Author: @SoDakCampaigns

South Dakota State Senator Helene Duhamel (today in a column sent to the Rapid City Journal and also posted by the Senator to facebook) echoed what a number of people, including myself, observed about the 2025 South Dakota Legislative session, that a message was sent by too many people in the Republican Majority that South Dakota is Closed for Business:

2025 was a challenging legislative session, as you have heard in the news. In spite of too many opponents of legislation that benefits the Black Hills (including by some Black Hills legislators), we prevailed on some of the most important.

WATER
We were successful in getting legislative approval for a future use water permit for the West Dakota Regional Water System. This is a necessary first step to get Missouri River water to Western South Dakota and the Black Hills. The Big Mo is virtually an endless supply for our future. If we don’t appropriate it – others elsewhere will. As straightforward and critical as it sounds, a number of West River and Rapid City area legislators opposed this Senate Joint Resolution! Many had even supported a similar future use water permit for Lewis and Clark in Eastern South Dakota the previous session. There is no reason to politicize our future water needs and lose the opportunity for our own children and grandchildren to benefit from the Missouri River.

ELLSWORTH
With some twisting and turning, we had some success supporting Ellsworth Air Force Base as it prepares to welcome B-21 families. Instead of a grant, we were successful in providing an interest-free, 20-year, $15 million loan to Douglas School District to build an elementary school. It’s a critical first step in a quality of life issue that impacts Ellsworth. Again, we were challenged to get our Rapid City area legislators to all support Ellsworth!
Many of us will keep looking for more support for the Ellsworth Development Authority to address the many needs of this growing base. With almost $2 billion in base construction, South Dakota will benefit to the tune of $84 million in sales and excise taxes. That all goes to the state. None of that helps deal with the growing pains of accommodating all the growth.

RESTORED FUNDING
We heard from citizens loud and clear and restored funding to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, state library, veteran’s headstones and county veteran service officers. The COVID-19 money from the federal government is going away, our state budget has to right size. We are returning to our familiar small government, small services state.

ELECTION TRANSPARENCY, VEHICLE TITLES, UNCLAIMED PROPERTY
We can be proud of many election transparency bills and a better way to know who is pouring money into our elections. The adoption of electronic vehicle titles makes for a faster, safer, more efficient and affordable process for everyone. An unclaimed property trust fund was established and a trust fund will be on the next ballot.

CLOSED FOR BUSINESS!
My concern is about a stronger economy and better job opportunities now, and into the future, for our children and grandchildren. We said NO to data centers, pipelines, value-added agriculture, investments in our state airports, and the list goes on. In a year when we hear the cry for property tax relief, we thumbed our nose at development that would generated new tax revenues so we locals don’t have to keep carrying the whole burden. These projects would have offset these costs, put money in your pocket and allowed our visitors to help with the tax burden.

South Dakota airports have an economic impact in the range of $1 billion per year. The federal government rewards states that invest in this critical infrastructure with in excess of $3 in matching funds for every $1 in local investment. Until we invest in our airports in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, we will have limited and expensive flying options, with a detrimental impact on tourism. 75% of the costs WOULD be paid by people outside of South Dakota, and yet not all of our Rapid City area legislators would support this benefit for Rapid City and the Black Hills!

Ellsworth Air Force Base’s economic impact approaches $1 billion per year to South Dakota, and yet we have struggled to get our legislators and executive to value this golden goose. These are smart investments with benefits to our state budget.

Keep in mind hosting and expanding military missions is a competitive business. Ellsworth’s main competition for base expansion and new missions is Dyess Air Force Base. Texas annually provides some $50 million to addressing the needs of the Air Force. We need to step up our game to compete for future squadron of B-21s being located here.

With some $40 million left in one-time funding in the 2025 session, instead of making these smart investments, we chose to lock up the money and spend on maintenance and repair of our state buildings. We need you – the taxpaying voters in South Dakota – to help us make the case for smart investments in South Dakota’s future.

