Not that I’ve ever had it read to me, but I’m sure everyone is familiar with the Miranda warning that a law enforcement officer reads when they are arresting a subject. Where they note “anything you say can and will be used against you..”
Well, when it comes to the South Dakota Republican Party as well as to an increasing number of SDGOP County groups, I’d also posit to Republican officeholders that “Anything that you PAY can and will be used against you…” in the court of public opinion this next election, if not sooner.
Why would I tell GOP Candidates to be very careful what GOP groups they support with their campaign accounts? Because a tradition of SDGOP neutrality in primaries is on the verge of completely breaking down.
And depending on who is driving the car, any money that officeholders or their supporters give to the GOP might just end up fueling the very engine working against them.
Why do I give this warning now? The South Dakota Republican Party is in the period of time where many of these groups are hosting dinners and events, so they’re on the hunt for sponsorships and cash.
In one case, I had a note today that there are some Republican county organizations who are openly saying they are going to be doing scorecards on their elected officials. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that, and given the campaign environment we’re going to be looking at this next election, I’m thinking it isn’t going to be the last. How is that neutrality on the party’s part?
In fact, if you recall new South Dakota Republican Party chairman Jim Eschenbaum‘s statement on the very onset of him beginning his campaign for the office back last November, the man in charge of everything declared up front that the party should be involved in primary elections:
Hand County Commissioner Jim Eschenbaum tried to use the word unity, but said the divide in the party can not be fixed because “we have politicians and people who are establishment players and they want to play politics” among other random words and noises that exited his voice box.
Eschenbaum spent more time attacking Sen. Thune, Governor Noem, a majority of the legislature and others, as well as declaring that the party should be involved in primary elections because that’s our wrestling match.
You can read that here.
That does not bode well for the SDGOP.
I would remind you of the incident in the last election, less than a year ago where the Yankton County GOP smashed through a longstanding tradition of party neutrality where they outrageously made a primary election donation to the Republican challenger candidate in the District 18 State Senate race against longstanding incumbent Republican Senator Jean Hunhoff:
In my memory, a county party has never endorsed a candidate in a Republican primary. However that changed last night when the Yankton County Republican party voted to provide an incentive to a candidate in the primary for State Senate, Lauren Nelson. She is running against incumbent State Senator Jean Hunhoff. The party claimed this was simply an incentive for a new candidate “as they need financial help”. However, such a contribution can only be perceived as an endorsement.
Read that here.
Those aren’t the only incidents, as I can recall another in recent years, but the difference is that traditionally, GOP Chairs were pledged and tried to maintain a sense of neutrality in primary elections while also recognizing that they have to support officeholders. Under the party’s new regime of leadership, the new chair is happy to throw that out the window, emboldening county groups to do whatever, with no consideration for the unwritten rule of primary election neutrality.
If that’s the case, then Republican officeholders need to be very wary about choosing which Republican groups to support – because not all of them are going to have their best interest in mind. And that $500 they spend on an ad in the Lincoln Day Dinner program may very well come back and be spent by the very same $500 spent by the county against the candidate who made the donation in the first place!
If candidates don’t want county parties spending money against them – Don’t give them any. It’s not everyone – I think that there are still many groups in place who still have a sense of propriety, and understand what the job of the party is. My own Brookings County GOP? I think candidates could be assured that they are not going to get into the muck of a primary, and that’s a generally safe bet.
But a county like Yankton County? Hell NO as they demonstrated in 2024. Anyone who is not nuts could very well be considered nuts if they gave them a dime.
The State GOP? Well, the chairman sets the pace of how they are going to treat candidates, and I think the chairman’s prior statement that “the party should be involved in primary elections” speaks volumes how he intends to treat officeholders. This is not likely to be a good investment for someone such as Governor Rhoden, Congressman Dusty Johnson, or Senators Thune and Rounds.
Why would Senator Rounds give them $5000 if they’re going to spend it beating him up? Because absent the State GOP committing itself to neutrality they are going to be a complete mess of partisanship for the foreseeable future.
Can they fix this impression? Sure. Put it in bylaws that they will NOT be involved in primary elections financially or through their actions. I would also demand their fidelity to supporting candidates over issues. If an officeholder or candidate is going to donate to them, they should be able to earmark that funds may or may not go towards issue advocacy. Because candidates are supposed to be their actual job. Not that they’re going to do that, but whatever. That’s a lesson they’re going to need to learn the hard way.
But in the meantime, if candidates want to ensure that their local county Republican groups are not setting them aflame, candidates and their supporters need to tread carefully. And to make sure they’re not providing the gasoline and matches.
