Author: @SoDakCampaigns

It’s a slow week, so who the Democrats are (or are not running) for constitutional office is a huge topic of discussion. And I’m amazed that even with the Democrat State Convention starting on July 8th, there is still no word of them running any candidates for office.

And really, who do they have among them who is seeking a higher profile of running for a constitutional office? Who are they going to run?  It’s not like the top of the ticket races where they say year after year “maybe we can get Billie, or Stephanie, or Brendan,” even though none of their dream team wants to move forward with a major race, much less a down-ticket affair.  With an almost unprecedented void of Democrat Candidates this election, I have this suspicion that Randy Seiler has earned a new honorary recognition among Democrats this week – “Randy Seiler: most likely to have his calls sent to voicemail” as he tries to scare up interest.

What’s the lay of the land for Democrats in the constitutional offices?

Jamie Smith’s call might be the second least-desired call as he seeks a Lt. Governor candidate.  This one is taking a while, so we’ll see what he comes up with to try to balance the ticket.

There’s likely no Democrat attorney who wants to get out and run for AG, because they know that’s an automatic loss against Marty Jackley who has it buttoned up among Sheriffs and States Attorneys.

Secretary of State might have an outside chance of some national money behind it, but even with token take-one-for-the-team money, that’s a pretty big gamble for a candidate. With Monae Johnson able to claim experience with the SOS office, they can’t just put up a warm body as they have in the past. They have to have someone with a “hook” into capturing people’s imagination as to why they should be in that office.

Auditor & Treasurer will be tough for Dems, because they have to find someone who can self-fund for these offices with no constituencies.  School and Lands might be able to draw someone, because of Brock Greenfield’s controversies a year or so back, but once you get past one press release, the candidate will have to have their act together, because that issue isn’t in the limelight anymore, alongside the fact they’ll be taking on a very experienced campaigner in Greenfield. Plus, Brock is fully backed by the GOP, whereas Democrats’ resources are far less.

There’s a rumor or two about the Public Utilities Commission race drawing an anti-pipeline candidate, but again, that’s a double edged sword as they’ll be setting themselves up to be anti-development in a race where the pro-development people have money, and the protesters don’t. And they’ll be running against a known and experienced Chris Nelson fully backed by the Republican party in a Republican state.

Not a lot of good options for Democrat candidates at this point.

So, who do you think they’ll run? And be realistic.

For Immediate Release – July 6, 2022

Monae Johnson thanks Secretary Barnett

(Rapid City, SD)— Monae Johnson thanked Secretary Barnett, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Steve Barnett for his years of service to the State of South Dakota, first as State Auditor for eight years, and then as Secretary of State for four years. Though we had policy differences, I know our love and commitment to South Dakota is equally shared. Steve and his family have been gracious, and I wish them the best on their future endeavors.”

As the Republican intra-party squabbling seemed to hit a crescendo a couple weeks ago in Watertown before it started dying down, I couldn’t help but notice that we aren’t hearing much from South Dakota Democrats.  Which is particularly interesting, as they have a convention in 3 days…. but there’s a distinct lack of noise about anyone running for anything.

They’ve got Brian Bengs to lose for US Senate in November.  And Jamie Smith, who we’re told is running for Governor, has yet to make a selection for a running mate. Lt. Governor is one of the things that the Democrat Party Convention is allegedly going to pick in three days hence, but we’ve heard nothing but crickets to this point.

Attorney General.. there was once early word that Randy Seiler might give it another run, if Jason Ravnsborg was the nominee. That did not happen, so guessing they need to find a Democrat Attorney who is willing to take one for the team.  Otherwise, Secretary of State, nothing. State Auditor, nothing, State Treasurer, nothing. School and Lands and Public Utilities Commission, nothing and nothing.

Literally, with three days to do, the prospects of statewide Democrat candidates willingly announcing that they’re running is looking pretty bleak.

Unless a person wants to be running on the Democrat ticket as a nominee, they might want to stay out of the bars in Pierre/Ft. Pierre this weekend.