Thoughts on the 100th session by the new guy in Pierre
by Representative Kent Roe, Dist. 4

I’ve some thoughts on the 100th session.

What a year to be the “new guy” in Pierre. It was the 100th session of the South Dakota legislature, a new Governor was sworn in, we saved librarians and big bird among many things.

I lucked out in the seating arrangement. I was seated beside David Kull from Brandon, District 2. In front of me was Mike Stevens from Yankton, District 18, and Mike Weisgram, Ft Pierre, District 24. To my right and across the aisle was Travis Ismay, another rookie, from Newell, District 28B. Drew Peterson, Salem, District 19, and Eric Muckey, another rookie, Sioux Falls, District 15. All are great men and I am proud to call all of them friend.

I started out slow. It seemed prudent to me to learn the ebb & flow of things. I was on the transportation committee and also on the taxation committee. The learning never slowed and I am happy to have the experience behind me.

I was fortunate to connect with several like-minded conservatives. A rag tag team of common sense folks that mostly agreed on a value set. That value set being one of limited government, big ideas, local control, respect for our educators, and a consensus that things aren’t too bad and the sky is not falling. We managed to get some good thoughtful legislation passed, and stopped some radical agendas too. Additionally, this group of “moderate rebels”, if there is such a thing, didn’t take orders from anyone. I really appreciated this as we were all equals. We had no “dear leader” and no one was expected to “vote that way or else”.

We had additional positive outcomes including

• Defeating HB 1186 that would have eventually defunded GOED’s Future Fund economic development promotion program, including the build Dakota scholarship program.
• Securing funding for SDPB and libraries.
• Funding the graduate medical student assistance program.
• Approving the future water allocation permit for the Western Dakota Regional Water System.

Passing SB 6 to support a new elementary school necessitated by growth at Ellsworth Air Force Base.- Funding for the technical colleges to purchase new & current equipment for the students to learn on.

Personally I had 3 bills I carried on the house side. Senator Crabtree asked me to carry the Ag Terrorism bill, it passed the house 68-2. Senator Wheeler asked me to carry two bills regarding titling of vehicles, both of which passed the house. This seemed like the best approach for a rookie legislator. Learn from the experienced knowledgeable legislators on how to craft, write and carry a bill. It taught me how to work with all impacted parties and the rhythm of well written legislation working it’s way through the process. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.

Now the down side: I couldn’t help myself when writing this section. I enjoy the full range of the English language, which includes a bite here and there. As the saying goes: The old mares mean, horse s*^t’s green, it’s hard to keep a white shirt clean.

Unfortunately, updating the 140 year old prison got tossed out. I studied this quite a bit as it is a big issue. In 2022 a group was organized to diligently and deliberately come up with a plan. And it took them several years to fully develop this plan. It was presented this year to the legislature. Their plan had several things going for it. It checked all the boxes. It met current incarceration rules. It had facilities for rehabilitation (we currently lack). It met population requirements. It had a great site selection. And lastly, it was paid for. As usual, some teapots were tempestuous, there were several bonnets full of bees, and even a few burrs under a few saddles. Much vexing and gnashing of teeth too, for the religulous types. Was it overpriced? Perhaps. That was one concern I had. It was a concern in a plan that was rigorously prepared and completed by caring professional people. I could live with that. The opponents brought everything they had, which was nothing, as an alternative, and succeeded in their opposition. It proved to me that if you bang an empty pot hard enough you can succeed.

The education committee was presented over 150 half-baked ideas. 40 of which made it to the floor, and (thankfully) very few made it over the finish line. The willingness of some to introduce legislation disrupting public education through measures like education savings accounts, classroom mandates, curriculum restrictions, teacher protocol, and dragging religion into public education left me questioning the purpose of local school boards. Thankfully, we were able to stop this invasion from Pierre into local issues. I cannot stress how much my respect for people willing to stand up and serve on local boards, especially school boards, increased during session. It is important to have people directly in touch with their communities serve these local boards. It is the very definition of local control. Teachers also deserve much credit for surviving an ambitious group of do-gooder legislators. And the Huron school district too! They survived HB1224. Why some in Pierre feel motivated to force their whims on very local issues is beyond my comprehension.

