Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Talking to people in Minnehaha County – there is a lot churning through the rumor mill of local level politics.

SUPPOSEDLY… the word tonight is that what people are calling the “Jennifer Foss” faction of the Minnehaha GOP, including Tom Pischke, Bridget Myers and Marsha Symens, are said to be planning an attempt to oust the current Minnehaha County GOP Chairman Korry Petterson by a secret/procedural agenda item addition to this evening’s meeting.  Hence the cryptic notation in the Minnehaha County GOP status update earlier today that “there exists no provision for the executive board to remove a county chairman – NONE.”

The special election tonight is to replace the treasurer who resigned, and I’m told the Foss faction is making things miserable enough that the Secretary may be looking at resigning as well.. possibly making it 2 officials who have left in the few months since their election where Foss was completely ousted and denied the chairmanship, despite doing her best to tell everyone the slate that had been picked.

If they think they can oust the chair, and the chair disagrees that kind of puts things in question.

But – in those questions when one group says “I’m in charge” and another group claims that same title, it’s the State GOP Chair who gets to recognize who is the real chair. And I’m told that Petterson supported Eschenbaum for chair where the other faction supported Ezra Hays for chair.

So, you can guess how that’s going to go.

—-

Speaking of the 32 year Democrat and Obama supporter who now chairs the SDGOP, literally at the very last possible moment on top of the 5-day deadline to do so the state GOP announced an organizational meeting for the Jones County GOP where they are organizing and electing officers (Saturday, May 17th at 11:00AM, Central time, at Covered Wagon, 507 Kennedy Ave., Murdo, SD.).

I mean,  why wait until the past possible second to announce a meeting, unless you were trying to prevent people from showing up to participate?  It used to be that notice in the paper was required, as well as there being a longer notice period in order to give all Republicans an opportunity to take part.

But not in this version of the GOP.  You’d almost think they were doing their best to make sure the fix was in.  You would almost think.

—-

Today I heard this anecdote after someone was commenting under another post about Dave Roetman, the week-long ND GOP Executive Director, and questioning his continued involvement with the Ripple Effect group he and Adam Broin put together in Sioux Falls to try to oust incumbents.

So, after catching that, I did a little calling, and the rumor that was passed on to me was that about the time of the Doeden thing with the Ripple chip group last week, the board of the group went to chair Adam Broin, and related that either they needed to go, or Roetman did. And the choice was for Roetman. And they were said to have all quit.

Again – this is just as has come to me through the rumor mill, so take it with a grain of salt – the next day or soon thereafter, I’m told the president changed his mind, and reversed himself. And now supposedly Roetman is out, further highlighting the instability and factionalism of the hard right in the Sioux Falls political scene.

If you think about it, the group formed to take out incumbents may have just taken out one of their own organization’s incumbents. Just a little irony there.

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And this seems like a good time to plug the Republican Roundtable organization in Sioux Falls, which hosts a monthly Sioux Falls luncheon of future-minded, solutions-focused Republicans, as opposed to the goofball antics of the Minnehaha GOP.  It’s a reminder that there are still good Republicans out there who connect with community leaders – who themselves are willing to be involved with good groups who advocate for the common good.

As opposed to goofballs who worry about jet contrails, election conspiracies and themselves and will ultimately cost us elections in the long run.

Stay tuned.

Thune Joins My View with Lara Trump

 “There is a great unity. President Trump and his team, Speaker Johnson in the House, Senate Republicans, realize that if we’re going to use this two years for our majorities – hopefully four – to the ultimate advantage, we’ve got to be able to work together in a way that enables us to get a lot of that agenda across the finish line.” 

Click here or on the picture to watch the video.

 WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Fox News’ My View with Lara Trump.

Right after posting a canned message sending lots of love on Mother’s Day, late last night the Minnehaha County GOP got back to doing what they do best; providing endless entertainment by their infighting:

“The actions of rogue Executive Board members, including the Vice Chair, State Committeeman and State Committeewoman, in attempting to duplicitously sideline or undermine the County Chairman are not only procedurally improper but are also deeply damaging to the reputation of the Republican Party in our county and across the state. This wrongful behavior reflects a blatant disregard for both the rule of law as set forth in our bylaws and is an affront to the will of the Central Committee. Such divisive, misguided and power-driven conduct is unbecoming of our party’s leadership. If this continues unchecked, it will erode the trust of South Dakota Republicans and tarnish the integrity of our organization in the eyes of those we are supposed to serve.”

