Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Kristi for Governor Launches “Get the Word Out” Ad Buy

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched a multi-week, six-figure ad buy called “Get the Word Out” as part of Governor Kristi Noem’s reelection efforts.

“Kristi, people need to know all the good news in South Dakota!” says Corinne Arnold, Governor Kristi Noem’s mom. She highlights Governor Noem’s “Open for Business” policies, South Dakota’s strongest economy in America, and the state’s record low unemployment rate.

“Together, we’ve made South Dakota stronger than ever, no matter how you say it,” said Governor Kristi Noem.

Under Governor Noem’s unwavering conservative leadership, South Dakota is thriving. Because of the Governor’s refusal to accept one-size-fits-all, big government overreach, South Dakota has the number one economy in the nation, leads the nation in personal income growth, ranks second for inbound moving, and our schoolchildren lead the nation in educational outcomes.

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I couldn’t be more proud of everything that Kristi has done for South Dakota. I am her mom… but I know I’m not the only one that texts my friends about all the great things happening here in South Dakota! pic.twitter.com/sVwKo6I5s5

— Corinne Arnold (@GovsMom) August 1, 2022

In a news article this morning, in addition for harsh words towards the Vice-President for her lack of activity on the border crisis, Governor Kristi Noem laid out that she has instructed non-profits and NGO’s that they had better not be bringing illegal aliens to South Dakota:

“When Arizona and Texas requested help, I sent my National Guard. In fact, I was the first governor to send National Guard. Most other governors were responding with law enforcement, but recognizing the unique situation we have down there, it literally is a war zone, so we had members volunteer to go as a unit to partner with the Texas Guard and work with Border Patrol, and they were there for a period of time.

“And now I’ll be sending down some of my National Guard, Lakota helicopters, to help us with surveillance, but for us in particular, you know, I telegraphed pretty widely to my NGOs and nonprofits that if they cooperated with facilitating people that were crossing the border illegally in our state, that they would have a difficult time with their state contracts and licenses if they worked to break our federal laws in partnership with what this administration is doing.”

Read the entire story here.

Media Advisory: Public Utilities Commissioner and candidate for re-election Chris Nelson will be the guest speaker at the Minnehaha County Republican monthly meeting on August 3, 11:30am, at the Pizza Ranch, 2717 W 41st St, Sioux Falls.  Chris will begin speaking at approximately noon on the topic “Understanding current PUC issues, jurisdiction, and the decision making process.”  Media are welcome to attend and Chris will take questions from the audience and media.

I keep starting and stopping this column, and have been for more than a couple of weeks now, as I’m not sure how to approach it. Because it’s an unusual circumstance I find myself in after a lot of years.  As I’ve written in the past, my youngest daughter is developmentally disabled and on the autism spectrum. And we’ve hit a couple of milestones for her which change things significantly for us as a family.

With her turning 18 later this year, we have been working on establishing guardianship, which has been a new experience. Not a bad one, mind you. It has been an education, and we’ve been fortunate to have some wonderful assistance in the process.

On another front, even more upending of the family dynamic, after many months on a waiting list, my daughter will be attending an away program. It’s largely the same, but different from the separation of sending a child off to college.  With college kids, I’ve been able to send them off, tell them not to do anything so stupid they get arrested, and then end up asking them why they don’t stay at school on the weekends, because I see them all the time. With my youngest daughter, there will be more distance, fewer visits, and a lot more worrying as the parent of a vulnerable soon-to-be adult.

After shifting gears and going from a decade of showing homes as a REALTOR, to 6 years of insurance claims from a desk, my time where I have to be available for her after school for her is at an end.  (Think of it as having to work remotely during COVID, except for 6 years instead of 18 months.)  It’s almost an alien concept to me at this point, to not have to pre-arrange absences from the house, even if just to make sure someone is on hand just to run to the store for milk.

It feels ..odd. Maybe it’s a little unsettling knowing I have more options if I chose to start another act in my life.  I’m no different than anyone else in that change is not always comforting. And maybe it’s also tainted with guilt, knowing that this is driven by my daughter’s absence in the household for what will be a long stretch of time while she works for the education and skills to live a fuller life.

It’s not like my college kids, who by their time to go to school, with their trail of laundry, dishes and high school attitude, I was quite sure they could go to school and leave the house. Anytime.