And since I’m certain I’ll get hammered on about it, I’ll write directly to 2 bills we voted on. The first being the “10 Commandments” bill. This mandated that the 10 Commandments MUST be displayed in all schools. Well, this is already in state law, just not the mandated part. Additionally, this bill did not specify which version of the commandments should be displayed (yes, there is more than one version). 2ndly, and I’ll admit I had a little fun with this, the bill did not specify which language to be written in. Since I thought this was absurd from the very beginning I wanted to have a little fun with the poor idea. Should they be written in Hebrew as Moses (likely) received them? Do we use Aramean, Latin, Persian, German(as translated by that greatest of all Catholic monks Martin Luther), King James, NRSV? Do we use the Baptist, Catholic, Democrat, Republican, Orthodox version? (I’m a Lutheran so I really don’t care, I learned them in Confirmation.)

Also, I voted against putting a Chaplain in every school. Let me be serious for a bit. I believe the sponsors of these failed ideas are sincere in their beliefs and are truly good people. The problem is, when we try to mish mash the Sacred with the secular (as these bills attempted to do) it leads us down a path of discounting & devaluing the Sacred. The writers of the 10 Commandments bill defined the 10 Commandments as a historical document. I cannot imagine a statement more repulsive to Christians and Jews. To reduce the word of God to the same status as the house journal (a historical document) simply appalled me, and, conversely, to raise the status of the house journal to Sacred status, really?, come on people. Reducing the Word of God to being a “historical document” only pushed it one step closer to the dust bin of history. Sorry people, not in my lifetime.

We did end up passing SB 216. This is the Governor’s bill aimed at addressing property taxes. While well-intentioned, it will not lower property taxes. It limits property valuation increases (county-wide) to 3% per year for five years. This may slow the growth of property taxes, but potential mill levy increases (valuations and mill levies are tied together to yield enough money to fulfill budgets) could counteract this effect. This is a complex issue. I liked the (now) Lt Gov’s sales tax bill. Rep Goodwin picked it up late in session and offered it as HB 1019 (unfortunately it failed). This bill would give a 35% tax decrease to all South Dakota residents with an owner-occupied home. HB1019 is paid for up front. It raises sales tax from 4.2% to 5%, generating (at current consumer spending levels) $280 million annually, all going to SD owner occupied homes. This results in $417 per $100K assessments. For example, the impact on a $500K assessment would equal $2,085 in property tax reduction ( $417 x 5 = $2,085.00). A huge side benefit to this new 5% sales tax would be the boon to our SD economy. This is money the tax payer has available to spend as they see fit. New shoes for the kids, maybe a treat for the home owners, a new fishing pole, etc. And this revenue doesn’t stop at the impacted tax payer. It goes into the economy of others as well. A new store front for an entrepreneur, additional employees, etc. The point is, it stays in the economy and contributes to the velocity of money (important economic theory there if you want to research it). By the way, 5% is the same as North Dakota and less than other neighboring states. Lastly, the 15 million tourists who visit South Dakota spend $5 billion here. $5,000,000,000.00 x 0.8% = $40,000,000.00 in increased sales tax revenue from tourism alone.

Epilogue- I weep for the state republican committee. We (I use the word “we” with reckless abandon) elected a life long democrat as the new republican state chair. A person who voted for Barry (not Goldwater) twice, and proudly proclaims so. Since taking over this “leader” has produced a “scorecard” of legislators. Here is a link to the house’s scorecard:  www.sdpropertyrightslocalcontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-SD-House-Property-Rights-Scorecard.pdf. There is one similar to it for the senate.

