Getting reports out there of candidates going hard negative in their attempts to take out their opponents. Unfortunately for them, it seems to be mostly backfiring, and is being taken negatively by the very people they’re trying to convince.
In the District 17 Senate Race, Jeff Church is trying to get people to recognize his name against incumbent State Senator (and new mom!) Sydney Davis in South East South Dakota. How has he been approaching it? Well, not very positively, as there are reports of Davis supporters with her yard sign at their houses being left a poison packet, attacking Davis:
Not shockingly, the poison packet being left to try to sway Davis voters bases it’s attack on the cherry-picked Citizens for Liberty scorecard.
Despite telling candidates all the time, I still have to repeat that you can’t lead with negative attacks. Unless your name ID is equal or close to your opponent, it will just ring hollow, and you’re trying to convince someone that they made a bad decision before. They’re not going to replace a known friend with an unknown person lobbing bombs, so targeting supporters is just a mistake, and a waste of money.
But don’t just take this as a lesson for newbies. Incumbents do crazy things as well when they’re feeling the heat.
Here’s a lesson from State Senator Tom Pischke who is apparently feeling the heat from the person who is likely to replace him, Jordan Youngberg.
This person who had a Youngberg sign found themselves directly harangued by Youngberg’s opponent (Tom Pischke), who not just smeared Youngberg, but asked for money. The end result was that Youngberg’s support was not just strengthened, but this now fired up supporter has taken to facebook to underline her support to all of her friends and neighbors.
And Tom isn’t just limiting his attacks to in-person. It’s part of his fundraising program:
As opposed to running on his own merits, Pischke has taken to leaving personal notes in fundraising letter falsely claiming his opponent as having a liberal voting record. I’m told that once again, the CFL cherry-picked scorecard was used as reference.
Why does an incumbent of several years feel the need to go on the hard attack? Because his legislative successes are slim and none. Getting kicked out of caucus, demanding the National Guard chase jet chemtrails, and leaving bottles of syrup on the desks of women are not the things that bolster one’s legislative credentials.
The hard attacks coming from the candidates all smack of desperation. And if you’re so inclined to reject these tactics..
You can donate to Sydney Davis for District 17 Senate here.
And you can donate to Jordan Youngberg for SD Senate by sending a check to:
YOUNGBERG FOR SD SENATE
613 S Allen Ave
Colman, SD 57017
Keep the tips and info about the attacks coming!
From what I have found on this CFL scorecard is that it also changes from person to person… they have hyper-cherry picked it with certain candidates. I hope voters do their research before going to the polls. Also how can anyone attack Sydney Davis she is one of the nicest people in this state, with nothing but respect from and for her constituents. That seems very outlandish to me.
The Conservatives with Common Sense breakfast version of the Scorecard of Scorecards grades this CFL scorecard as a F+. The CFL scorecard is bunk.
These name caller candidates with their CFL scorecards and deadbeat dad backers are I’d bet supported by that new biggest in SD History Dakota Dumpsterfire PAC.
Someone should start an exploratory committee on weather this is true or not… hahahahaha
CFL= Crazy F-ing Liars
Good one, Pischke. Nothing says “I’m confident in my platform” like focusing on tearing down your opponent. Youngberg raises the bar and actually talks about what matters. Stay informed, District 25!
Go Youngberg! Smile and keep running the race! Don’t look behind at your opponents slimy tactics.
Sydney will win. Jeffy has no chance.
Sydney Davis may be a nice person but by any measure her voting record is one of the most liberal in the entire legislature. There is a reason the democrats, in one of the most democrat counties in the state, have not put up a challenger against her and that they give her glowing reviews. She is no friend to conservatism.
I don’t know, I think could’ve used the word “Conservative” a few more times in his mailer.
Dear readers – if you fell for the half-truth stated in this piece here is “the rest of the story.” Open my “CFL scorecard” handout I have been using to get the word out about Sydney’s non-conservative voting record; notice you don’t get shown that part. You will see a list of both House and Senate bills that Sydney has voted on while serving in our State Legislature. Sydney scores worse on at least one other scorecard that is not a “CFL” scorecard. That list of her votes cast, on the part you’re not shown in the picture, is a small sample of her non-conservative voting record. I did not simply rely on any SD scorecard, including Pat’s “cherry-picked” one, before stating Sydney does not represent Conservative values. I looked at every vote Sydney has cast, whether on the floor or in Committee since she was first elected in 2020. That non-conservative voting list is longer than what is on my handout. I had to choose from that long list what to fit on a single page. Pointing out a Legislator’s voting record is not “going hard negative” or a “dirty trick.” It’s stating the facts of how that Legislator actually voted on real bills. It is a way of informing voters who otherwise do not know how a Legislator votes and who only get that Legislator’s unsubstantiated mailers. It’s Sydney’s voting record that has “gone hard negative” from a Conservative value standard and her telling voters she represents conservative values is the “dirty trick.” Thank you for helping spread the word about Sydney’s non-conservative voting record with your post.
Maybe try running on your own ideas? Sydney Davis represents Vermillion well. Not once have I heard you talk about legislation you would like to bring.
Attend the VCDC candidate forum on Tuesday, 7 May. Start time is 11:30 am. Location is the Public Library. You can hear some of them there. Not once has anyone asked me what legislation I would like to bring. You may get some ideas from what I state I am for and what I am against on my candidate website. And, Vermillion is not the only town in District 17 but it is where a lot of the State’s Democrats reside. You make my point again – Sydney is not a conservative values legislator and that is likely why she gets glowing reviews out of Vermillion.
I imagine that declaring one’s self to be the most conservative will fly as well in Vermillion as well as it does in Brookings. But moreso than that, who told you to go hard negative from the onset instead of spending that time and money building name ID? It’s getting the cart before the horse, and just not a winning strategy.
(lecture time..). I’ve written about this for a long time.. https://dakotawarcollege.com/so-was-this-past-primary-a-conservative-wave-in-the-gop-no-it-was-a-campaigning-wave/
In the Know-Like-Trust test, with two candidates, all things being equal, they’ll vote for the candidate they know, over the one they don’t. If they know them both, they’ll vote for the one they like. And if they like them both, they’ll cast a ballot for the one they trust.
The know-like-trust test means that voters have to actually know you before they make a decision whether they like you. If their only exposure is someoene trashing someone else, well, that’s not very likable, is it? Name ID comes first and foremost before you can even think of dinging someone.
Just my 2 cents worth after doing this for 35 years.
The award for dumbest candidate in D17 goes to Mr. Church for replying to a blog post. Shows he definitely is not ready for prime time. Go back to the baby pool Jeff. Start listening to D17 voters and their actually concerns. Maybe you will be more in touch with your voters.
Actual *
That’s saying something given that one of the candidates, Robin Schiro, is currently sitting in the Clay County jail.
Thank you for your not well-reasoned thought. Also, I appreciate your support of veterans, like me, who served 30 years active duty in the Army and did 5 combat tours protecting you and defending our Constitution. I hear from D17 voters all the time. I assure you, the deep end is just fine for me.
The dems don’t run against Sydney Davis because they know they will lose. So will Church.
Jeff doesn’t understand the role of a legislator at all. Sydney doesn’t waste her time chasing Internet issues like he does and focuses on real ones that affect her district and South Dakota. When you serve as a state legislator, you represent the ~27,000 people who live in your district, not just the echo chamber or online conspiracy bubble you live in. Sydney understands this better than Jeff ever could, and that’s why she is still the right person to represent District 17 in the SD Senate.