Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Celebrating American Strength
By Congressman Dusty Johnson

BIG Update

Our founding fathers made history by declaring independence from Britain. On Friday—Independence Day—we proudly celebrate 249 years since the famous declaration that established a nation of freedom and strength.

In the heart of America, Mount Rushmore represents these core principles. I’m glad fireworks will return next year, lighting up the sky above the monument in celebration of 250 years of our great country.

As you spend time with family and friends this weekend, I wish you a safe and enjoyable 4th of July.

 

BIG Idea

I introduced the Protection of Women in Sports at Military Academies Act to prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports at our nation’s military service academies. Riley Gaines agrees with me—the United States military service academies should set the example for fairness and integrity. Service academies should remain focused on military readiness—not radical gender policies.

Click here  for Fox News’s article on my bill

BIG News

House and Senate Republicans worked hard to deliver real wins for the American people by getting the One Big Beautiful Bill to President Trump’s desk. Our bill prevents the largest tax increase for American families in U.S. history, secures our southern border, and is a meaningful step in getting government spending under control.

House Republicans strengthened welfare programs like SNAP and Medicaid to ensure the most needy will be able to receive these benefits for generations to come. One of the ways to preserve the integrity of the programs is by enforcing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents.

There are many parts of the One Big Beautiful Bill that haven’t been making headlines. For example, it makes historic investments in our air traffic control system, boosts agricultural trade, supports American farmers, and unleashes domestic production of energy and critical minerals.

The One Big Beautiful Bill isn’t perfect, but it helps everyday Americans by putting in place no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, tax cuts for seniors, all while ensuring individuals and businesses don’t see a near 25% tax hike at the end of the year.

Rooted in Freedom
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
July 4, 2025

Independence Day marks a pivotal moment in American History. On a summer day 249 years ago, inside Independence Hall, our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and declared liberty from tyranny. Their Declaration confirms that liberty is not a privilege, but a right given by our Creator. This day is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the American spirit – and of American freedom.

The words of the Declaration of Independence remain true to this day: “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Here in South Dakota, those freedoms are especially evident. South Dakota is the freest state in a nation founded on the principle of freedom – our Founding Fathers would be proud.

In one short year, our country will celebrate its 250th birthday. South Dakota will lead this celebration with fireworks at Mount Rushmore. I remember when South Dakota used to hold Independence Day fireworks at Mount Rushmore every year. There is a very tall hill near my ranch, and I used to drive up to the top of that hill, get my binoculars, and watch the fireworks go off at Mount Rushmore!

We are working closely with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to bring back that tradition and throw the biggest party ever for America’s 250th birthday! I have invited President Trump to commemorate with us. It will be a celebration of not only our nation’s rich history, but who we are becoming.

As we take part in festivities this Independence Day, we remember what makes the United States and South Dakota strong, safe, and free. America was built on a vision, and South Dakota is the epitome of just that.

We’re thriving – and we’re leading. Our economy is strong, our communities are safe, and our future is definitely Open for Opportunity. Our state proves day in and day out that the principles of freedom and liberty are alive and well. And we never take that for granted. We will continue to work hard to maintain and celebrate it. Because we know that freedom isn’t just a word, but a way of life.

As our communities celebrate America’s birthday, the spirit of freedom will be on full display across South Dakota. While we enjoy these celebrations, I hope we all take a moment to appreciate the freedom and opportunity that God has given us – and the sacrifices made by so many to keep it.

The birth of America was brought about by brave men and women who had the courage to fight for their freedom. They stood up for what they believed in. They ensured that their kids and grandkids could live in a country full of freedom and opportunity. Thanks to their courage and bravery, we are able to live our lives in the same way. And as Governor, I work hard every day to make sure the citizens of South Dakota can experience freedom and opportunity for generations to come.