I’m in a group of (his words-not mine) failures and pathetic republicans. How I long for the days of republicanism, when we stayed out of the way and legislated minimally. When we gave big thinkers a chance, entrepreneurs a clean canvas and did our best to keep our kids here when they became adults.

Enjoy the ride folks!

All the best,

Gov. Rhoden Asks Attorney General Bondi and ATF Director Patel to Streamline Firearms and Silencer Purchases

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden sent a letter to United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), asking them to eliminate the seven-day waiting period to purchase a firearm or associated accessories, including silencers, over state lines. You can find the letter here.

“I simply ask that you strike the seven-day waiting period so that law-abiding Americans, who have already undergone a Brady background check, can exercise their Second Amendment rights without unnecessary delay,” said Governor Rhoden.

Governor Rhoden’s request is in response to President Donald J. Trump’s executive order “Protecting Second Amendment Rights” in which he orders AG Bondi to “examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.”

On day one of his Open for Opportunity tour, Governor Rhoden visited Silencer Central, the nation’s largest manufacturer and distributer of firearms suppressors. During his visit, CEO Brandon Maddox informed him that an outdated federal rule from the 1960s is imposing an arbitrary seven-day waiting period before they can ship their products. Governor Rhoden’s letter specifically asks US Attorney General Pam Bondi and ATF Director Kash Patel to review 27 CFR § 478.96 and eliminate the seven-day waiting period.

“In South Dakota, we treasure the Second Amendment,” concluded Governor Rhoden. “We have taken greater actions to defend this basic constitutional freedom than any other state. And we are glad to have allies in the Trump Administration who are eager to advance this freedom for the American people.”

Governor Rhoden signed this letter, along with several pro-Second Amendment bills, at Boyd’s Gunstocks in Mitchell. You can find a picture him signing the letter here.

###

Gov. Rhoden Signs Pro-Second Amendment Bills into Law

PIERRE, S.D. –  Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed three pro-Second Amendment bills into law. He signed these bills at Boyd’s Gunstock in Mitchell during his Open for Opportunity tour. You can find a picture of the signing here.

“One of my favorite things about South Dakota is how free we are – especially when it comes to the freedom to keep and bear arms,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “We have taken greater actions to defend our Second Amendment rights than any other state. As long as I am Governor, I will continue to defend this basic constitutional freedom.”

Governor Rhoden signed the following three bills into law:

• SB 100 limit the imposition of restrictions on the carrying of a concealed pistol and other items of self-defense while on the campus of a public institution of higher education.
• HB 1218 address the imposition of firearm restrictions on certain employees, officers, volunteers, and other individuals.
• HB 1222 expand the authorized carrying, possession, and storage of a concealed pistol.

Governor Rhoden has signed 157 bills and VETOED one this legislative session.

###

Rounds Requests Creation of Commission Addressing Violent Crimes on Reservations 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum requesting the creation of a “Violent Crime Reduction Commission” to address violent crime on reservations.

During Rounds’ meetings with tribal leaders over the last few months, several tribes expressed an interest in creating this commission focused on crime. This proposed body would be made up of officials from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and leaders from tribal areas under federal criminal jurisdiction. Tribal leaders in support of the proposal have indicated only a multi-jurisdictional effort, like a commission, will effectively combat serious violent crime issues.

“Great Plains reservation communities are continuing to deal with a public safety crisis,” wrote Rounds. “With some tribes experiencing violent crime rates five times higher than the national average, it is clear that traditional law enforcement approaches alone are ineffective and officials will need to develop alternative solutions. Due to President Trump’s dedication to fighting violent crime, I believe it is the right time for the federal government to reevaluate and strengthen tribal public safety programs.”

BACKGROUND:

Rounds has been a leader on addressing the public safety crisis on reservations in South Dakota.

