Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Retiring Lobbyist David Owen is profiled in South Dakota Searchlight, and in his twilight years of promoting the interests of industry and commerce in Pierre is noting that the Capitol is a much more hostile place than it used to be:

Owen said Pierre’s deeply divided political environment, particularly among Republicans, is one where policy debates turn personal. He describes it as “a cancer in the system.”

“We used to have battles, take the vote, then go on and see each other at dinner. Those days are gone,” Owen said.

and..

This year, I was talking to some of the freshmen legislators who had never served before….

…I heard more about concerns about “society” and how they thought they could help straighten out “the culture” by being in the Legislature. That’s a big task. That brings you to introducing things like school vouchers. That brings you to thinking the Ten Commandments in every classroom will help structure a moral code that will solve some of these social problems.

Read the entire story here.

District 32 State Senator Helene Duhamel is one of the nicest people in state politics. Unfortunately, 32 years after beating cancer a first time, she is facing a battle against cancer again.

Please keep Helene in your prayers as she and her family face this once again, as well hope for the best.

You know, this doesn’t sounds like anything the nuns taught us at St. Joe’s in Pierre, as some of the fringe hard right celebrates the death of the pope claiming it will signal “the end of the corruption of the Catholic church over the 20th century.”  

Who in their right mind thinks like this?

CNN is reporting that former Governor Kristi Noem was a victim to a thief in a DC restaurant this weekend, as her purse was stolen:

The Secret Service, which provides security for Noem, reviewed security camera footage at the restaurant and saw an unknown white male wearing a medical mask steal her bag and leave the restaurant.

The thief got away with Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks, and about $3,000 in cash, the law enforcement source said.

Read the entire story here.

I would not want to be that guy when they catch up to him.  And a good reminder to be on your guard in that town, as Washington DC is a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Thune Statement on Pope Francis

 “He dedicated himself to spreading the Good News with joy, and he will be remembered as a humble servant of God and a man of great compassion for those in need.”

 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement:

 “Pope Francis led a life of faithful witness to the Gospel,” said Thune. “He dedicated himself to spreading the Good News with joy, and he will be remembered as a humble servant of God and a man of great compassion for those in need. May he rest in peace and receive his reward.”

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The worst kept secret of the 2026 campaign is coming up for announcement this week on 4/24, as Jon Hansen and Karla Lems have vaguely promised a political announcement (parroting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign slogan of “stronger together”), at exactly the same time that they put up a link to an adedot campaign website that says that they’re running for Governor & Lt Governor:

Digging down a bit further, if you launch into the website, we notice some.. weirdness:

Check amount $25, $50, etc is pretty normal. But then we get into $5000 and $10,000 “maximum per election cycle? “That’s not the campaign finance limit for statewide candidates. No, not at all. Where on earth are they getting that?

If you go to the Secretary of State’s website, they even have a little chart which lays it out:

That’s $4000. As Arch Beal would say – Whoa Whoa Whoa!  Where are they getting the $5,000 and $10,000 from that they’re soliciting for. Well, you have to go to the bottom of the web page. And you get the explanation:

This is not a state gubernatorial campaign committee that they’re slapping their names on and using to run for office. They’re running as Hansen/Lems for Governor, but donations are being routed directly to a Political Action Committee.  They’re entirely skipping over a regular campaign committee that you or I would use, and the mechanism they are using to raise funds for their gubernatorial campaign right out of the gate is a PAC who can take far bigger checks:

That’s where they are getting the 10k limits from. In fact, they even state it on their donation website.. The People First PAC solely supports the Hansen Lems 2026 election campaign.   Well, that’s sneaky.

Hansen & Lems seem to be skipping the basic campaign committee entirely for the purpose of raking in higher amounts of cash then they could normally take from individuals – $10,000 a person, versus $4000. In fact, it appears that they don’t even have a regular campaign committee set up at this time.

Given this focus on wealthy donors, maybe their slogan needs a little editing. Instead of “Stronger Together,” it should be “Wealthy Donor PACs are Stronger Together?”

Or something like this..

 

A Prayer for Our State and Nation
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
April 18, 2025

We’re at the Easter holiday. It’s a great holiday to celebrate traditions with family and loved ones. I remember when I was a child, the day before Easter we would dye eggs that we’d just gathered from the chicken coop. You rarely see real eggs at Easter egg hunts anymore! To this day, my wife Sandy hides Easter baskets outside for everyone to find – adults included.

But Easter is about far more than just egg hunts, good food, and time with loved ones. As I write this column, it’s Good Friday, the day that we reflect on our Savior’s sacrifice for the entire world. Easter comes in a few days to reflect on our Savior’s resurrection.

I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a prayer for our state and nation, particularly for the leaders who serve in positions of public service. If you’ll join me in prayer:

Dear Savior Jesus Christ,

About 2,000 years ago, the government of one of the most powerful empires in history sent you to the cross.

Today, Christians across the world reflect on your sacrifice for us that day: Good Friday. And we celebrate that which is to come this Sunday: Easter, when you rose from the grave and conquered death.

Lord, you bestow an incredible trust on those of us who serve our people in Government.

In 1 Peter 2:13, you tell us to “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority.”

You also share countless examples in your Scriptures of what it means to be a good ruler – or a bad one. Give us the wisdom to know the difference.

Give us the insight to follow that path that will make us good leaders of your people. Give us the knowledge to make the best possible decisions for those that we lead. And when these gifts fail – give us the humility to trust in your will – not our own.

Be with President Donald J. Trump, our congressional delegation, and our state legislators. Be with the leaders in our cities, counties, and communities. And Lord, I ask that you be with me, with Lieutenant Governor Venhuizen, and with our whole administration.

All authority comes from you. So help us to exercise our authority as you would – for the good of your people.

