*Insert spit take here*
I about fell out of my chair this afternoon. After 44 days of seemingly being frozen in place, it appears that the Steve Haugaard for Governor campaign actually did something that could be construed to be campaign activity.
In the Argus yesterday, Governor Noem took a hard shot at Haugaard for “misogyny for delaying anti-transgender sports bill,” and…
The Noem campaign specifically noted allegations levied against Haugaard during his time as House Speaker, including an instance when he attempted to restrict access to the House floor by a lobbyist who’d publicly disparaged House conservatives. Desilets statement also brought attention to media reports in 2019 that alleged Haugaard attempted to impose a dress code for female legislators.
Haugaard, however, vehemently denies the latter ever happened.
And in further response to the allegations, Team Haugaard woke from a month and a half of their apparent hibernation, and issued a press statement:
Steve Haugaard responds to the attack against his character that was issued today from Kristi Noem’s campaign team.
“There she goes again. Our gaslighter-in-chief, in a fit of textbook projection, is accusing me of holding up the girls’ sports bill currently being debated in the state legislature,” Haugaard said. “The truth is, as everyone knows, that she is the one who vetoed a better bill than this last year. She’s the one who left our daughters unprotected for the past year.”
“Last April, Tucker Carlson effectively ended Kristi Noem’s presidential aspirations when he called attention to the fact that she was not being truthful about the fact that she vetoed a bill that would have protected girls’ sports in South Dakota. She knows she made a huge mistake with that veto, when she caved to her corporate donors, siding with them against the people who voted for her. She’s desperate to fix that mistake.”
“Governor Noem has a history of having trouble telling the truth. In accusing me of having an ‘anti-women agenda,’ and blocking this bill, she is projecting, deflecting, and ultimately, lying. Moreover, she’s using the same tired rhetoric that Hillary Clinton used to smear Donald Trump.”
“We in the legislature are trying to make sure a good bill gets passed, just like it got passed last year. Hopefully, this time, she’ll actually sign it.”
Steve Haugaard is the state representative for House District 10 and former Speaker of the House. He is running to replace Kristi Noem as governor of the great state of South Dakota. More about Steve can be found at his website, www.stevehaugaard.com.
The Haugaard campaign posted the statement, trying to deflect impressions that some have regarding Haugaard’s tenure as speaker. Such as the time he went after Municipal League Lobbyist Yvonne Taylor, and the other time when it’s said he was requiring women to have sleeves, nylons, and skirts of a certain length.
Is this the start of regular campaign activity on the part of the Haugaard campaign? Will the campaign be emerging from its burrow on this day? Or will it go back into hibernation for 6 more weeks because it saw its shadow?
Stay tuned.
An interesting angle of this election cycle is as a moratorium on whether South Dakota rank and file value money more than substance on issues.
I think Noem has a much bigger political attack surface than she could have had .. it was painful to watch because I think she has a lot of potential.
Good luck to both of them.
Going to make some popped corn.
Of course.
The two of them squabbling over a problem that doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, another nine South Dakotans DIED just today. From a real threat. Maybe someone should tell them.
What is Haugaard’s vision for SD? He votes no on everything, so it’s hard to know what he is for…
Last year’s women’s sports bill stunk and he knows it. They wrote it to make a mess.
The practice of crafting bills just to shit on the Governor’s desk needs to stop.
This year they have an anti-vaccine mandate bill which removes the statute of limitations for liability, as if any governor would ever sign THAT.
Noem drags all opponents into the slime she loves. Think of the dirt she piled on Marty and Billy. Now Steve gets the muck treatment.