Author: @SoDakCampaigns

In Matt Paulson’s text message update this afternoon, he breaks the news that the former Executive Director of the South Dakota Democrat Party is going to try to work her electoral magic on the Sioux Falls City Council.

Pamela Cole has filed paperwork to run for the City Council “At Large B” seat, currently held by Christine Erickson, who is termed out. Cole is the former director of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

Rich Merkouris is also running for this seat, who has already raised $21,000, for his campaign, according to a recent filing.

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If you recall, during her tenure with the Democratic party, she explained the Democrat Party’ electoral efforts in 2020 as..

“We’re pacing ourselves with our party and building a bench over time. It’s going to take time and one step at a time, too.”

Read that here.

I think they still have many “one steps” to go.

But, good news for Rich Merkouris, with such an ideologically polarizing opponent. He’s that much farther down the road, and her entrance into the race should help him with fundraising.

Gov. Noem Announces Legislation Blocking Action Civics

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem released the text of draft legislation to block Action Civics as the basis of education for South Dakota students.

“Our Founding Fathers wanted the American people to be well-educated in our system of government, so our students should learn how to participate in it,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “As John Adams said, ‘Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.’ They should not, however, be forced to choose one political ideology over another or be forced to protest or lobby as part of their education. In South Dakota, we will focus on education, not indoctrination.”

Governor Noem previously addressed Action Civics with her signing of Executive Order 2021-11. She also introduced legislation to block Critical Race Theory as a basis of education for South Dakota students.

Governor Noem was also the first candidate for public office in the country to sign the 1776 Pledge to Save Our Schools, and she published an op-ed with Dr. Ben Carson outlining that decision.

You can read the draft legislation here.

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Senator Mike Rounds is apparently drawing fire from former President Trump after his statement to ABC News on Sunday.  As Rounds noted on ABC’s “This Week,” as reported by Politico:

“As a part of our due diligence, we looked at over 60 different accusations made in multiple states,” the South Dakota Republican said on ABC’s “This Week.“ “While there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities which would have risen to the point where they would have changed the vote outcome in a single state.“

He added: “The election was fair, as fair as we have seen.“

Looking toward the 2022 midterms, which could break the deadlock in what is now a 50-50 Senate, Rounds said Republicans must move past unfounded allegations that Trump was cheated out of a victory if they wish to prevail.

Read the entire story here.

This earned the ire of the former President who blasted Senator Rounds today, noting:

“Senator” Mike Rounds of the Great State of South Dakota just went woke on the Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020. He made a statement this weekend on ABC Fake News, that despite massive evidence to the contrary, including much of it pouring in from Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states, he found the election to be ok—just fine. Is he crazy or just stupid? The numbers are conclusive, and the fraudulent and irregular votes are massive. The only reason he did this is because he got my endorsement and easily won his state in 2020, so now he thinks he has time, and those are the only ones, the weak, who will break away. Even though his election will not be coming up for 5 years, I will never endorse this jerk again.

and..

The Radical Left Democrats and RINOS, like “Senator” Mike Rounds, do not make it easy for our Country to succeed. He is a weak and ineffective leader, and I hereby firmly pledge that he will never receive my Endorsement again!

Read the entire statement here.

Somehow, I don’t think President Trump’s endorsement had anything to do with Senator Rounds winning election here.  And let’s face it. The statement from former President Trump is more than a bit silly.

Republican Dennis Krull Announces for District 30 House of Representatives

After deliberate consideration I, Dennis Krull, Republican from Hill City, SD would like to announce my intention to run for the District 30 House of Representatives.

My wife Kim and I have owned and operated Krull’s market in Hill City since 1992, retiring from that business in 2012.  We also had stores for a time in Armour and Wall SD.   I believe in supporting and giving back to the community in which I reside.    Accordingly, I have been on the Hill City VFD for 25 plus years. Prior to that I was with the Armour VFD for 12 years.   I also served on the HC Fire District Board, have served as President and member with the Hill City Economic Development Board as well as the Business Improvement District Board.   My college degrees are in Business and Education, and I have spent my career involved in these areas.