In South Dakota, we don’t shy away from hard work. We don’t wait for others to lead. We live by our faith and stand on the principles that have made our country great for the past two hundred and forty-nine years. Families helping families, and neighbors helping neighbors, is something South Dakota excels at. I ask everyone to keep extending that helping hand when our communities face hardship. It’s what holds our great state together during tough times.

Sandy and I hope you celebrate this Fourth of July with family, fireworks, apple pie, and lots of red, white, and blue! Happy Independence Day, and may God bless the United States of America.

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Guest Column: Why South Dakota Can Never Have its Own ‘BBB’
by Thomas E. Simmons

President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” in fact, boasts a much more technical title: it is the bill “To Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.” It is something like 1,000 pages in length and contains numerous unrelated subjects including everything from tax relief to border security and Medicaid eligibility.

For better or worse, South Dakota will never see any state legislation (or constitutional amendment) which approximates the Big Beautiful Bill on account of a state constitutional prohibition. South Dakota bills can’t be too big. It’s a rule – the “single subject rule.”

Article 23 of South Dakota’s Constitution contains the single subject rule. It speaks to state constitutional amendments and it provides that ‘‘no proposed amendment may embrace more than one subject”

A similar rule (contained in Article 3) imposes the same limitation with regards to legislative bills: “No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title.”

As readers of the South Dakota War College know, South Dakota allows a limited form of direct democracy with its initiative and referendum procedures. Voters can propose new laws, repeal old ones, and even amend the state constitution. The current form of Article 23’s single subject rule was itself the product of a voter-initiated constitutional amendment in 2018.

What is the idea behind the single-subject rule? Its purpose is to prevent “logrolling.” As the South Dakota Supreme Court explained in a 1937 decision, anti-logrolling “is intended to prevent the bringing together in one act of subjects having no necessary connection or relation with each other, to guard the Legislature and persons affected by the Law against surprise and imposition.”

In 2020, the voters of South Dakota were presented with an amendment (“Amendment A”) to the South Dakota Constitution. Amendment A, if approved, would add a new article – Article 30 – to the Constitution. It addressed the legalization and regulation of marijuana. The voters approved it 54.2% to 45.8%.

A challenge was filed and in 2021, the South Dakota Supreme Court determined that Amendment A was unconstitutional in that it violated the single subject rule. As a result, the amendment was invalidated. The case was captioned Kevin Thom (the Sheriff of Pennington County) versus Steve Barnett (the South Dakota Secretary of State). The opinion contains the entire text of Amendment A as an appendix; the appendix runs some 5 pages.

Despite the relative brevity of Amendment A (less than half a dozen pages compared to the phone book-sized Big Beautiful Bill), our Court found that it violated the single subject rule insofar as it addressed at least two independent subjects: legalized marijuana and legalized hemp, each with a separate object or purpose.

The Court took note of the fact that legalization of marijuana addressed a substance with psychoactive properties. Hemp, however, is not psychoactive.

The Court explained:

The constitutional mandate requiring legislation to provide for “the cultivation, processing, and sale of hemp’’ has the distinct object or purpose of allowing industrial and agricultural use of a product that contains essentially no psychoactive properties… In contrast, there is no fixed maximum level of psychoactive properties for marijuana in Amendment A.

The Court even found an impermissible third subject within the text of Amendment A (medical marijuana) and hinted at a possible fourth (taxation of marijuana sales)). The proponents of Amendment A claimed that their amendment contained but a single subject – the legalization of marijuana including agricultural uses. But the Court wasn’t having it.

Interestingly, the South Dakota Supreme Court noted that it appeared that perhaps “the drafters of Amendment A folded the additional subjects of hemp and medical marijuana into this single amendment to aggregate votes and increase the chances for passage of the provisions legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana.” The fact that the voters of South Dakota rejected recreational marijuana as a single subject when presented with the option in 2022 and again in 2024 underscores the Court’s concerns. Perhaps the Amendment A sponsors had tried (unsuccessfully) to logroll us.

