District 35: Kevin Quick campaign’s momentum arrested by Senator Jessica Castleberry’s efforts

Campaign finance reports are in for the primary, and by the looks if it, image challenged District 35 challenger Kevin Quick doesn’t just have trouble with the long arm of the law; he can’t overcome incumbent lawmaker, Jessica Castleberry either.

Kevin Quick 2020 Pre Primary by Pat Powers on Scribd

Quick collected $285 in unitemized donations to go along with $1340 from those who would admit they know him.

His largest donation was $2000 from Shining Light PAC ran by Rapid City consultant Jordan Mason. This would be the same PAC that was involved in some controversy in the Rapid City School Bond election earlier this year. Of course, the left hand giveth, as the right hand taketh away, as Quick spent $1200 in “consulting.”

Against income of $3,625, Quick is claiming expenditures of $1250, leaving himself $2375 for the last two weeks of the election.

Well, good luck with that.

Castleberry for Senate 2020… by Pat Powers on Scribd

Incumbent State Senator Jessica Castleberry raised less than $100 from unitemized contributions, and only $1500 from itemized donations, but did very well from South Dakota Associations. Realtors, Chiropractors, Retailers, SDAHO, Doctors, and others pitched in to bring her PAC total to $6600, plus several donations from past and future colleagues for another $1750.

Ultimately, against an income of $19,820, Castleberry spent $19,780.09, with more income likely coming in the weeks to come.

$1250 versus $19,780 is quite a bit of disparity in the type of elections the campaigns are running. Given the fact Quick has a lot of image problems to overcome… I’d anticipate that he failed in that task.

In District 21, new candidate Erin Tobin outraises House Maj. Leader Lee Qualm in fundraising a tremendous 6 to 1

Pre-primary campaign finance forms are coming in today, and at the top of the list are the campaign finance reports for District 21 State Senate. And they are completely shocking.

I’d noted that House Majority Leader Lee Qualm had problems from sponsoring anti-vaxxer legislation, and Erin Tobin was a candidate to watch… but even I am shocked at the disparity.  Because Erin Tobin seems to have the wind at her back with full sails, and she is way out in front!   Even with Qualm starting at a little under 10K in the bank, political newcomer Erin Tobin has completely crushed the House Majority Leader, and is heading into the last two weeks of the election with massive forward momentum.  Don’t believe me? Read it for yourself:

Lee Qualm’s report:

Lee Qualm 2020 Pre-Primary … by Pat Powers on Scribd

Qualm started with $9.5 k in the bank. He raised $4.3k, with an anemic $450 in itemized contributions,  $2.9K from PACS, and spent $10.2k.

And Lee ends the reporting period with $3,760 in the bank.

And here’s where the disparity starts, as you read Erin Tobin’s report:

Erin Tobin 2020 Pre-Primary… by Pat Powers on Scribd

Erin Tobin started from zero..  raised an eye-popping $24k in donations – with a tremendous $16K from itemized contributions, $5k from entities, and $2.4k from PACs  She spent $14,150 so far, leaving her with $9,937 in the bank for the last two weeks.  Tobin out-raised the House Majority Leader 6 to 1 (on itemized contributions, it was 36 to 1), she spent about $4000 more, and goes into the last week with about 2 to 3 times the cash on hand that Qualm has.

Keep on watching, because this race is going to be fought hard going into the last two weeks like nothing we’ve seen for a while. And by all indications, Erin Tobin isn’t going to let up anytime soon.

Billie Sutton for Governor files report confirming he’s continuing to raise cash for his political committee

Billie Sutton’s unsuccessful Gubernatorial campaign has never stopped raising money. And that’s clearly reflected by the campaign finance report that he just filed:

Sutton Disclosure 2020 pre-… by Pat Powers on Scribd

In this pre-primary report, Sutton raised $6,405.42.. with $4,000 of that coming from Democrat mega-donor Vincent Ryan of Vero Beach, Florida, board member of the environmental group The Nature Conservancy.

Sutton donated $2500 to a non-profit… I’m assuming that’s his captive non-profit… but interestingly, that’s all that Sutton seems to have moved over to the non-profit side, choosing to keep this campaign cash in his political account.

Maybe the best way to thank a peace officer and treat them with respect…. is by NOT assaulting them.

I think I fell out of my chair this evening when I read this facebook post from District 31 State Senate candidate John Teupel:

Did John Teupel really post on facebook about thanking law enforcement officers and treating them with the respect they deserve?

I do agree with that sentiment. But I’d also point out that I’ve always found that one of the the best ways to honor and thank Law Enforcement officers is by NOT ASSAULTING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.  What was that I was writing about on May 5th?

Unified Judicial System JOH… by Pat Powers on Scribd

 

In case you missed or otherwise needed reminding of the post I did less than 2 weeks ago, in August of 2018 State Senate Candidate Teupel was arrested and charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer (a felony), which was eventually disposed of and pled down with a guilty plea of resisting arrest, and in October of 2018, Teupel received 4 days in jail, being required to successfully complete anger management classes, a year of probation, etc.

While a facebook post is a nice gesture, I think deeds are more important than words.