Here’s an interesting tidbit from this weekend’s news cycle. If Steve Haugaard had his way in 2019, it would not have been his place to run for Lt. Gov:

Haugaard, a Sioux Falls Republican, in 2019 supported changing South Dakota laws on who controls the nomination of candidates for lieutenant governor.

He co-sponsored legislation that would have made candidates for governor solely responsible for deciding who would run with them for lieutenant governor. The legislation would have removed delegates at the political party’s convention from the decision process.

And..

KELOLAND News asked Haugaard about why he chose to take a path that he had once wanted to shut down. He hasn’t responded.

Read it here

There’s a strong possibility Haugaard may get his way 4 years later in this next session.

I haven’t gotten to this sooner, as I’ve been dealing with kids, and a massive resurgence of the summer head-cold that I thought I’d shook.  But it’s still worthwhile discussing a week later in the aftermath of convention.

A reckoning has been inching forward for how statewide candidates are selected in recent years, and after this last convention there has been more rumbling. And the last race at convention this year may have been the last nail in the coffin for convincing legislators that a change needs to be made in how the candidates for statewide office need to be selected.

After nearly a month of lead-time to declare his intent, in mid-afternoon on June 24^th, with nearly no -time to spare, Steve Haugaard, who lost the race for Governor on a 3-1 basis (76-24%) entered the race for Lt. Governor at convention, with about 24 hours to campaign.

With the make-up of convention delegates, Haugaard lost to Rhoden on a tighter weighted vote of 56% to 44%. Literally, the Governor who won on a 3-1 basis was within 10% of being saddled with a running mate who she not only soundly defeated, but a person who often maligned her with some pretty harsh attacks.  Which strongly raised a question that had been mentioned in passing as recently as the last time we went through this process – it is time to change the law and allow the Governor to appoint their running mate?

Many candidates for Governor do this in virtual terms now, by pre-announcing their running mate prior to convention, as Kristi did 4-years ago, and Democrats do in the run up to their convention. When things go as planned, it’s only a perfunctory blessing, but in a year like this, when voters clearly made their choice known, delegates elected to represent their precincts seem to have ignored their voters and gone awry.

I’ve heard chatter that there are legislators who want to move that pick directly to the Gubernatorial candidates. And really, unless we’re going to pick those offices individually, is there any justification to force a Lt. Governor onto the ticket with a Governor in a shotgun convention wedding?

After the convention results, there is also talk to move the selection of other candidates to the primary ballot.

There are those who think in addition of letting the Gov have their pick for their Lt Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State could easily be sent to the Republican electorate as a whole in the primary election, making the primary elections a little larger, and giving all Republicans an opportunity to have a say in who their candidates are.

Going back to the results of what happened at the GOP Convention, there has been concerned expressed that precinct representatives of the counties were not representative of the area they represented. One example was how Brown County came in for Secretary of State Steve Barnett.. or how it didn’t.

Brown County Republican Convention delegates came in nearly 2-1 against Steve Barnett.In 2018, Barnett won Brown County in the general election on a 68-31% basis, even with Democrats voting. But at convention, the vote against him were the Republicans in his home county. Was there any great scandal or controversy to cause them to abandon him? No. Not at all.

Which is one example. And brings up the question whether delegates are elected to represent their precinct, or if they are there to represent their own views.

All this talk might be just that – talk. But it’s talk coming after a convention designed for unity saw a lack of unity from some of the people there. As they found themselves shut out from the June Primary ballot, some might say they made an effort to seize power at the next place they thought they could, at the convention.

But is the convention supposed to be about seizing power, or about the party coming together after a primary and moving the best candidates forward? Because when factions within the party are doing their best to block resolutions recognizing the top of the ticket as they did this year, someone’s crazy aunt needs to settle down at the table before they ruin the holiday for everyone.

We have a lot of months to go until the election, and we can hope that there’s more of a spirit of cooperation that comes to the surface in that time to help all Republican candidates in November.