At any rate, for better or worse, the single subject rule ensures that South Dakota will never witness its own Big Beautiful Bill.

Thomas E. Simmons
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law
Vermilion, SD

Johnson Secures Tax Relief, Border Security, and Historic Spending Reduction

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to pass the conservative reconciliation package, the One Big, Beautiful Bill, to protect families, small businesses, and communities across America from the largest tax increase in American history. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

“After struggling with the burden of inflation for the last four years, families and businesses are desperate for tax relief, and this bill has it,” said Johnson. “Our state is counting on the provisions in this bill for extension of current tax rates to see our businesses and communities grow and thrive. This bill is pro-family, pro-small business, pro-energy, and pro-America. I’m proud to send it to President Trump’s desk.”

The three most important parts of the package:

• Avoids a historic tax hike for most Americans and businesses.
  • The bill includes no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and provides $6,000 of tax relief for seniors.
  • Without extending current tax rates, the average taxpayer in South Dakota would see a 25% tax hike.
  • Without extending current tax rates, an average South Dakota family would see a tax increase of $2,500.
  • Without extending current tax rates, 101,690 South Dakota families would see their household’s Child Tax Credit cut in half.
  • Without extending current tax rates, 94% of South Dakota taxpayers would see their guaranteed deduction slashed in half.
  • Without extending current tax rates, 88,730 South Dakota small businesses would see their tax rates surge to 40 percent.
  • Without extending current tax rates, the National Association of Manufacturers expects South Dakota would lose 17,000 jobs, $1.5 billion lost wages, and $3.1 billion lost economic output.
• Secures our borders.
  • It will complete 701 miles of primary walls, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, replace 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers, and strengthen border surveillance technology.
  • It funds “Remain in Mexico” enforcement and at least one million annual removals of illegal aliens, ensuring immigrants come to the U.S. the right way.
  • Hires thousands of Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to carry out the mission.
• Implements commonsense policies to right-size federal programs and decrease spending.
  • It saves $1.6 trillion over 10 years, the largest spending reduction in a generation.
  • It changes Medicaid eligibility for certain non-citizen alien groups, protecting the program for the neediest Americans.
  • It removes SNAP eligibility for illegal immigrants, ensuring Americans who need assistance the most receive it.
  • It removes certain non-eligible aliens from receiving Medicare benefits.
  • It enforces work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents under the age of 14 who receive SNAP or Medicaid benefits, helping to lift them out of poverty. These work requirements will not affect vulnerable populations like pregnant women, seniors, those with disabilities, or those with young children at home.

Notable Johnson priorities included:

• Incorporates Johnson’s bill, the America Works Act of 2025, by strengthening work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents receiving SNAP.
• Unleashes domestic mining of critical minerals, decreasing reliance on China.
• Provides $4.5 billion for the B-21 at the Ellsworth Air Force Base.
• Increases support for farmers facing higher costs for fuel, feed, and fertilizer due to record inflation.
• Makes long-term investments in conservation efforts that protect working lands without tying producers’ hands.
• Increases funding for trade programs so American-grown products reach more global markets.
• Prevents implementation of harmful Biden-era staffing standards for long-term care facilities.
• Prevents facilities that conduct abortions, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal Medicaid payments.
• Provides $50 billion investment in rural health care.
• Boosts defenses against foreign animal diseases that threaten our livestock and poultry industries, like New World Screwworm, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever.
• Provides historic funding for the Air Traffic Control system, which is overdue for updates.

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The candidates for 2026 are starting to stake out their territory!

Please help me welcome back the Dusty Johnson for Governor campaign to advertiser’s row, joining the Re-Election campaign for Monae Johnson for Secretary of State this week as we move forward to the 2026 election cycle. Of course, they also join our long-time friends US Senator John Thune, United States Senator Mike Rounds, the South Dakota Teenage Republicans who are once again having camp later this month, and my own Dakota Campaign Store.

