Author: @SoDakCampaigns

About fell over when I read this week’s shopper paper. I finally saw an advertisement for District 7 Senate candidate Julie Erickson.

From the ad, I get the impression that her focus is on homeschooling and private schools, and public schools are a begrudging addition.

Kind of like being Republican. Nevermind the fact she’s running as a Republican Candidate in a Republican Primary.. and it’s not mentioned anywhere.  It’s not just her. I’ve got to scold all the candidates advertising in the shopper paper today. They might call themselves a lot of things, but no one is using Republican in their ads. (Boo!)

That might be why people don’t look to shopper papers on determining who to vote for.

Regardless, if this is it from Julie Erickson, I’m not exactly giving her much for odds against current State Representative and former Mayor Tim Reed.  Just a little name identification disparity.

Legislative District 3 in Aberdeen has become ground zero for this years’ primary elections, as newcomer and Aberdeen Home Builders Executive Director Rachel Dix has reportedly caught the wind in a way that we haven’t seen since..  Well, since newcomer Erin Tobin shellacked House Majority Leader Lee Qualm in the 2020 Primary election.

Dix seems to have strong momentum going into the last two weeks, and it was nowhere more evident when we saw this postcard from Dix, picturing her with Governor Kristi Noem alongside in a show of support for Dix from the most popular Republican among Republican voters in South Dakota.

It also shows in the campaign finance reports between the two candidates:

Al Novstrup Sdcfdisclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

While Al posted about $1800 in contributions, a $1000 loan to himself, and $3250 in PAC money, Rachel Dix posted numbers showing financial support dwarfing the incumbent:

Rachel Dix Sdcfdisclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

Dix came in with a MASSIVE 10-1 advantage in individual contributions of over $18,000, and similar to Al, $2300 in PAC funds.

Word is that the momentum is continuing to build for Dix, and anecdotes are popping up that Al might be feeling some heat.

As opposed to being more independent, in the last several elections Novstrup has allied himself closely with his running mates, Carl Perry and Kaleb Weis (and before the change-over in District with Drew Dennert) in more of a team approach to campaigning. This approach, while it made campaigning cheaper at the time, did not do him any good in the long run as it melded him with the pack, transferring their negatives to him by association and really removing his individuality.

Because, really.. is Carl Perry viewed by his constituents as a distinctive leader in the House? Probably not.  Kaleb Weis has not been able to pass a single bill in 4 years, and probably has a dimmer view, with people questioning if he eats crayons. Now when Al needs to be his own individual, as one person quipped to me about the current team of District 3 legislators, the comment was that when you look at the group of them, your impression is that they’re pale, stale, and male.  Ouch.

Dix might be a newcomer to politics, but as her opponent has focused on building his Thunder Road business in Sioux Falls (which is a great facility, BTW), Dix has been working in the community and volunteering with organizations in Aberdeen.  Arguably, she’s a more active and visible day to day presence in Aberdeen, which shows with her tremendous fundraising prowess.

Keep an eye on this race as the hours tick down. This will be the one to watch as there’s the potential for a long-time incumbent to be out hustled by an up and coming fresh face.

You almost have sympathy. Almost, until you realize it was all self-inflicted, and he was drinking the kool-aid of the anti-Thune nuts.

MarkMowry_preprimaryFEC by Pat Powers on Scribd

Mark Mowry raised $4265, against which he spent $6895.13. Which doesn’t seem very fiscally responsible.

He left himself with $1485.90, and $15,000 in debt.

Well, I could have told him how this was going to come out.

In the last few weeks, State Representative Kevin Jensen filed a fairly new political action committee called “Keep South Dakota Red,” with the mission of “Assist candidates supporting the Republican party platform.”  That’s all well and good, despite the platform being a fluid document that can change at any time.

And today their filing was put up, which shows how much Jensen’s political action committee wants to be a political player:

Keep SD Red Disclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

The Political Action Committee noted donations to a number of candidates, including Schoenbeck Senate opponent Colin Paulsen, Gubernatorial wannabe Steve Haugaard, and Doug Post for District 7.