Or not. And that’s when we’ll start losing elections.

In the words of Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along?”

The Fourth of July means many things to many people. It’s an opportunity for communities to come together for picnics and parades. It’s a time for friends and families to gather and create new memories. And while we celebrate all of the blessings and opportunities we have as Americans at parades, barbeques, and fireworks shows, we must not overlook the true meaning of the holiday – we should honor our freedoms that have been paid for by the sacrifices of so many Americans past and present.

On Independence Day, I’m reminded of our Founding Fathers who put together the greatest statement of self-government the world has ever seen: the Declaration of Independence. They proclaimed that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

America is the greatest country the world has ever known, not only because of what we have achieved, but because we’re humble enough to know that we always have room to listen, learn, and grow as we continually strive to live up to the founding principles of the Declaration of Independence. The rights that the founders described in that document aren’t determined by one’s social status, where an individual is born or raised, or even any standard set by government itself. That’s what makes them so unique. They’re granted to us by God. They are unalienable. And the governments born from these free people are created and maintained with their consent. That’s pretty remarkable when you think about it.

As we celebrate the stars and stripes, we also honor those who served and continue to serve our great nation, paying tribute to them by upholding the values for which they continue to fight. I think about my father, Harold, a fighter pilot who flew Hellcats off of the U.S.S. Intrepid in the Pacific theater during World War II. Through him, I learned about the Greatest Generation – their humility, their quiet service, and their dedication to the cause of freedom. The stories my dad would tell us about the men he served with will stay with me forever – these men were driven by an unwavering love for our country, full of pride and patriotism. The world had never met, nor will it meet again, a group of individuals so dedicated to the pursuit of freedom and democracy around the world.

Our nation continues to have the blessings of liberty and freedom our forefathers sought for future generations of Americans. The Founding Fathers dedicated their lives to creating our great nation, and the brave men and women who have answered the call to serve continue that fight today. We are forever grateful for their bravery in defending freedom, liberty, and the American dream.

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This week, South Dakota’s agriculture communities got to show off. I hosted the Republican leader on the House Agriculture Committee, Congressman “GT” Thompson from Pennsylvania, and introduce him to the wonderful people of South Dakota. We closed off June Dairy Month with a celebration at Valley Queen and at the Holstein Association USA’s National Convention.

We’re diving into Farm Bill discussions on the Ag Committee – no better way than meeting with boots on the ground to do so. Ranking Member Thompson and I had a busy day. From checking out a quarter scale tractor at SDSU that won the International Quarter Scale Tractor Student Design Competition to bottle feeding calves – South Dakotans gave him a warm welcome.

Once Ranking Member Thompson arrived, our first stop was meeting with SDSU President Barry Dunn at the university’s Raven Precision Agriculture Center. As a land grant university, SDSU depends on state and federal funding to be a competitive research university. Research from land grant universities spurs innovation in agriculture, creating new and improved technologies and practices for agriculturalists and beyond.

Our next stop was a farm in Bridgewater to hear from agriculture member organizations like S.D. Corn and S.D. Cattlemen’s Association. We discussed their priorities and the roadmap for crafting the next Farm Bill that will be completed next year. Farm Bill discussions in the Ag Committee have already started, and hearing from the folks on the ground that will be impacted by our decisions is critical to ensure the Farm Bill addresses the needs of our agriculturalists.

Our final visit was the Holstein Association USA’s national convention. Ranking Member Thompson and I spoke with dairy farmers about the next Farm Bill, the dairy industry’s efforts in carbon capture technology, and school nutrition policies, including milk in schools. Their thoughts echoed discussions that we have had over and over again in the House Agriculture Committee—our farmers are committed to reducing their environmental impact and produce products that are safe and healthy for the consumer.

I had a great time showing off South Dakota to Ranking Member Thompson. We are looking forward to continue working together to craft a Farm Bill that addresses the needs of our producers.