With my youngest daughter, there’s mainly trepidation. I can read everything I want about the people we’re trusting with her care, but that’s trust and not a guarantee. But that trust is placed with hope for giving a kid with some tough disabilities the skills to find a place in society.

If there is anything I have a greater appreciation for, it is the dedication of people who work and serve the disabled in South Dakota, especially those who work with those with developmental disabilities. We were fortunate enough to be served by South Dakota’s family support services and managed to have some outstanding companions for our daughter over the past several years.  Without the companionship program, our daughter’s world would have been much smaller.

Moving forward, as we hope for a larger world for her, my family has to trust and hope that we can bring that better life to fruition.

In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 207,416 individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally – the highest June number ever recorded. April and May successively set records for the highest numbers for any month, ever. During the 2021 fiscal year, CBP encountered a record number of individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally – 1,734,686, to be precise.

In just the first nine months of this fiscal year, we have already exceeded last year’s record number of apprehensions. The situation at our southern border remains out of control, although you’d never know it to hear the president and his administration. The flood of illegal immigration is so great that huge numbers of CBP officers have been pulled off the border to process migrants, further straining enforcement.

A May article from the Economist reported that, “Around 60% of CBP agents have been assigned to process migrants, taking them away from field work.” That, of course, leaves our borders wide open to illegal activity, including the drug trafficking that is flooding our country with fentanyl. It also means that even with all the apprehensions the Border Patrol has made, many more individuals are getting through unstopped. It is a security nightmare.

This ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis is the result of a president who hasn’t taken responsibility to protect our border and seriously enforce our immigration laws. On his very first day in office, President Biden rescinded the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border. He halted construction of the border wall and revoked a Trump administration order that called for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws. Then, his Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines pausing deportations, except under certain conditions – again, all on his first day in office. President Biden effectively declared to the world that the United States’ borders were open.

The president has also sought to significantly limit the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce immigration laws. Deportations dropped precipitously during fiscal year 2021, as did arrests in the interior of the country. Illegal immigration – especially the kind of out-of-control illegal immigration we’re currently experiencing – has serious consequences. With CBP overstretched, it is easier for bad actors, including gang members, drug traffickers, and human smugglers, who prey on vulnerable migrants, to cross the border into our country. President Biden has talked about wanting to build a “fair, orderly, and humane” immigration system. There is nothing humane about our current situation.

Encouraging illegal immigration, as the president’s policies have done, has contributed to a humanitarian crisis that saw at least 557 migrants die attempting to cross the southern border during fiscal year 2021. Just last month, 53 migrants died in an un-air-conditioned tractor-trailer after being smuggled across the border. It was a sobering reminder of the human cost of policies that enable illegal immigration.

Open borders also put our communities at risk. Our country is currently in the midst of a fentanyl crisis, with fentanyl overdoses now the leading cause of death for U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 45. Most of it is being trafficked across our southern border, facilitated by this ongoing security crisis. The president may think his border policies are progressive and compassionate, but they are dangerous.

The bottom line is that the Biden administration’s policies encourage individuals to undertake the often-dangerous journey from their home countries to our southern border. I will continue to hold the administration accountable for its policies that continue to fuel this dangerous and unsustainable crisis.

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The month of August usually reminds people of the first day of school. But for the House of Representatives, August kicks off the traditional District Work Period or “August Recess”. Historically, August Recess was implemented because there was no air conditioning in the Senate Chamber and members and staff couldn’t handle the swampy heat of Washington. Members don’t have the month “off,” but we get to spend the majority of August in our states and districts. A majority of House and Senate Members come home every weekend after voting in Washington, D.C. – me included – but an extended stay in our home state is great.

I’ll be spending my August talking to folks on the ground at town halls, touring businesses, meeting with constituents, and hosting roundtables for the upcoming Farm Bill. You can’t represent a district, or in my case a state, well if you don’t know what’s going on back home. August is a great time to do that.

I love my job representing the great state of South Dakota in Washington, but there’s no place like home.

I’m hosting a number of town halls across the state to hear from you and answer your questions. If you’re in Rapid City, Brookings, Mobridge, or Sioux Falls, keep your eyes and ears out for when I will be hosting a town hall in your area.

I will also be hosting Vietnam Veterans Pinning Ceremonies throughout the state to recognize, honor, and “welcome home” those who served in Vietnam. If you or someone you know would like to participate, contact my office and we would be happy to get you on the list.

There is a chance the House will get called back into session now that Senate Democrats have introduced a $739 billion reconciliation bill – if so, I’ll come back to Washington to oppose that legislation.

