Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Standing Together
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Like many Americans, I am saddened and angered by the death of George Floyd. Watching the video displaying such reckless, unwarranted brutality at the hands of law enforcement made me sick to my stomach. Those responsible for his death should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As a nation, we stand together in opposition to the violent killing of George Floyd.

When crimes like this occur, it is important that we continue to speak out against them. Over the past few weeks, countless individuals have made their voices heard. However, we must remember that violence and rioting are not the answer. The right to peacefully protest is an unassailable right enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. However, violence and looting – which in many cases harms local businesses and communities – is an unacceptable exploitation of the situation that undermines the intent of the legitimate and important message of the peaceful protestors. Many of the businesses that have been vandalized and stolen from are small businesses that have already been hurting for the past few months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rioting which has occurred in many of our country’s communities does not represent the heart of the people that call these communities home. In many cases, the violence is being perpetrated by radical outsiders trying to further divide us. We cannot let this happen. As a country, we can do better. Violence is not the answer.

We do have an important, peaceful tool available to us, which has worked in our country for nearly 250 years: our right to vote in free and fair elections. South Dakotans recently exercised this right during the June 2 primary election, and we will take to the polls again to vote in our state, local and federal elections on November 3. Voting is the most powerful, effective tool in making a difference and enacting change. I thank all those who partake in this important tradition to make sure your voices are heard, as our election system is only as good as those who participate in it.

Former President Bill Clinton, in his first inaugural address, reminded us that “there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” I couldn’t agree more. Despite our challenges, we remain the greatest, strongest, freest country in the world. In the immediate future, our country will continue to be pained by the recent events. We certainly have work ahead of us as we seek ways to heal and make forward progress. This starts by recognizing the criminal act causing the loss of George Floyd’s life, standing together to seek justice, and ending the violence and rioting that undermines the message.

We will continue pray for George, for his family, for our country and for a permanent healing and understanding of all Americans, regardless of race. And we will renew our resolve to make our country better for future generations.

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We Have Work To Do
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

George Floyd’s murder was unacceptable. Racism is unacceptable. Violence is unacceptable. Trampling on the rights of journalists, protestors, property owners and others is unacceptable. Using language that divides, rather than unites, is unacceptable. Ignoring the problem is unacceptable.

Much of our attention in recent days has understandably been focused on George Floyd’s death and the violence that followed. It’s easy to understand why. The images are jarring and have deeply troubled the hearts of all decent people.

Real progress toward equal justice won’t come from focusing only on horrific and headline-grabbing acts of violence, though. There is a real hurt and anger that long pre-dates George Floyd’s death.

Every day in every state, there are thousands of acts of injustice, large and small, impacting people of color and beyond. Recognizing them, processing them and eliminating them will take tremendous work. There is a role for all of us, myself included, in that labor. Progress will take years – it will be uncomfortable and there will be setbacks. But we need to act.

People tend to look toward government action when discussing the need for progress. Clearly there is a role for state, federal and local governments in building a more just society. There is an even more important role for each of us to individually examine how we can grow in this area and to intentionally modify our behavior to become better leaders.

For example, I don’t have hate in my heart. That doesn’t let me off the hook, because hate isn’t the only thing that fosters discrimination or injustice. I sometimes suffer from lazy assumptions, overly optimistic views, and a swiftness to discount ideas that make me uncomfortable or do not directly impact me. I have a trusted team from a diverse set of ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds, but we don’t have the difficult conversations nor let these conversations guide intentional action as often as we should. Clearly, I’ve got work to do.

In recent years, I’ve tried to take steps in the right direction, though it’s not been enough. I’ve listened to victims of discrimination to better understand what they’ve faced. I’ve established the Ben Reifel Internship, an opportunity for a student committed to tribal and Native American issues to serve in our congressional office. I serve on the House Civil Rights and Human Services subcommittee, and have been a leader on numerous bills affecting people of color, including serving as floor manager of the bill that provided much-needed resources to tribal and historically Black colleges and universities.

There are other steps our government must take. We need to increase the number of people of color in law enforcement and other government positions. We need to make sure the ways we hold offenders accountable within our criminal justice system are fair and proven to keep our communities safe. We must examine our government services to identify structural barriers and disparities in how they serve different communities and be brave enough to change these services if they do not hold up.