In your name we pray – Amen.

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If you’re looking for something to fill part of your Saturday with, and you’re in the Sioux Falls area, come check out the Comic & Toy show from 10am – 5pm at the Ramkota Exhibit hall, where you’re sure to see something your parents threw out after you moved out:

Since I’m trying to downsize in preparation for a move out to the Hills in 2026, I’m going to be one of the vendors hawking my wares to try to reduce the amount of my “stuff.”

I don’t really need that old ’70’s Star Trek action figure set in the box that I thought was nifty, but picking that kind of thing up in my travels is symptomatic of being brought up by an antique shop owner/auctioneer.

The 2016 Donald Trump “Road to the White House” bobblehead isn’t something I’m going to display on my mantel either, so that and the other speculative buys can also get cleared out of my closet.

Used to be when I was being drug along by my mom to look at collections to buy or doing personal property auction sales, she would get excited when we got to sell someone’s collection of Hummel figurines. I can’t say that I feel the same way about ceramic figures.

Anymore, those have become a meme for the stuff people don’t want to inherit.

People nowadays are mainly after items they remember fondly from their own childhood.  For example – one of my holy grails – at one point my antique-dealing mother traded our jukebox (as pictured on the left) for a roll-top desk.  Yes. She traded the UFO bubble top  jukebox we had in the basement & played with (in perfect working order) for an antique oak roll-top desk, which she later sold.

Fast forward 45 years, I know which one I would prefer to have. The family jukebox actually did come up on an auction estate sale about 10-15 years ago, but I wasn’t so flush with cash at the moment I was going to drive to Pierre to unsuccessfully bid on as it cruised past $1000 or more. *sigh.*

But, that’s why people go to shows like this to seek out the stuff they used to have. It reminds them of the less complicated days of their youth. It’s nostalgia for simpler times.

So, if you’re looking or something to do tomorrow, don’t mind a blast from the past for the things you used to have as a kid, and get to see how much that thing was that mom threw out is worth now; come check out my booth as well as all the other vendors at the Sioux Falls Comic & Toy Show tomorrow (Saturday) from 10-4 at the Ramkota Event center.

Guest Column: A message from the interns
for Congressman Dusty Johnson

Jolene

Yá’át’ééh shik’éí dóó shidine’é, shi éí Jolene Anderson yíníshyé. Hello! My name is Jolene Anderson, and I had the privilege of interning in Dusty Johnson’s office as his Ben Reifel intern this semester. The Ben Reifel Internship is an ode to the legacy of Congressman Ben Reifel, the first Lakota member of Congress who represented South Dakota in the 1960s.

When I began this internship, I had no idea what to expect, but my goal was clear: I wanted to advocate for tribal communities. Looking back, I am happy to say that I’ve met that goal and gained a clearer understanding of what I want to do in the future.

During my internship, I answered constituent calls, wrote memos, attended meetings, and more. As a Ben Reifel intern, my responsibilities were more specialized to tribal affairs. A highlight of my internship was attending a hearing with Dusty entitled, “Leaving Indian Children Behind: Reviewing the State of Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools.”

I was encouraged to research the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis. This issue is close to my heart, and it was both challenging and motivating to explore gaps in current legislation. This experience has taught me the importance of well-crafted legislation and maintaining strong partnerships with tribes.

I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and will carry this experience with me as I navigate my future career.

Mark

When I applied for an internship in Dusty’s office, I never imagined how impactful it would be. As a first-generation American from Huron and a member of the Karen community, this experience has been a powerful reminder of the American Dream. Through hard work, faith, and perseverance, I’ve seen how anyone—regardless of where they come from—can contribute meaningfully to this country.

Growing up in a refugee family, I witnessed the challenges of starting over—language barriers, cultural differences, and limited opportunity. But I also saw the importance of personal responsibility, education, and strong family values. My parents taught me that freedom must be earned through hard work and giving back. That principle has shaped my journey at the University of South Dakota, where I’m studying criminal justice.

Interning in Dusty’s office has been an incredible privilege. I’ve attended briefings, drafted memos, and assisted constituents, gaining a firsthand understanding of public service. I’ve been surrounded by principled leaders who believe in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and putting South Dakota values first.

A defining moment came when I became a U.S. citizen this February. Taking the oath of allegiance, while interning in Congress, was one of the proudest moments of my life. Throughout this internship, I’ve worked on issues that matter to me: education, family, and economic opportunity.

From arriving in the U.S. without knowing a word of English to working on Capitol Hill, this internship has strengthened my resolve to serve others and protect the freedoms that make America a beacon of hope. I am proud to have represented South Dakota and leave this experience with a deepened commitment to faith, family, and freedom.

Johnson with interns Jolene and Mark

The SDGOP might have been sweating it until a couple of Trump related donations came through.  But they’re not out of the woods.. because once again, nobody from South Dakota wants to give them any coin.

April FEC SDGOP 2025 by Pat Powers on Scribd

Starting with $49,250 cash on hand, the party received a transfer of $28,084.25 in April as part of a JFC (Joint Fundraising Committee) transfer.. but we’ll see if that’s money they get to keep, or have to pass on in it’s entirety in the next reporting period.

The big number to watch is how much came from rank & file donors. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.   They reported NO contributions.  I realize the chair doesn’t care about details like raising money, because he’s so busy slapping at the party’s elected officials.

Accordingly, that’s what they did. They raised NO money.

Otherwise, the SDGOP had $8492.97 in expenses in the federal account. And that might be a problem. When you raise no money, you still have expenses. Right now, they’re left with $68,841.29 cash on hand, depending how much has to go back to the Trump campaign.

At some point, the bill collectors are going to catch up with them and the rainy day fund is going to run dry.  The question is when?