–       In June 2023, Rounds sent a letter to then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asking her to direct the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to provide additional support to tribal law enforcement agencies in South Dakota to help combat the spike of violent crime on reservations.

–       In December 2023, Rounds sent a letter to Haaland urging the Department of Interior to immediately address the public safety crisis and lack of law enforcement resources on reservations in South Dakota.

–       In March 2024, Rounds requested information from the Government Accountability Office on tribal law enforcement funding and its correlation, if any, with surges in crime on reservations.

–       In May 2024, Rounds requested funding for tribal law enforcement programs in the FY2025 Appropriations bill.

–       In August 2024, Rounds hosted then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in South Dakota for a meeting with leaders from all nine tribes in South Dakota.

–       In August 2024, Rounds pressed Haaland to modernize the funding formula for tribal law enforcement.

–       In October 2024, following Garland’s meetings in South Dakota, the Department of Justice issued a number of proposals requested by tribal leaders in South Dakota, including changes to the funding mechanisms that the federal government uses to support public safety programs.

–       In January 2025, Rounds called on Garland and Haaland to address the public safety crisis on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Read the full text of the letter HERE or below.

+++

Dear Attorney General Bondi and Secretary Burgum,

Great Plains reservation communities are continuing to deal with a public safety crisis. With some tribes experiencing violent crime rates five times higher than the national average, it is clear that traditional law enforcement approaches alone are ineffective and officials will need to develop alternative solutions. Several tribal leaders have proposed establishing a cross jurisdictional commission to directly address violent crime. As tribal nations continue to deal with threats to public safety, I respectfully request the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize and support this initiative.

As you are aware, an influx of narcotics trafficking has put a real strain on tribal law enforcement agencies. This problem presents not only a serious public health challenge, but it also directly contributes to violence in reservation communities. According to federal statistics, Great Plains reservations have disproportionally high rates of violent crime. In recent years, some tribal law enforcement agencies have received over 100,000 calls for assistance. Tribal leaders have indicated that despite their efforts, violent crime rates remain alarmingly high.

Tribal officer shortages have directly contributed to the current public safety crisis. Currently, several Great Plains law enforcement agencies are severely understaffed. Consequently, some tribal departments only have as few as two or three officers working each shift. This is especially concerning given that some Great Plains reservations span over one million acres. Insufficient training and hiring practices at the federal level have only exacerbated the current problem, making it clear that a joint effort between federal and tribal law enforcement is necessary to address the tribal officer shortage.

The U.S. trust and treaty responsibility requires both the DOJ and the Department of the Interior (DOI) to share criminal jurisdiction with tribal law enforcement. With this responsibility in mind, it is my hope DOJ and DOI will collaborate with tribes under federal jurisdiction to establish a “Violent Crime Reduction Commission.”

Tribal leaders have expressed support for using a commission to directly deploy resources to tribal agencies in need. This may involve working directly with tribal leaders under federal jurisdiction to improve the current methods for disbursing key resources, including competitive grant funding. As you know, extensive tribal consultation must be a key component of any effort to improve public safety.

Due to President Trump’s dedication to fighting violent crime, I believe it is the right time for the federal government to reevaluate and strengthen tribal public safety programs. I look forward to working with both of you on this issue.

###

Attorney General Jackley Announces Federal Judge Rejects Briley Piper’s Appeal of Death Sentence Conviction

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange has rejected Briley Wayne Piper’s federal petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Piper had received the death penalty for the torture and killing of Chester Allan Poage in 2000 near Spearfish.

“Briley Piper has refused to take responsibility or show any remorse for the heinous murder of Chester Poage 25 years ago,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The Court’s ruling is a step forward in carrying out the jury’s verdict and assuring that the Poage family receives justice.”

Judge Lange’s decision is the result of a Feb. 28 hearing in Sioux Falls.

In his decision, Judge Lange denied Piper’s claims that his counsel had not been effective in representing him and denied Piper’s demand to overturn his sentence.

