prices. That is fundamentally different than a bet on a Jackrabbits football game.
In a 2024 federal court filing, Kalshi – a “prediction market” operator whose volume consists of nearly 90% sports – admitted that Congress “did not want sports betting to be conducted on derivatives markets.” Now, prediction markets are offering exactly what they previously said they shouldn’t – even marketing it as “sports betting legal in all 50 states.” Just this year, media publication Sportico has noted that Kalshi also classified itself as “gambling” in their federal trademark request.
These platforms are making a mockery of Congressional intent by seeking CFTC oversight and bypassing federal and South Dakota law. When the argument was made at the Senate hearing, Senators from both parties scoffed, including Sen. Ted Cruz who stated that “many simply see prediction markets as a workaround to state gambling laws.”
Earlier this year, 41 state attorneys general, including South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, sent a letter to the CFTC underscoring that it is sports betting and states have the right to oversee their own gaming industries according to local laws and values. This “prediction market” regulatory evasion is a burden for South Dakota taxpayers, and the problem – and the cost – will amplify if this is allowed to continue.
The legal gaming industry treats sports betting as strictly a form of entertainment. Framing it otherwise is misleading and irresponsible, particularly as prediction markets heavily advertise to students and 18-year-olds. We agree with Rick Wurster, the CEO of brokerage firm Charles Schwab, who said he does not “want young people in our country to think gambling on the Monday Night Football game is the same as investing in stocks and bonds.”
The legal, state- and tribal-regulated gaming market supports 1.8 million American jobs and $18 billion annually in tax revenue across the country. Licensed operators must meet strict standards for integrity monitoring, taxation, oversight, and consumer protections.
For decades, Congress and the courts have affirmed that gaming regulation belongs to states and tribal governments. We agree – along with the 41 attorneys general and countless legislators across the country – and support Attorney General Jackley in calling “sports event contracts” what they are: sports bets. We continue to urge Congress to reaffirm existing law and state and tribal authority by advancing solutions like the bipartisan Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act.
South Dakota chose to legalize, regulate, and tax sports betting. Your state’s decision should be respected. If it’s a wager on sports, it’s South Dakota’s right to regulate it. To protect consumers and assist local communities, the federal government must stop this prediction market evasion of state and tribal law before billions more in tax revenue is siphoned away.
MEHLHAFF NAMED LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COUNCIL INTERIM DIRECTOR
PIERRE – Legislative Research Council (LRC) Deputy Director and Chief Fiscal Analyst Jeff Mehlhaff has been named
as LRC’s Interim Director. The LRC’s Executive Board officially made the appointment at its June 16, 2026, meeting.
Mehlhaff succeeds John McCullough, who resigned this month after serving in the Director position since
March 26, 2024. Prior to becoming Director, McCullough was the LRC’s Chief Research and Legal Analyst and
served as Interim Director from October 2023 to March 2024 following the resignation of then-Director Reed
Holwegner. McCullough was initially hired as the Code Counsel for LRC in 2021.
Mehlhaff began his career with the LRC in 2016 as a fiscal analyst and became Chief Fiscal Analyst in December
of 2020. The Deputy Director title and duties were added to his position in April of 2024.
The Executive Board has tasked Senator Chris Karr (R-Sioux Falls), Chair, Representative Jon Hansen (R-Dell
Rapids), Vice Chair, and Senator Liz Larson (D-Sioux Falls), Ranking Minority Member, with reviewing applicants
for the Director position until August 31, 2026. Application information will be posted on the LRC website at
https://sdlegislature.gov/.
Someone explain to me why the State GOP’s executive board isn’t holding an emergency meeting tonight to replace her as convention chair?
Johnson will remain a U.S. representative until January. He has no specific plan for his future after that, other than remaining in Mitchell, where his wife has a business and one of their three sons is still in high school. 