I was elected to the Hill City School board in 2015 and after two re-elections am currently serving as President of that board.

My wife Kim and I have been married for 44 years and have raised a beautiful family that we are very proud of.  We are enjoying watching our grandchildren grow up in the very community we call home.

I believe that our government is in place to exercise the stated will of the people they serve.  “The government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves and no more.”  Abraham Lincoln     I will be a voice for responsible spending and moral/Christian values.  I will strive to do what is fair and right for all the people of SD, not just those supporting special interests.   I firmly believe in accountable, transparent, and approachable leadership.

I would be pleased to answer any questions or concerns you may have.  Please feel free to contact me at:
Dennis Krull – Email dkrullsd@gmail.com

The tagline for Sioux Falls Mayoral Candidate Taneeza Islam declares that her campaign “is powered by grassroots supporters.”

But if you look at her campaign finance report filed this last week, it appears that the grassroots supporters she’s talking about are in Michigan, where she has received nearly 70% of her campaign funding, according to her latest campaign finance report:

1_5_2022_ Taneeza for Sioux Falls Campaign Finance Disclosure Report Taneeza Islam by Pat Powers on Scribd

According to records filed by Mayoral Candidate Taneeza Islam with the Sioux Falls city clerk, ignoring the 10k she reported putting into her own race, of the itemized $55.685.37 she reported (Contributions from individuals + entities), Only 23% ($12,657.08) comes from within South Dakota.

However, a staggering 69% of that total ($38,300) comes from Michigan, with assorted minor dollar amounts coming from Minnesota, California, etc.

Literally, for every dollar she raised from Sioux Falls and surrounding areas, Taneeza raised three in Michigan, primarily from the Saginaw, Michigan area where ten of her $1000 donors hail from, with others from Freeland, Bay City, Ortonville, and Port Huron, Michigan.

In comparison, her opponent and current Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken raised $80,682 in the most recent campaign finance report, and there were only 5 donors from out of state, totaling $3,881.95 or about 5% of the donation in his report.

Stay tuned.

Is it just me, or did the Haugaard for Governor press machine cough to a halt in Mid-December?

After 9 press releases total since the campaign’s launch in mid-November, with 4 of those releases coming in a week between 12/8-12/15, the Haugaard campaign seems to be relying exclusively on facebook, hitting a farm show, and no attempts at earned media.

While you would normally expect some holiday slowdown, I’m a bit surprised that they’ve gone radio silent since the middle of the last month.

Speaking of Facebook, the Ad disclosure page seems to indicate that so far Haugaard has put over $5200 into Facebook ads to hammer our social media, with over $900 in the last week.

That appears to be about 10% of what the Governor has hit facebook with ($9656 in the last week).

But then again, from reports, the Governor has the money to do it.  While the extent of Haugaard’s cash remains to be seen.

The press release from yesterday noting Governor Kristi Noem’s early endorsements from legislators has gotten a lot of attention in the day it has been out there. And one of the items I keep getting pinged on is “who is not in the list?”

So, here is the list of Republican legislators who are holding their cards a little closer to their chest.

Senator	Jack	Kolbeck
Senator	Joshua	Klumb
Senator	Julie	Frye-Mueller
Senator	Larry	Zikmund
Senator	Maggie	Sutton
Senator	Michael	Rohl
Senator	R. Blake	Curd
Senator	Timothy	Johns
Senator	V. J.	Smith

 

Representative	Aaron	Aylward
Representative	Bethany	Soye
Representative	Chris	Karr
Representative	Drew	Dennert
Representative	Jess	Olson
Representative	John	Mills
Representative	Jon	Hansen
Representative	Kaleb	Weis
Representative	Kevin	Jensen
Representative	Liz	May
Representative	Marli	Wiese
Representative	Marty	Overweg
Representative	Phil	Jensen
Representative	Randy	Gross
Representative	Rhonda	Milstead
Representative	Richard	Vasgaard
Representative	Roger	Chase
Representative	Sam	Marty
Representative	Scott	Odenbach
Representative	Spencer	Gosch
Representative	Steven	Haugaard
Representative	Sue	Peterson
Representative	Taffy	Howard
Representative	Tamara	St. John
Representative	Tina	Mulally
Representative	Tom	Pischke
Representative	Tony	Randolph

I suspect there are a few who were not available, and will be on the next list that comes out. And, there is that legislator who is running against her, regardless of how futile an effort that’s going to be.