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: To the Class of 2020: Be Difference Makers

To the Class of 2020: Be Difference Makers
By Sen. John Thune

Click here or on the image above to watch Thune’s virtual commencement address. 

Congratulations, class of 2020. I can’t gloss over the fact that these are unusual times. This isn’t a normal high school graduation. And this hasn’t been a normal semester

I know this is a wonderful time of the year when the spring season rolls around. There should’ve been spring sports and music recitals and prom and, of course, a walk across the stage to get your diploma.

I want to tell you that I feel your pain, and I appreciate what you guys are having to go through. But, as I’ve experienced in my life, when I’ve gone through adversity, oftentimes it strengthens my faith, gives me a greater appreciation for my family and friends, and challenges me to reexamine my priorities. Those seem like three important lessons for graduating seniors. And for those of you leaving “the nest” next year, I know your parents enjoyed this quality time with you. So my hope is that somewhere down the road, as you look back on this experience, it will be something that you have learned from and something that you have grown from.

I grew up in the small town of Murdo. I don’t know if any of you know where that is, but it’s a small town of about 500 people. My dad was a teacher, coach, athletic director, and he drove the bus at my school. My mom was the school librarian. It meant there wasn’t anywhere I could go to get away from my parents. But it also meant that growing up, I saw firsthand the dedication of our educators.

And so, I want to take a moment to thank your teachers, your school officials, and their staff for their very hard work and dedication – and especially for going above and beyond in these past few weeks to make it possible for you to continue to pursue your studies and to reach this important milestone.

As a 1979 high school graduate, just saying “class of 2020” makes me feel old. Even 40 years down the road, I still remember my high school experience. But I don’t remember the exams or papers or even my exact GPA. What I do remember is my friends, my teachers, my coaches, and the many lessons that I learned. Trust me, that’s what you’ll remember, too.

Keep hanging in there. Stay strong. Keep doing the work. If you do, I can assure you that it will pay off in the future.

When I was growing up in Murdo, I never thought that I would be addressing a class of graduating seniors as your U.S. senator. But just remember: Sometimes doors open to you and don’t be afraid to push them open to see what’s on the other side. If an opportunity comes along, go for it. You can’t imagine where it can take you. Be difference makers.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Standing Up for South Dakota’s Livestock Producers

Standing Up for South Dakota’s Livestock Producers
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

South Dakota’s number one industry is agriculture, and for years, farmers and ranchers have been dealing with difficulties including trade uncertainty, low commodity prices and price disparities between what they receive versus what the consumer pays at the grocery store for the product. These issues have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 outbreaks at processing plants have forced them to shut down temporarily, resulting in fewer facilities available for producers to process their livestock. Not only does this affect producers and processing plant workers, it impacts all Americans who rely on a steady food supply chain to put food on the table for their families each day.

As of May 9, total cattle slaughter in the U.S. was down 32 percent compared to the same time in 2019. This has created a backlog of approximately 882,000 cattle waiting to be processed. The pork and poultry industries are facing similar backlogs resulting in protein shortages nationwide. The last thing we want to see is a nationwide food shortage during this time.

These issues are serious enough to finally have drawn support for some of the measures we’ve been working on. My original March 19 letter to the Department of Justice requesting an investigation into packer concentration has now drawn the support of numerous other members of the Senate, and the president has now publicly stated his interest in seeing the same investigation proceed. We’ve also seen more support for legislation that I’ve introduced with Sen. Angus King of Maine. This legislation—called the New Markets for State Inspected Meat and Poultry Act—would allow us to sell state-inspected meat and poultry across state lines. Currently, if you had meat or poultry inspected by a South Dakota inspector in Hudson, South Dakota, you wouldn’t be able to sell it across the border in Iowa, but you could sell it several hundred miles away in Lemmon, South Dakota. It really doesn’t make much sense, especially since state meat and poultry inspection facilities are required by law to be at least equal to federally inspected processing facilities. A number of senators, from both sides of the aisle, have now joined me in a letter to Senate leaders urging them to include this legislation in any future COVID-19 response efforts. This measure would help to change our food supply chain for the long-term by making it easier for Americans to get high-quality meat from local processors.

Consumers want and deserve to know where the beef they buy at the store originally came from. Bringing back mandatory country of origin labeling—or MCOOL—has been a hot topic in the ag community since it was eliminated in 2015 due to trade restrictions. I recently partnered with Sen. Jon Tester of Montana to introduce bipartisan legislation that would require negotiations to reinstate MCOOL. Specifically, it calls for the U.S. Trade Representative to enter into negotiations that would allow for MCOOL to be reinstated without the threat of tariffs. Our bill is the most meaningful legislation that I’ve seen in five years—we have bipartisan, cross-country support for it. However, we need President Trump to work to remove tariff barriers. Otherwise bringing back MCOOL would threaten every other commodity, including soybeans, sugar, cotton, corn and ethanol. Our legislation begins an important conversation on food security in America. As we continue to gain support for our measure, we’ll work to include it in any upcoming must-pass COVID-19 legislation.