So, who is backing this true red political action group?  Well, just 3 entities. And, it might be three entities, but two are directly connected to one person.

Bill Metz of Dakota Dunes donated 5k, Pederson Ag, and Homestead Harvest each donated 10k.  While Pederson Ag and Homestead Harvest are individual entities, they both share one person as registered agent – Karla Lems.

You’ve got to have a lot of cash into your businesses to spread $20K at Kevin Jensen to donate to candidates.

This would be the same Karla Lems who was a founding member of the “Primary John Thune” facebook group that started loudly, but ended up only able to produce Bruce Whalen and Mark Mowry as their champions.  And the same Karla Lems who is currently a candidate running to be a District 16 State Representative alongside the PAC Treasurer, Kevin Jensen.

With Karla Lems showering her fellow candidate Kevin Jensen with cash to spend as he will, it kind of leaves the other D16 House candidate – Richard Vasgaard – the odd man out in that D16 House contest.

It makes for interesting politics.

Stay tuned.

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Former State Senator John “Joe” Reedy

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, May 28, 2022, in honor of the passing of John “Joe” Reedy, a former state Representative and Senator. Reedy served in the House from 1991-1996 and in the Senate from 1997-2004.

A celebration of life for Reedy will be hosted on Saturday, May 28th, in Vermillion, SD.

###

Governor Noem announces over $15M raised cycle-to-date as she heads into re-election
Governor Noem raises over $3.35M across all committees since January 1, 2022.

Pierre, SD – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that her campaign has raised over $15 million cycle-to-date across all committees as she heads into her re-election effort. This total includes over $3.35 million raised across all committees since the beginning of the year. Additionally, Governor Noem announced that she has over $8.7 million cash on hand across all committees.

The total amounts raised and cash on hand are both records by any South Dakota gubernatorial candidate, incumbent or challenger in the state’s history.

Governor Noem gave the following remarks along with this announcement:

“Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden and I are once again humbled and grateful for the trust and confidence the people of South Dakota continue to place in us. We will continue to protect our South Dakota way of life, and the priorities that are most important to the people of our great state. We have accomplished a lot together but there is still much more to do. Thank you for your continued support.”

 

The Primary Election campaign finance reports are coming in, and it looks like we have a glimpse of how bad Steve Haugaard’s campaign looks.

Steve Haugaard Campaign Finance Report by Pat Powers on Scribd

Haugaard raised $105,693.25.  Except $35,000 came out of his own pocket, and $4,498 came from his campaign committee.  So, he actually raised $66,195.25.

And it looks like the consultants were the big winner, as 43% of his total expenditures went to them as he dropped $42,416.28 of his $98,730.89 spent on them.

Really, Steve could have paid me $25k and gotten off cheaper. I would have told him not to run, because he would get creamed.

And as a bonus, I would have told him not to do the boring fireside updates.

More to come.

“Land of the free because of the brave.” This simple sentiment recognizes that many of the blessings we enjoy as a grateful nation are a result of the selfless men and women who have answered the call to serve their nation.

I first came to know the military through my dad Harold, a fighter pilot who flew Hellcats off the deck of the USS Intrepid during World War II. From him I learned the patriotism and selflessness and humility that characterized the Greatest Generation – and that continue to characterize our military members today. Throughout the years, I have been privileged to meet many South Dakota veterans and current service members, including the airmen at Ellsworth Air Force Base and members of the South Dakota Army and Air National Guard. It is the honor of my life to represent them in Congress.

South Dakota has a proud legacy of military service, but, as many know, our state’s role in our nation’s security has not always been guaranteed. The fight to save Ellsworth from closure in 2005 is well-told, but it has forever shaped my approach to making sure Ellsworth’s future is never again questioned. From the day the base was saved to today, my focus has always been on ensuring that it gets everything it needs to retain its strength. This includes working to ensure that the B-1s remain a responsive and lethal component of Global Strike Command while simultaneously preparing for the future B-21 mission so the base can continue to serve as one of our nation’s most essential military assets for decades to come.