He’s probably not going to be endorsing, at least for a while.

I was talking to someone the other day about the state of the Democrat’s Candidates for statewide office, where the only race they have a candidate for is US Senate with Brian Bengs, who was a lifelong Independent right before switching parties so he could run as a partisan candidate.

This was not a case where any of the party regulars who expressed interest moved forward. This was a guy who decided he’d use them for his own purposes. Which is ok for them, they’re claiming him now.

But, that still leaves them with no candidate for Congress and Governor.

Nevermind the constitutional offices they leave until the last minute.  For all the grousing they do about the attorney general, no candidate for that office. Skip the crabbing about South Dakota failing to be two-party government.. because despite that fact, none of them want to actually run for any of those other offices either.

But that discussion also shook the cobwebs off of a related topic.  I seem to recall.. wasn’t the state Democrat Party going to be vetting judicial candidates for Federal Judge Viken’s seat way back at the beginning of last year?

Democratic Party Chairman Randy Seiler knows the process, having served as U.S. attorney for South Dakota under the Obama administration. Seiler said he will make recommendations for appointees to the bench and U.S. attorney. Seiler said he has three criteria for who will serve as U.S. attorney.

Read that here.

And it was repeated here, when they announced they had appointed a committee after former Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin backed out (rumored because of the opposition of a liberal faction of the SDDP)..

The South Dakota Democratic Party is accepting applications for the position of United States Judge for the District of South Dakota that will be vacated by Justice Jeffrey Viken. Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has announced she will not seek a federal bench nomination.

“We will move with both great care and expediency to offer insight and to recommend a potential nominee to fill the upcoming judicial vacancy that the Biden administration will fill,” said Chair Randy Seiler. “We thank President Herseth Sandlin for her consideration and respect her commitment to the work of Augustana University.”

Read that here.

What have they accomplished so far? At the moment, there don’t seem to be any visible signs of any candidates they’ve moved forward.

No replacement for Judge Viken has been made public yet. The US Attorney is still vacant after the resignation of Ron Parsons, with an “acting” in front of US Attorney Dennis Holmes title.  The United States Marshal is still Donald J. Trump appointee Daniel C. Mosteller. Hally Witte is Acting State Director for South Dakota Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development… and so on.

So, when it comes to the Democrats offering candidates for US Senate, Governor and Congress, its very similar to the work they’ve accomplished on all the other vetting they’ve claimed they were doing.

There’s some talk, people backing out, a little more talk, and unless someone falls into their lap like Bengs did, there just does not seem to be a whole lot of anything that gets accomplished.

On January 5^th, I joined several state and local officials for a deployment ceremony honoring the 235^th Military Policy Company. The unit from the South Dakota National Guard is heading to Guantanamo Bay for a challenging operational mission. 

The war in Afghanistan may be over, but the War on Terror still carries on. Our state’s brave soldiers are stepping up to continue keeping our streets safe from international terrorism. During my speech, I highlighted half a dozen soldiers who were going on their fourth deployment since joining the National Guard. 

These amazing troops have answered the call to serve and have been sent into action again and again. Still, they continue coming back and proudly serve with the best National Guard in the nation. 

During his speech on Wednesday, Captain Patrick Moran, Commander of the 235^th, highlighted some of the recent missions his troops have prepared for in recent years. He also spoke about his soldiers understanding their core mission, regardless of the venue. 

“When I first took command of the 235th, I knew this, and I told the Soldiers that the professional that we want is the one that is willing to do the job – the job that others are not willing to do. I asked the unit for a motto, they came up with ‘Guardians over Glory,’” Captain Moran recalled in his speech.  

“In a way that represents the 235^th and what the history of the 235^th Soldiers have done. They are the ones that don’t need the eye candy. They have always been the ones to step up and do whatever job asked of them.” 