“We therefore respectfully call-on the elected Executive Board members to immediately end the repeated efforts to wrongfully undermine Chairman Petterson and his efforts to establish a functional board as we continue to move forward into the 2026 election cycle.”

In other words, the chair controls the social media, and he’s in a big old cat-fight with the Vice Chair, the Committeeman and Committeewoman… And they aren’t going to get a darn thing done, as part of the Minnehaha County GOP’s standard operating procedure.
Speaking of catfights, one of the commenters under a previous post was noting an item about the Patriot Ripple chip group:

Came to the comments to see if anything was said about patriot ripple; I guess they had an emergency meeting before the event with Toby and have all change of leadership?

So, looks like that organization is in complete upheaval as well.

Never a dull moment in Sioux Falls politics.

From the internet, it looks like Toby Doeden thinks May 28th will be his day to “scowl at South Dakota,”  as he and internet provocateur Laura Loomer are blasting messages out this morning that he has an announcement coming up in Aberdeen on May 28th in Wylie Park:

In this clip, Doeden sent Laura Loomer a video clip of himself pacing back and forth in front of the podium, avoiding eye contact with the crowd at the Patriot ripple chip & dip group last night, as he – 4% Doeden – seeks to dash the hopes of 2% Jon Hansen to capture the mantle of the hard right in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

South Dakota businessman @TobyForSD had a meeting with grassroots leaders this week where he told them he will be holding a “Major Event” on May 28th to layout his vision for South Dakota.

Toby Doeden has been an outspoken supporter of President Trump. He has long been rumored… https://t.co/cnM4IZM5l1 pic.twitter.com/qFtlGFm1qA

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 9, 2025

Stay tuned.

While not unwelcome, kind of unexpected. The College of Cardinals has selected an American to become the next pope:

Pope Leo XIV, the American Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you” in his first words as pope, offering a message of peace and dialogue “without fear.”

From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, history’s first American pope recalled he was an Augustinian priest, but that he was above all a Christian and a bishop, “So we can all walk together.”

Read the breaking news here.

 

More on the new leader of the planet’s 1.41 Billion Catholics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

 

Well, that was quick.   Headline this morning..

South Dakota GOP Central Committee insisting on a really futile and stupid gesture; intends to try to influence floundering US Atty appointment for Washington DC.

Headline this afternoon:

Trump Withdraws U.S. Attorney Nominee, Whose Extremism Tested Limits for G.O.P. Senators

Maybe next time they’ll think twice before jumping on board the extreme-right cause du jour.

Hot off the press, and courtesy of a reader, the 2025 Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce legislative scorecard is out noting how legislators representing the Sioux Empire have (or have not) represented business growth and jobs in their community during the last session.  And while a number of them are good and want to keep their community growing.. a number of them are just awful.

As noted in the accompanying article in the Sioux Falls Chamber Newsletter:

A core value of Chamber membership is knowing your business has a strong, informed voice in Pierre. The Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce works year-round to advocate for policies that support business success and community growth. Throughout the legislative session, we engage directly with lawmakers, provide guidance on keyissues and communicate with members about how legislation could affect their businesses.

Each year, the Chamber compiles a Legislative Scorecard to help members understand how Sioux Falls-area legislators voted on key bills during the session. These are the bills where the Chamber took a formal position, based on the legislative platform set by the Issues Management Council (IMC) and approved by the Board of Directors.

and..

The Scorecard is not an evaluation of any individual lawmaker.  It serves as a factual record of how legislators voted on issues important to the Chamber, its members and the Sioux Falls business community.

The scorecard will be available at siouxfallschamber.com. BUT, since we have the hard copy – here’s how the scores went down:

In the State Senate, Senator Tom Pischke was the worst supporter of business in the community, receiving a 22% score, which was the lowest among the Senate members representing the Sioux Falls area. But if you think he’s bad, hang on..