Make sure you are following along on social media and are signed up for my newsletter to get alerted when I will be in your area!

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Nostalgia can be bittersweet. Sometimes I miss playing high school basketball – working with teammates; hearing the crowd; the pride of seeing hustle pay off. I loved watching my kids play sports, and I also loved watching Bryon coach, but there’s nothing that’s quite like the thrill of competing yourself – of taking on the opponent and emerging victorious.

Sports teach us a lot of life lessons. Victory teaches us the benefit of hard work, the payoff that comes with pushing just a little bit harder for a little bit longer. Defeat teaches lessons, too. We often learn more from mistakes than from success. In both victory and defeat, sports teach our kids teamwork, which will be invaluable for the rest of their lives.

Earlier this summer, Title IX turned 50. Title IX is the law that guarantees equal opportunity for biological girls in school and in sports. Basically, it guarantees fairness and equal opportunity for girls to learn the lessons of victory, defeat, and teamwork—in the classroom and on the field.

There are some today who want to pervert that and allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports. South Dakota has been clear – there is no way we will allow that to happen.

This year, I wrote and proposed the toughest law in the nation to guarantee that only girls play in girls’ sports in South Dakota at both the K-12 and collegiate level. That bill was the first one that I signed this year, and we held a celebration in the Capitol Rotunda.

But now, the Biden Administration is attempting to undermine fairness for girls by requiring schools to allow boys to play in girls’ sports or else lose lunch money for our kids. Yes, the same Biden Administration that caused a formula shortage for our babies is now literally trying to take food off our kids’ plates. South Dakota isn’t going to stand for it.

This past week, 14 Republican Governors joined me in promising the Biden Administration that if they move forward with this ridiculous interpretation of Title IX, we will take action to protect our kids. After so many calls to “trust the science,” the Biden Administration should recognize the basic biological differences between boys and girls.

Those differences are a wonderful part of life. Some of them are subtle, others profound. And one of the places that they are most evident is on the field of competition. It isn’t complicated – it’s a matter of basic fairness.

South Dakota will always stand for our kids and grandkids. They are the future, and their sports are more than just games for children – they are the building block for lessons and skills that will last a lifetime.

In South Dakota, we believe only girls should play girls’ sports. And we are going to keep it that way.

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Senate President Pro-Tempore Lee Schoenbeck has a column in the Rapid City Journal this AM (hard copy only at moment) discussing the problems with voters relying on cherry picked scorecards that are designed to make “their people” look good. Namely the Citizens for Liberty Scorecard:

Senator Schoenbeck also points out the difference between the cherry-picked scorecard that organizations like CFL puts out, versus the scorecards of groups such as ELEVATE Rapid City that actually go and advocate for issues in the State Legislature:

Pick up a copy of the Rapid City Journal, and read it today.

Word is this Friday afternoon that the Argus Leader is continuing it’s slow implosion after they have shut the presses down and moved them to Iowa.

This afternoon, Joe Sneve, arguably the best political reporter they’ve had in some time, announced his departure on Twitter.

Also hearing word via the grapevine that he’s not the only person departing, and another well known name in the news division is leaving as well.

(Update..) The word is that Jonathan Ellis, the Argus’ other decent political reporter, is also leaving, and the pair will be going into business together, producing a political newsletter. 

We’ll see what the state’s largest paper (as printed out of state) is going to be left with when the dust settles.

I hadn’t caught this until today.

Remember the Grand Gateway Hotel owner Connie Uhre, who in March of this year said she was banning Native Americans from her hotel?

Connie Uhre said in a Facebook comment Sunday that she can “not allow a Native American to enter our business including Cheers,” stating she can’t tell “who is a bad Native or a good Native.”

Read that here.

Of course, that commentary set off city-wide protests, scorching criticism from Rapid City’s Mayor, and a lawsuit. Just for starters.

Apparently, in the recent elections Connie Uhre was also donating to candidate who she believed in, as the final campaign committee report for the Taffy Howard campaign shows this donation:

Uhre made a $300 donation to supplement a prior $20 donation. Coming June 3rd, her dropping cash into the Taffy Howard race came several months after Uhre’s racially offensive comments got her in hot water, and had Taffy Howard still accepting it after the other thing that happened that made the news.

Interesting to see that in the race for Congress, Taffy Howard was the one candidate who Uhre pledged her support to.