I have other campaigns talking inquiring about advertising, so it’s likely to be a full plate this election. If you’re thinking of running, spots on SDWC are first some first serve, so get that ad set in stone today!

I have a number of spots open, and questions on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here. The #1 spot as well as the #2 position on the right, along with spots lower down on both sides of the page are all available.

Ads run in their position through the site, meaning they are not rotated.  As noted, advertising is available on a first-come first-served basis, and discounts are provided for extended commitments. Ads may be swapped out at no charge during the ad commitment, just give me fair warning as sometimes I’m on the road, and I always want to accommodate.

Information on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here.

Attorney General Jackley Discusses Law Enforcement Partnerships with FBI Director Kash Patel

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley discussed federal and state law enforcement partnerships last week with FBI Director Kash Patel.

“My meeting with Director Patel focused on strengthening South Dakota’s federal and state partnerships throughout the state, including Indian Country,” said Attorney General Jackley. “As a former U.S. Attorney and now Attorney General, I am committed to working with federal authorities to protect our communities and safeguard our children.”

Attorney General Jackley said the AG Office’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and South Dakota law enforcement have had a good working relationship with the FBI throughout the years.

When Attorney General Jackley was in Washington, D.C. last week, he met with the FBI Director and the White House.

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Here we go. Time for another candidate.

But maybe a ‘not so ready for prime time’ one.

Today, unsuccessful Pennington County Commission & County Auditor candidate James Biolata has announced that he’s now going to run for congress:

I hate to point out in that bio he left out a couple of more recent episodes where he was in the news for…things..

..according to the witness, a man later identified as 47-year-old James Bialota of Piedmont tried to enter the store, beating on the glass door with a cane and shouting questions at the governor.

And..

Biolata was told by police several times that he needed to leave the premises or he would be arrested. When he did not, he was arrested. The witness told NewsCenter1 that it appeared that Biolata resisted and was tased or tackled. However the police spokesman later said the bodycam video makes clear that did not happen.

Read that story here.

And the big candidate resume builder, where he shows he will take on anyone.. no matter what their age is:

James Bialota Jr. believes he was defending himself when he took down a 12-year-old boy on a Rapid City playground.

Thanks to two recent updates of South Dakota’s “stand your ground” laws, the 45-year-old was granted a pretrial “immunity hearing” to make his case. The hearings amount to a “trial before the trial” for those who make a self-defense claim.

and..

Bialota told police he “nudged” the boy’s hands down, swept his legs and stood over him. Some witnesses took a video of the incident and posted it to TikTok, capturing the profanity laced period between the takedown and police’s arrival.

The Rapid City playground where an altercation involving children and an adult male resulted in assault charges against the man, who claimed self-defense utilizing South Dakota’s “stand your ground” laws.

The video reportedly captured the father saying, in response to an inaudible statement from a witness, “I’d love to see that. I’m a combat veteran and I’ve killed.”

Read that here.

It does set him up for quite the slogan though – James will take down ‘Big Brother’ AND he guarantees to take down his little brother at the park too!

How can he lose an election running on that platform?

Attorney General Jackley Seeks Public’s Assistance in Investigation of Former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force seeks the public’s assistance in the investigation of a former Rapid City Gymnastics Coach who faces federal Child Pornography charges.

Hayden Sengua, 25, has been indicted on multiple counts involving Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Sengua worked at Just Jymnastics in Rapid City until May 2024, when his employment was terminated. He previously worked as a gymnastics coach in Oregon.

Sengua is alleged to have possessed images and videos of children in the Rapid City area whom he may have coached. The defendant is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

“We are asking members of the public, whose children have been coached by the defendant to contact us with any pertinent information,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We need to determine if any more local children may have been exploited and ensure they receive necessary care and attention.”

People with information about this case can contact the DCI at 605-394-2258.

The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Release on the case can be found here:

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