Piper can appeal Judge Lange’s ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The decision can be found here: https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/south-dakota/sddce/5:2020cv05074/70142/145/0.pdf?ts=1742680121

-30-

Imagine running for office doing your own thing, talking to community members, putting up signs, etc.  And then a bombshell is dropped in your lap when on an unsolicited basis, Satan endorses you.  Maybe not coming from the dark lord himself, but a text message blast fired out a short while ago this AM which may have roiled two local races seems pretty close.

Both Al Austreim running for Brookings City Council and Kelsey Bowman running for Brookings School Board are registered Republicans, and had been putting forth a respectable effort in running with signs, mailers and the such going out in what had been a sleepy contest.

And then this text message hit this morning:

Toby Doeden’s, Dakota First Action had fired off a text message in support of local Brookings candidates Kelsey Bowman and Al Austreim in the April 8 election, It was surprising, considering the PAC had shown no interest to date in the race.  The problem with Doeden getting involved in this race for these two candidates is that Doeden and his PAC are not just a little radioactive:

The message came from North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. CNN recently reported that Robinson made racist and sexually explicit remarks more than a decade ago on a pornographic website’s message board. The report said Robinson, who has a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, referred to himself as a “black Nazi,” expressed support for reinstating slavery and praised Adolf Hitler.

Robinson’s video speech occurred during the Dakota First Action political action committee’s Victory Gala. Toby Doeden, an Aberdeen businessman and founder of Dakota First Action, said his fellow Republicans who are condemning Robinson are hurting the party.

“CNN has no substantive proof,” Doeden said. “Republicans will eat their own. If he were on the left, not a single Democrat would have called for him to step down.”

and..

Current state Republican leaders “aren’t conservatives,” Doeden alleged. 

“They’re liberals that register as Republicans because they can’t get elected as Democrats,” he said. “These people are hacks. They’re clowns. They’re disgusting. I started my PAC to eradicate hacks like that from serving in the Legislature – period.” 

Read that here.

The man whose last PAC event was protested by the NAACP has apparently decided he is going to endorse candidates in the Brookings City & School races. The problem is they didn’t ask the candidates, as one of them confirmed to me that they “had nothing to do with” the text message.

Al Austreim, candidate for Brookings City Council reached out to me this morning to let me know that “neither Kelsey nor I had anything to do with this,” as they were shocked and in speaking with Al, had a bit of dismay why this Political Action Committee decided to show up and get involved.  “We did not approve this” and we have “no control over it” was the message directly offered in response to the text blast reaching far across the community, where he expressed concern over this Aberdeen based PAC inserting itself into the race.

It’s not unheard of, as it would not be the first time Toby “Dumpster-fire” Doeden attempted to endorse candidates without their say so. If I could draw your attention to February 2024 :

Read that here.

At the time, Doeden had endorsed Fred Deutsch in the District 4 Senate Race.  You probably can’t find this post, because immediately after it went up, it came down. Because I have it on good authority that Fred didn’t ask for it, nor want it.  And that was before Doeden further descended into infamy. And here we are a little more than a year later with satan Doeden’s group back at it.

The problem is that in Brookings, a fairly middle-of-the-road South Dakota University community, it could threaten to derail these candidate’s home-spun campaigns.  When you have PAC messaging from Doeden’s toxic organization which is the opposite of the South Dakota nice these candidates are trying to communicate with in their races, it’s not a good thing.

In speaking with Austreim, he seems authentic and earnest in his desire to run for the local city council, and expresses that he’s running a transparent campaign, and wants to engage with the community. Unfortunately, when it comes to outside forces inserting themselves into the contest, they “have no control over it.”

If anything, it sounds like they want to get Doeden and his PAC out of town, and out of the race.