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The patriotism South Dakotans display on the Fourth of July has deep roots in our state’s history. In fact, we waved the Stars and Stripes before we even became a state! The Dakota Territory in the 1880s stood out for its love for civic virtue, and historians recount how few holidays rated higher than Independence Day to the settlers. Those same historians note that this ingrained love for America explains why so many South Dakotans served in the World Wars, and why we as a state revere our veterans.

As we pause to observe the nation’s birthday this week, I am concentrating especially on our veterans. Why? Because the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have thrown in the towel on their poorly thought-out plan to close down several VA hospitals across the nation, which included Fort Meade and Hot Springs, and to stop emergency services at the Sioux Falls VA, as well as close the clinic in Wagner.

When Biden Administration officials initially announced earlier this year their intent to take such drastic action, I immediately raised my voice in opposition. As I explained in my mid-March letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, those closures would have severely and negatively impacted the care of veterans in South Dakota and surrounding states. I noted that America should offer its veterans more health care, not less, and that this plan’s intent to “centralize” services would force our veterans to travel hundreds of miles for medical care they desperately need.

In short, I made clear that these recommendations to dramatically change veterans’ health care represented a betrayal of our veterans who offered to sacrifice life and limb to protect us and our freedoms. Thankfully, many other South Dakotans agreed with me and also raised their voices in protest of this terrible plan. I’m thankful the members of our congressional delegation—Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, and Congressman Dusty Johnson—were likewise united in opposition.

So often, when we observe the federal government initiate a plan that is so obviously wrong, it seems like nothing can be done to stop it. But here, we made a difference. By speaking up in a measured, thoughtful, and powerful way, we drummed up more opposition, culminating in a bipartisan group of Senators who took action this past week to force the bureaucrats to back down. By honoring the First Amendment and protesting a terrible federal government plan, we vindicated our veterans, those who have willingly offered their lives to protect our freedoms. Standing up for their right to quality health care barely scratches the surface of all we owe our heroes—but thank goodness we did.

President Calvin Coolidge, the only President of the United States born on the Fourth of July, once said, “The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.” This Independence Day let’s all pause and remember our defenders—our veterans. We are the land of the free because of the brave—and we who live in freedom owe them a debt that we must continuously make good on: especially on Independence Day.

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Telemedicine Abortion Ban Becomes Law; Gov. Noem Repeals Executive Order

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Friday, July 1, HB 1318, which bans telemedicine abortions in South Dakota, becomes law. In preparation for the law taking effect, Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2022-08, which repeals her previous executive order on the subject.

“South Dakota is focused on helping moms who may be facing a crisis pregnancy situation. Those moms should know that telemedicine abortions are not safe for their health – they are four times more likely to cause the woman getting the abortion to end up in the emergency room,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “This law will have no effect on treatment for miscarriages, but doctors who knowingly break the law and prescribe these medications to end a human life will be prosecuted.”

Following the United States Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, South Dakota’s trigger law made all abortions illegal in South Dakota.

Research demonstrates that chemical abortions are four times as likely to cause the woman receiving the abortion to end up in the emergency room following the procedure.

Executive Order 2022-08 repeals Executive Order 2021-12, which banned telemedicine abortions in South Dakota.

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Girls’ Sports Legislation Becomes Law; Gov. Noem Repeals Executive Orders

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Friday, July 1, SB 46, which protects fairness in girls’ and women’s sports, takes effect. In preparation for the law taking effect, Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2022-07, which repeals her previous executive orders on the subject.

“South Dakota is defending basic fairness for our girls so that they can have an opportunity to compete and achieve,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “As our nation passes the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, we must remember that this law exists to give biological girls equal opportunity. South Dakota will always stand up for our kids.”

Governor Noem signed SB 46 into law in February. It was the first bill that she signed into law in the 2022 legislative session, and it has been heralded as the “toughest law in the nation” to protect girls’ sports.

Executive Order 2022-07 repeals both Executive Orders 2021-05 and 2021-06, which protected girls’ sports in South Dakota until stronger legislation could become law.

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