In the House of Representatives, State Representatives Bethany Soye and Aaron Aylward voted against business an incredible 89% of the time.  In fact, the lowest scoring Democrat legislators reviewed on the scorecard – Erin Healy, Erik Muckey & Kadyn Wittman all tied, and scored 78% HIGHER than Soye or Aylward, and were noted for their support of economic growth.

Equally surprising, this scorecard also noted that Gubernatorial Candidate Jon Hansen and his running mate Karla Lems voted against growth, development and innovation 78% of the time, tying Tom Pischke on the scorecard for voting to support business only 22% of the time.

Getting by the people who failed to make the mark, big props for supporting business go to Senator Steve Kolbeck, as well as Representatives Amber Arlint, Keri Weems and David Kull for having 100% perfect scores and actually walking the walk when people talk about the state being Open for Business. Good job guys.

In their review of the session, the Sioux Falls Chamber noted some of the mountains it faced dealing with the 2025 legislature:

Unfortunately, a number of important pro-growth initiatives fell short of reaching the Governor’s desk. This outcome points to a broader challenge. We must continue building support and educating our elected officials that addressing growth and promoting development and innovation are essential to making South Dakota great.

and..

South Dakota has long prided itself on being “Open for Business.” To maintain that standing, we must continue to support policies that foster innovation, development and opportunity.

Amen. Either South Dakota is Open for Business – and we welcome the jobs, economic stability and a growing tax base to alleviate the burden on property owners. Or we don’t.

Again, you can find the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce at SiouxFallsChamber.com

Former 32-year Democrat and South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Jim Eschenbaum blasted out a message to the SDGOP Central Committee yesterday to try to whip up the troops to weirdly try to pressure Senator Thune on the appointment of a controversial US Attorney for the District of Columbia who seems dead on arrival, one who even President Trump is scooting away from.

This e-mail blast to drag the SDGOP into fully embracing the fringe went out at about 4pm, so I had it within the hour. :

From: Jim Eschenbaum <chair@sdgop.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 5:50 PM
To: State Central Committee <statecentral.com@sdgop.com>
Subject: Nominee for U.S. Attorney

Good afternoon State Central Committee members,

This comes to my attention from Aurora County State Committeeman, Ryan Olson, about the urgency of getting President Trump’s appointee Ed Martin confirmed to the position of U.S. Attorney for DC. And how the voice of the SD GOP can help push Senator Thune to make this happen. Ryan has shared the top reasons that we need to support Ed’s nomination, and also a draft letter to Senator Thune.

Hey Jim, We have 14 days to get this done!

The top reasons why we should Support Ed Martin’s Nomination. 

1. He was Nominated by Donald J. Trump.
2. He represented the Jan. 6 political prisoners at a great risk to his own career proving he has integrity.
3. As Interam Attorney fired crooked career prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 cases.
4. He has Sent letters announcing Inquiries into Democratic senators for obvious cases of inciting violence including;  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).”
5. He has questioned whether president Biden issued lawful pardons in his final days in office.
6. He sent Georgetown Law School a letter over the illegality of its DEI program.
7. On his podcast has spent an abundant amount of time planning to get to the bottom of the bombs placed on Jan. 6.
8. He is being blocked by Thom Thilis who said “He can’t support anyone who Helped J6’ers since they are all criminals fighting cops” which we know to be an explicitly untrue statement.
9. The US Attorney for DC can investigate, and hinder Trump and all of Trump’s cabinet offices not limited to Cash Patel in the FBI. Pam Bondi has AG, and all other cabinet offices based in DC.
10. This office was a major source of leaks during the Russia Collusion Hoax.
11. If not confirmed, Anti Trump Judge Boasberg will get to pick the Attorney for DC. He has proven to be against the America First movement and will most likely pick an anti Trump attorney with TDS.
12. South Dakota Republican Party
    Date: [Insert Date]

The Honorable John Thune
Senate Majority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader Thune,

On behalf of the South Dakota Republican Party, we write to express our strong support for the nomination of Ed Martin as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

We are deeply concerned by the unjust and politically motivated obstruction of his nomination by Senator Thom Tillis, who, in coordination with Senator Adam Schiff, appears to be working deliberately to delay or derail this process. This kind of interference is not only unwarranted, and it is unacceptable coming from the president’s own party.