Al and Kelsey seemed to have a fair amount of wind in their sails for the final 2 weeks of running their campaigns. Now, through the actions of Toby Doeden and his toxic PAC dropping their text message bomb, they might be fighting for their political lives against the help they didn’t ask for and didn’t want.

Remember this past week when SDGOP Chairman Eschenbaum had alluded to some prior affinity for Democrats, as he told SD News Watch in an interview that he had voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012:

Eschenbaum voted for Barack Obama in 2008 because he thought electing the first Black president would help address racial tensions. He was ready to vote Republican in 2012, upset with runaway spending following the Great Recession but was unimpressed with GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign and supported Obama again.

Read that here.

A number of Republicans I spoke with were surprised to see their new chair declaring he was an Obama voter.  Twice.  Well, it seems that’s not the entire story. Because the chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party appears to have done more than just voting for Obama.

I’d heard rumors about this in the past, but I finally gotten my hands on something people told me I should chase down. Jim Eschenbaum’s voter registration. And At least from the documentation at hand, he’s done more than just vote for Obama.  It appears that according to voter registration records, SDGOP Chairman Jim Eschenbaum was registered as a Democrat from 1984 – 2016. A span of 32 years:

That’s quite a stretch to be registered as a Democrat for 32 years, and then come in to run for South Dakota Republican Party Chairman 8 years later and to declare yourself capable to be chairman of the SDGOP.

Of course, his leadership of the SDGOP has already given us such gems as releasing a scorecard about the performance of state legislators  – as part of a left-leaning organization where he serves in the same capacities in parallel with the SDGOP. And where they declared that half of the Republican State Senators somehow failed or were darn close:

Literally, the new South Dakota Republican Party Chairman just attacked half of the Republicans in the Senate, and gave ammunition to their opponents for the next election, including attacking the Senate Majority Leader.

Eschenbaum, just handed ouf F’s to Arch Beal, Casey Crabtree, Sydney Davis, Randy Diebert, Helene Duhamel, Steve Kolbeck, Senate Republican Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff, Paul Miskimins, Tim Reed, Steph Sauder, Kyle Schoenfish and Glen Vilhauer. (Senators) Mike Rohl and Larry Zikmund were given D’s.

Read that here.

Are we now finding out that Jim Eschenbaum might be the Manchurian Republican Party Chairman, sent to destroy the party from within?  I doubt it’s anything quite that dramatic, but it does lead me to ask whether it’s too soon for a vote of no confidence in his ability to get Republicans elected next fall?

Because so far, I’m kind of having my doubts.

Working for South Dakota’s Farmers and Ranchers
By Sen. John Thune

 You can’t go far without seeing some sign of agriculture in South Dakota – it’s the lifeblood of our state. Advocating for the farm and ranch families in our state is one of my top priorities as a U.S. senator. I’m proud to be a voice for these hardworking South Dakotans who carry on an important way of life that helps feed and fuel our country and the world.

Farmers and ranchers are facing considerable headwinds today, and we need to deliver an updated farm bill that ensures farmers and ranchers have the resources they need to face today’s challenges and tomorrow’s. I’m disappointed that a new farm bill was not a priority for Democrats during the Biden administration, and I remain committed to finishing our work and sending an up-to-date farm bill to the president’s desk.

Depressed commodity prices and extreme weather events are among the challenges facing agriculture today.  At the end of last year, Congress approved the $10 billion Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, which provides economic assistance for farmers and ranchers. South Dakota producers qualify for this aid, which is now available through the Farm Service Agency. Additional aid for farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters will be available soon.

Improving the farm safety net is a priority of mine in the next farm bill. Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, and I introduced the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act to make it more affordable for beginning farmers and ranchers in their first 10 years of operation. I also introduced the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act to help provide greater and expedited assistance to producers when they need it and to improve the drought monitor and other USDA data to make these programs more effective for producers.