As I said, I have more to do. It’s not easy to hear, but to be honest, we all do.

The Protests Served Their Purpose—Now It’s Time to Problem Solve
By Governor Kristi Noem 

Protests have a purpose. People protest when they feel like they’re not being heard. For the last week, we’ve seen countless protests because of what happened to George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis police. Personally, I couldn’t even make it through the video of his death because it was so gut-wrenching. There is no one that thinks that what happened to George Floyd was okay.

The protests have served their purpose. The question before us now is: What do we want policing to look like going forward? That’s at all levels – city, county, and state.

There’s no governor in America that has trusted their people to make the right choices more than I have these last several months. And there’s no governor in America more willing to work with her people to find solutions to our problems – be that policing or otherwise. It’s time to problem solve.

Policing is largely a state and local issue – the vast majority of police officers are local, not federal, and the laws they enforce are local, not federal. If we want to change the nature of policing, South Dakota must take the lead on that ourselves.

In America, the street doesn’t settle or resolve this policing question, or any other public policy question. Rather, it’s the hard work of study, review, debate, negotiation, and accommodation. Then, we decide what is the best action.

One-liners on social media aren’t the answer. People need to ask themselves: What are the facts? What are the consequences? What can history teach us?  Our American political system is deliberative, so we must take the time to do the hard work of looking at these things from all angles.

One thing I have noticed about public discourse in America today is the immediacy of it all.  Social media and the internet have made it easy to communicate quickly – instantly, in fact. That’s a great tool, but it has also made it easy to communicate thoughtlessly. In the race to be heard, too many of us have given up trying to make an argument. Instead, we compete to see who can shout the loudest.

America is a place where all voices can be heard. Free speech is one of our most fundamental rights. I see legitimate protests raising important concerns, and I hear those concerns. But I also see violent actors who are trying to do an end-run around public discourse. They want to intimidate and silence opposing views. They want to short-cut public debate through fear. They want to make people scared. This is un-American.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned when tackling public policy issues is that there’s no institution more important than the family. We are blessed with great families in South Dakota and in America. Whatever your family looks like, make sure you’re a strong family.

I say that because what’s been taking place across our country shows that some of our families need a lot more attention. Parents need to know if their kids are out throwing rocks at cops. Brothers and sisters need to know if their siblings are looting and vandalizing businesses. Grandparents need to know if their grandkids are intentionally trying to destroy our way of life.

Violence is never the answer. Violence will not be tolerated by me, and it should not be tolerated by you. We have an opportunity to be better. But that requires us to be bold, to respect one another, listen to each other, and work together on our path forward.

This column is adapted from Gov. Noem’s op-ed that originally ran on FoxNews.com.

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Gov. Noem Announces Details for Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced specific plans for the July 3^rd fireworks event in celebration of Independence Day at Mount Rushmore. President Trump has announced his plans to attend the event as well.

“Following months of planning, I’m pleased to announce our specific plans for Mount Rushmore Fireworks on July 3,” said Governor Noem. “There’s truly no better place to celebrate America’s birthday. We’re excited that President Trump is coming to enjoy the show with us. He and the Department of the Interior have been great partners in bringing this celebration back to our great state and the entire nation.”

South Dakota has worked tirelessly with the Department of the Interior, including the National Parks Service, to ensure that this celebration is as safe and successful as possible.

“President Trump recognizes the celebration of our nation’s founding to be about our history, our people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag — the brave men and women of the United States Military,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “Bringing an incredible firework display back to Mount Rushmore is for the American people and those who have made the United States the greatest country in the world, and I thank Governor Noem and the State of South Dakota for being wonderful partners in helping us make this possible.”

The South Dakota Department of Tourism has spearheaded planning for this event in collaboration between several agencies, including local, county, state, and federal officials.

“Now more than ever, South Dakota and our nation need something to look forward to, and we can’t think of a better event than celebrating our nation’s independence at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  We are very honored to be working with our partners at the Department of the Interior and the National Parks Service,” said Jim Hagen, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. “Millions of people from around the globe will witness this incredible spectacular happening right in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills of The Mount Rushmore State.”