I also recently introduced legislation to increase transparency in cattle pricing so producers receive a fairer price for their product by requiring that a minimum of 50 percent of a meat packer’s weekly volume of beef slaughter be purchased on the open or spot market. Cattle prices in South Dakota are affected by the average negotiated cash trade nationwide which has dropped dramatically over the past 15 years. The decrease in cash trades has reduced price discovery. In order to establish a fair cattle market for cattle producers, real, vigorous price discovery is needed. This is only one piece of what needs to be fixed in the cattle market, but it’s an important step forward.

As Americans focus on keeping their families safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m working to remove some of the roadblocks livestock producers are facing so that they can continue to provide high quality food for families across the country.

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Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

People like to compare the U.S. and China, so much so I think many people have forgotten a key point – our values are not the same, not even close. Large economies, yes, but China is a communist, authoritarian nation with a state-run media and a government obsessed with surveillance and control.

China’s handling of this worldwide pandemic has brought these differences to the forefront once again. For weeks, China covered up the COVID-19 outbreak and continued to allow travel from Wuhan to other parts of the world. China kicked out foreign journalists and they hid valuable information from the rest of the world. These actions will be a blood-red stain on China’s reputation for generations to come.

For years, the United States and China have developed an increasingly interdependent economic relationship, and it’s put us in a position where we excuse and accept their behavior out of convenience. It’s time for change.

Republicans in the House have established a task force aimed at combating threats posed by China. This is a good starting point, but now – more than ever – we need actions, not political theater or words without consequences.

While we still need a comprehensive investigation on the spread of the coronavirus from China, as leaders, we must be forward thinking. How does the U.S. ensure we are never in the same position again? How does the U.S. better prepare for future pandemics? How does the U.S. stockpile and develop an industrial base for supplies moving forward?

The U.S. is in an unstable relationship with China – every time they tell us they will change their ways, we see the same irresponsible behavior. This pandemic has exposed flaws in our supply chain, both domestic and abroad. More than 72% of active pharmaceutical ingredients are manufactured abroad.

Government should stay out of the business of private enterprise. At the same time, our nation’s leaders have an obligation to protect the American people. These values are in tension with each other. With that said, I find it unwise to watch a majority of our pharmaceuticals, processing plants and personal protective equipment become increasingly dependent on a good-standing relationship with China.

America needs to do better. We need to rely on companies here at home, like 3M, to produce our PPE stockpile. We need to ensure bad actors aren’t investing in our food supply chain. That’s why I signed onto the Agricultural Security Risk Review Act to allow USDA to analyze any foreign investment into our nation’s food supply. COVID-19 has reminded America that our food security and our ability to quickly produce supplies are vital.

Most of all, we need to hold China accountable. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to make sure this accountability happens.

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Governor Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Our Plan to Ramp Up Testing

Our Plan to Ramp Up Testing
By Governor Kristi Noem 

As communities work their way back to normal, one of the tools in our fight against COVID-19 that we will continue to ramp up is mass testing. Earlier this week, Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon laid out our plan to conduct testing events over the next four weeks.

First, we’ll test our most vulnerable population: residents and staff at nursing homes and connected assisted living centers. The first week will focus on the approximately 7,400 individuals at nursing homes in counties with substantial community spread. Week two will be nursing homes in all other counties, roughly another 10,200 South Dakotans.  Then, weeks 3 and 4 will focus on the remaining assisted living centers, approximately 4,300 folks for each of those weeks.

Though we still have some finalizing to do, none of this could be possible without the nursing home and assisted living industry. I want to thank them; they have been fantastic in helping with the planning for this testing. We expect these next four weeks will be a heavy lift, but it’s important that we try and identify whether the virus has found its way into these vulnerable facilities, so we can work to slow its spread.

Second, we’ll also conduct mass testing in some of our tribal communities. For a variety of reasons, these folks could also be among the most vulnerable population as well, and we want to do everything we can to inhibit the spread in tribal communities. Our first event will be on the Lake Traverse Reservation with the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe, and this will be conducted jointly with North Dakota.

Third, we’ll also continue to work with employers of essential and critical infrastructure.  As a reminder, South Dakota first conducted mass testing in connection to the reopening of the Smithfield Foods facility in Sioux Falls – a critical infrastructure business. Thanks to the tremendous collaboration between the State Department of Health and Avera Health, we were able to test roughly 3,700 Smithfield employees and their families over a four-day period. This testing did produce an uptick in positive cases this week, but that was expected. Finding these positives is a good thing because it means that we can isolate these individuals, get them home, and get them healthy.

Please know that this testing will not replace the testing of symptomatic individuals—that will continue without interruption. Also, it’s important to remember that mass testing is point-in-time specific—that means it’s a snapshot of the situation at a given moment. If someone tests negative today, they may still contract the virus tomorrow. Because of this, testing is not a silver bullet in the fight against COVID-19, but it does help us understand the situation at a given time and isolate those who test positive.

With the science, facts, and data driving our decision-making, we will continue to adapt to this virus and the threat it brings to our state. Thank you, South Dakotans, for your continued diligence in this effort. Together, we will get through this.

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