I’m also working to help farmers and ranchers adopt next generation technologies in their operations. I recently introduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act, which would encourage partnership between the federal government and the private sector to develop standards for connectivity and security so farms and ranches can use precision technology with confidence. And I’m also working to accelerate deployment of broadband in unserved rural areas by encouraging the removal of unnecessary barriers from programs that promise to connect these areas to the internet.

Farmers’ and ranchers’ priorities are always at the top of my priority list. I remain committed to providing critical tax relief to American agriculture, including ending the death tax once and for all. I’ve also introduced legislation to restore mandatory country of origin labelling for beef. And as always, I continue to advocate for new markets for our agriculture commodities and support year-round, nationwide access to E15.

Life on a farm or a ranch isn’t easy. It involves backbreaking work and the consistent risk that a storm, drought, or an early freeze will wipe out herds or crops, sometimes in an instant. Add market fluctuations, and processing and transportation challenges. It’s a hard way to make a living. But despite its many challenges, it is a tradition worth living. I’m proud to serve the extraordinary men and women who keep the rich agriculture heritage of South Dakota alive and work to feed America and the world.

###

Rhoden RhoundUp
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
March 21, 2025

One of my favorite parts of serving the people of South Dakota is visiting communities around the state. I like to look folks in the eye, shake their hands, and gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that they face.

I recently launched my Open for Opportunity Tour across the state. The first week of visits was pretty great. You can keep track of our progress with the new Rhoden RhoundUp video series that we’ll post every day on social media.

Lieutenant Governor Venhuizen joined me in Sioux Falls. We visited Silencer Central, the nation’s largest dealer, distributer, and manufacturer of suppressors. They’re adding a $20 million expansion to increase their distribution. We toured Scherer, Inc.’s manufacturing facility where they build tools for grain rolling and crushing – they’re making sure that our products are Made in America! We visited the modern new Steel District, including businesses like Burwell Enterprises, Lloyd Companies, and several fantastic restaurants. And we wrapped the day up with a well-attended event hosted by the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.

We spent Tuesday in the Pierre area and started with an interview with Dakota Radio Group’s Jody Heemstra. I celebrated National Ag Day by visiting Ringneck Energy up in Onida and grabbing coffee with Onida residents and area ag producers. A local farmer hosted me for their “lambing” season. And we wrapped the day up with a pancake feed that the Pierre-Ft. Pierre Kiwanis Club was hosting for the community.

On Wednesday, I went to Aberdeen and started the day at Northern State University – President Schnoor showed us their facilities, and I met with several students. I spoke to the local Hub City Radio about our tour. Then, I visited BAE Systems, which produces some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led systems to keep our nation safe. Finally, we swung by ATEC Academy, where Aberdeen-area students are learning career and technical education.

On Thursday, we were a little closer to my neck of the woods in Belle Fourche and Spearfish. I visited Black Hills State University, went to the Belle Fourche livestock market, and spoke at the groundbreaking for the new Belle Fourche Police Department facility – it’s important to me that we continue to show respect and support for law enforcement. Finally, I highlighted South Dakota’s unifying conservation efforts at the launch of a new organization called “Nature Is Nonpartisan.” Our state is living proof that conservation – without government mandates – doesn’t have to damage the economy. In fact, South Dakota does conservation in a way that actually boosts our economy.

One thing I’m proud of: we haven’t heard many complaints of state government getting in the way of opportunity. We have, however, had some folks asking us to advocate to the federal government to have them change policy. So the relationships that we have and are developing with the Trump Administration will be crucial to expand opportunity for South Dakota workers, businesses, and ag producers.

In the coming days and weeks, I’ll visit more communities in every corner of the state. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover! So if you see me in your community, bring me your ideas. Share the opportunities that you’re looking to pursue.

Opportunity is not limited by my vision, or even the vision of any one person in our state. It is as broad as the South Dakota prairie and as high as Black Elk Peak. If we all link arms and pledge to chase down opportunities together, South Dakota will be in pretty good shape.

###