Details about the Mount Rushmore fireworks celebration, including how to attend, and answers to other FAQs can be found atwww.TravelSouthDakota.com/RushmoreFireworks. National Parks Service also conducted an environment assessment in preparation for the event, and that assessment can be found here.

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From the Federal Elections Commission:

Dan Ahlers Pre-primary 2020 by Pat Powers on Scribd

For running a US Senate race, Dan Ahlers’ campaign has all the makings on a healthy state legislative campaign. But US Senate? No way.

In the period of April 1 to May 13, in the run up to where the real campaign begins for him, Ahlers raised $7897.71. He spent $810.57, leaving him $43,076.42.

… Does he not have any employees anymore? Federal employee Aaron Matson seems to have disappeared from his campaign finance reporting. In fact, it looks like he’s paying for ActBlue fees, gas and constant contact, and little else.

It’s understandable that he wants to save what little coin he has, but to ramp up an operation to the level of a US Senate race, a person has to get off the ground and build an infrastructure adequate to support the effort. Ahlers seems to be doing nothing.

A trend I suspect will continue through November.

The race between David Zellmer and Larry Zikmund was expected to be one of the marquess races Tuesday Night (Into Wednesday night with Minnehaha County election counting). But it wasn’t. In fact, while Zellmer had a good showing, there was a nearly 500 vote gap he couldn’t close which surprised many.

It was anticipated that this race might drive strong turnout in the southern part of town to bolster Alex Jensen’s vote totals.. but it wasn’t much more than you’d see in other races.

It’s not as if both candidates didn’t campaign – they both made strong efforts.  They both sent postcards, had signs all over the place, touted endorsements, and did everything that candidates could do campaigning in this weird environment.

But with the inability of candidates to go door to door, I’m guessing it came down to familiarity, and in this arena Zikmund had the edge, having been in front of voters three times before.

One of the straggler contests triggered by the Minnehaha County Auditor’s inability to count votes on election day was the District 9 State House contest with incumbent Rhonda Milstead, former legislator Michael Clark, and Bethany Soye.

As a newcomer, Soye had to run the hardest in the campaign, and she did… but up until last night, she found herself in a distant third place until absentee ballots were counted. And then the gap started closing.  And it got closer… and closer…

At around 9pm last night, Soye overtook Clark in the District 9 House Race by 8 votes… a total that held through the race being declared – and Bethany squeaked it out in a nail-biter of a contest!

State Senator Jeff Monroe didn’t get to change his title in last night’s House primary – but he’s ok with that, as related in this article in the Capital Journal:

“I’m happy with the results and wish the best to everyone,” Monroe said. “Maybe it was the voters’ way of giving me a vacation. I woke up (Tuesday morning) and realized I might — when my Senate term is over — have a few hours of my own each morning. I am thankful for the time I’ve had of 26 years. I look back to the time since I started public service in 1994, and I get tired. I don’t feel bad working hard on issues, but can’t imagine doing something like the COVID thing every year. I will miss helping the people, but not all the work.”

Monroe has served in the South Dakota Senate representing District 24 since January 8, 2013. He served in the South Dakota Legislature from January 1995 until January 2003 in the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 24.

Read the entire election story here.

I have to admit that I’m a little sad that Jeff won’t be continuing, as he’s such a tremendously nice, and genuine person.  I always found with Jeff that his word is his bond, and he would honor it to the last. Good luck to you Jeff, and thank you for your service, Senator.

In case you’ve missed it, it looks like Daniel Haggar is going to be the new State’s Attorney for Minnehaha County.

Don’t quote me on the percentages, as who knows with the Minnehaha County Auditor, and their counts, but right now, Daniel holds a 45% vote tally against that of his next closest competitor, Crystal Johnson at 41%. Paul Bengford is currently sitting at 14%.

We’ll update you when (if) we see final results when (if) they’re made available!

(Update – it’s done! Daniel is the new Minnehaha County State’s Attorney!)

The final results are finally in an entire day later. And in this crazy year of coronavirus, in an election that was extended, and ended up being closer than expected, Alex Jensen has won the race against Theresa Stehly for Sioux Falls City Council!