As the Majority Leader and a representative of South Dakota, we respectfully urge you to reflect the values of our state’s Republican Party—a grassroots-driven organization committed to principled leadership—by issuing a public statement of support for Mr. Martin’s nomination. Additionally, we ask that you use any authority and procedural tools at your disposal as Majority Leader to ensure this nomination proceeds without further obstruction.

We are confident that with your leadership, the Senate can move swiftly to confirm Mr. Martin and place a capable, principled professional in this critical position.

Sincerely,
SD GOP
[First Last,  Office or Position Held]

 If there are no complaints against sending this letter by Sunday night, I will polish it up and send it to Senator Thune.
                    Jim Eschenbaum
                    SD GOP Chaiman

If by polish it up, he means run spell check, that’s the first place to start. (Interam?) THey may also want to replace “Jan. 6 Political Prisoners“, with “insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol Building and sent the Senate into lockdown.” That might be a start.

It seems that this whole “pressure Senator Thune” effort is not without controversy among the Central Committee. Apparently there has been chatter among the Central Committee members with regards to the propriety of this whole push by the chairman wanting to put pressure on Majority Leader Thune:

Clay County GOP Chair Matthew Fairholm actually seems to have a good handle on the role of the party noting “The SDGOP Should be concerned with fundraising and electing Republicans in state and local elections. Not with lobbying efforts on policy positions… When we lose focus on our core mission, we gradually disintegrate as a party.”  (Give that man a gold star!).

But of course, there are those who insist on dragging the party back towards stupidity.

From Stu Cvrk, one of the architects at the center of the SDGOP’s current wave of toxicity disagrees, claiming that these efforts bolster “support for the state party by engaging in political action that most Republicans in the state support.”  Which make me wonder if the bubble he’s living in is filled with airplane model glue fumes or something like that. Since just about every one of the 321,318 Republicans in the state could absolutely care less. In fact, he might be stretching it if 318 people in group cared.

As one Republican quipped to me  – “This whole thing is stupid. Senator Thune can’t force Senator Tillis to do anything. If these idiots want to write a letter, then the should send it to Tillis. It makes as much sense as complaining to Thune that it’s raining outside and we need our US Senator to make it stop.”

This whole effort reminds me of a movie quote:  “I think this situation requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. And we’re just the guys to do it. – Animal House”

And that’s about what it appears the SDGOP hopes to accomplish.

As related on KELOLand.com, there is an odd chain of events where Senate President Pro Tem Chris Karr has apparently stripped Senator Helene Duhamel of a seat on the Capitol Restoration Commission that she had previously bees serving on, and replaced her with himself.

And then, of course, he didn’t bother to figure out when the meeting was and then actually go to the meeting. Because it was someone else’s job to tell him when the meeting was?:

Republican Sen. Helene Duhamel has received an official letter telling her that she no longer has a seat on the Capitol Complex Restoration and Beautification Commission.

Taking her place is Republican Sen. Chris Karr.  The same man who, as the Senate’s president pro tem, happens to hold the authority under state law to decide who among the Senate’s 35 members should be on the commission.

and..

The letter surprised Duhamel. She said Karr never called her. As to why he chose himself, she can only guess.

and..

“I wasn’t at the meeting because I hadn’t been notified that, because normally when you appoint, you get this e-mail letter saying, Hey, you’re on this thing and here’s what it is and here’s what it’s going to be, and I never received that,” Karr said.

Read the entire story here.

You know, I have every confidence Helene would have been there, had Karr not usurped the appointment for himself.  And would have looked up when the meeting was being held, as opposed to needing a letter.

If you’re not familiar, the meeting time, date and locations are listed in the South Dakota Register, the Boards and Commissions website, etc.

Just to add to the tongue wagging over what might happen in 2026, someone recently purchased “JackleyForCongress.com”