And they have been asked to do a lot in recent years. In June of 2020, the 235^th was put on standby with less than 24 hours to prepare to be deployed to the riots in Minneapolis. That deployment was stayed, and instead the 235^th successfully kept the streets peaceful in Pierre, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City.  

They worked with local law enforcement and the Air National Guard Security Forces during President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July visit to Mount Rushmore. For most of 2020, members of the 235^th were serving on Medical Transport Teams. In November 2020, they transitioned to vaccine mission teams. Throughout 2020 and 2021, their soldiers also served in Call Centers. 

And then, in January 2021, they were deployed to Washington, D.C. Two weeks later, they were back in South Dakota training 800 National Guard soldiers on minimizing civil disturbances. 

Over the last 16 months, while most of these other calls to action were happening, 113 members of the 235^th Military Police Company have been training for this mission to Guantanamo Bay. Captain Moran was very clear about how unique this mission is to his Company. 

“We won’t be dodging bullets across a battlefield,” Cpt. Moran explained, adding “we will have to battle complacency, mental health challenges, and strive for keen attention to detail and awareness on a daily basis.” 

“GTMO has some of the world’s most dangerous and uniquely challenging prisoners and the 235^th will be the Soldiers that will be hands on — in close contact with them on a day-to-day basis. If anyone knows about corrections or detainee operations, they know that this usually is not the most desired job that Soldiers want. This is the difficult task. No battle glory, no combat badges, this is the job that normally doesn’t come with a plethora of awards or recognition.” 

I know our soldiers are ready for this mission because they have a clear vision for why they are serving in the first place: Guardians over Glory. 

Thank you to Commander Moran for your inspiring words and strong leadership. I speak for all of South Dakota when I say we are praying for your safe return from this important mission. Godspeed.  

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Governor Noem Announces First Round of South Dakota Legislators Endorsing Her Re-Election

Pierre, SD – Today, Governor Noem’s campaign released the first round of legislators to endorse her re-election for Governor. The list includes 58 members of the South Dakota House and Senate.Governor Noem stated the following in making this announcement:

“ Lieutenant Governor Rhoden and I are incredibly honored to have the support of these legislators in our campaign for re-election. These people have all endorsed our shared vision for South Dakota that includes promoting strong families, protecting freedom and individual liberty, fighting back against federal government overreach, and a robust economic plan that has made our economy the best in the nation. I’m grateful for their endorsement and I look forward to continuing to work with each of them this year, and if re-elected, the next four years.”

Legislators listed by chamber, then alphabetically:

Senator Al Novstrup
Senator Arthur Rusch
Senator Brock Greenfield
Senator Bryan Breitling
Senator Casey Crabtree
Senator David Johnson
Senator David Wheeler
Senator Erin Tobin
Senator Gary Cammack
Senator Helene Duhamel
Senator Herman Otten
Senator Jean Hunhoff
Senator Jessica Castleberry
Senator Jim Bolin
Senator Jim Stalzer
Senator John Wiik
Senator Kyle Schoenfish
Senator Lee Schoenbeck
Senator Marsha Symens
Senator Mary Duvall
Senator Michael Diedrich
Senator Ryan Maher
Senator Wayne Steinhauer

Representative Arch Beal
Representative Becky Drury
Representative Caleb Finck
Representative Carl Perry
Representative Charlie Hoffman
Representative Chris Johnson
Representative David Anderson
Representative Dean Wink
Representative Doug Barthel
Representative Ernie Otten
Representative Fred Deutsch
Representative Greg Jamison
Representative Hugh Bartels
Representative Kent Peterson
Representative Kirk Chaffee
Representative Lana Greenfield
Representative Lance Koth
Representative Larry Tidemann
Representative Lynn Schneider
Representative Mark Willadsen
Representative Mary Fitzgerald
Representative Mike Derby
Representative Mike Stevens
Representative Mike Weisgram
Representative Nancy York
Representative Paul Miskimins
Representative Rebecca Reimer
Representative Richard Thomason
Representative Rocky Blare
Representative Sydney Davis
Representative Taylor Rehfeldt
Representative Tim Goodwin
Representative Tim Reed
Representative Trish Ladner
Representative Will Mortenson