Last year, I worked to ensure that the National Defense Authorization Act contained not only full funding for B-21 aircraft development, but full funding for the first of many equipment and support facilities that will be needed for the stealth and nuclear mission at Ellsworth, including a facility to restore the plane’s low-observable coating, a wash rack and maintenance hangar, mission operations and training facilities, and an expanded flight simulator space. Now, I am advocating for the timely construction of the weapons generation facility and radio frequency facility that will be essential to ensuring the 28^th Bomb Wing is able to fully conduct the nuclear and stealth B-21 mission. Ellsworth is well on its way to becoming “Raider Country,” and there’s still more new construction on the way.

The work doesn’t stop there. I am fighting to ensure that the Air Force is able to invest in unmanned systems to complement the mission of the B-21. I also intend to introduce a measure for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to establish a pilot program that would develop “dynamic airspace” – a concept of efficient air traffic scheduling and airspace boundaries that evolve as exercises or other flights progress. Dynamic airspace would better enable the Pentagon to meet training requirements for 5th generation aircraft like the B-21, which need larger volumes of airspace to accommodate longer engagement distances, and it will build off the successful expansion of the Powder River Training Complex that includes a significant portion of West River.

The foundation of Ellsworth’s success isn’t modern equipment and facilities, it’s the men and women in uniform who support the mission. That’s why I’m also focused on making sure Ellsworth has the resources it needs to take care of our military families, particularly as more of them move into the area ahead of the B-21 mission. This includes making sure that ample housing is available and that the Douglas School District is able to provide sufficient classroom space for current and arriving students. These are critical quality-of-life issues for our military families – matters that heavily influence whether airmen want to stay in the service or leave for the private sector, where many of their skills are in high demand. We know that South Dakota is an incredible place to live, work, and raise a family, and it should be no different for those serving at Ellsworth.

I am more grateful than I can say for all the men and women in South Dakota and across our great nation who have answered our country’s call. It is because of them that we live in peace and safety, and the freedom that we enjoy is secured by their sacrifice.

May God bless all our military men and women and keep them safe as they stand on watch for us.

###

The United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) announced the border numbers for April this week. Last month, there were 234,088 illegal crossings at our southern border. This is the worst month on record.

April’s numbers are up 30% from 2021 and 1,268% since 2022. This is appalling. Since President Biden took office, there have been over 2.6 MILLION illegal immigrants apprehended at our border. Nearly half of those have been just in the past six months.

Regardless of these historic numbers, President Biden has not waivered on his decision to end Title 42. It remains to be lifted on Monday, the 23^rd—just three days from now. We can all agree that the public health crisis has turned the corner, however, the Administration has no plan in place to secure our border. Should this policy be lifted, encounters at the border are expected to more than double what they currently are, reaching 7,000-8,000 per day. USCBP agents will not be able to keep up with this influx of migrants.

I know how much of a security threat this poses, which is why I support the Public Health and Border Security Act, which would prohibit the President from lifting Title 42 until 60 days after it has formally ended the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. The Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security would then have 30 days to create a plan to address the surge of migrants at our borders.

A Morning Consult poll shows that majority of Americans disapprove of Biden’s repeal of Title 42. I know that this sentiment is shared by many South Dakotans. I have urged the President and the Department of Homeland Security to reimplement the “Remain in Mexico” policy and to follow the laws already passed by Congress to finish the wall.

We must secure our border.

###

Looks like Team Dusty Johnson is out in force this weekend hitting doors and helping candidates get their message out:

Team Dusty was out in full force this weekend across the state! There’s only 17 days until the Republican Primary — plenty of time to volunteer to re-elect Congressman Dusty Johnson. 🇺🇸 #June7 #conservativechoice pic.twitter.com/Np75qKZTiv

— Dusty Johnson for Congress (@DustyJohnson) May 22, 2022