Author: Pat Powers

Erin Tobin Tapped As South Dakota State Chair For U.S. Term Limits

Pierre, SD/August 14, 2024 – Today, U.S. Term Limits announces that Erin Tobin has agreed to be the South Dakota State Chair for U.S. Term Limits. Tobin brings a depth of both private and public service to this role. She has long advocated for term limits at the federal level and will work tirelessly in her role as South Dakota Chair to see that South Dakota adopts a resolution in support of common-sense term limits.

“I am honored to serve as the South Dakota State Chair for U.S. Term Limits,” said Erin Tobin “Now more than ever before, the need for term limits is crystal clear. Polls show that one issue that unites all South Dakotans regardless of political affiliation is the need for congressional term limits.

“For many, serving in Congress has become a lifelong entitlement rather than a public service,” concluded Tobin. “Term limits will help improve accountability, diversify Congress, and make government work better for all Americans.”

“We are honored to have Erin leading our efforts in South Dakota to pass term limits for Congress,” said Philip Blumel, President of U.S. Term Limits. “Under her guidance, I am confident we will get our term limits resolution passed in South Dakota.”

Born in South Dakota, Erin Tobin hails from Tripp County, a place her family has called home for 5 generations. She graduated from Colome High School in 2001 and from South Dakota State University in 2005 with a B.S. degree in nursing. In 2010, she received her master’s degree as a nurse practitioner.

Tobin became involved in politics during a lobbying effort to introduce a bill in the state legislature that would allow the state’s nurses to have full practice authority. In 2020, she was elected to the South Dakota State Senate.

Erin works as a nurse practitioner in family and emergency room medicine. She also owns her own medical practice. She also works on the Rosebud Indian reservation in family medicine and emergency room.

She has two children, Gus and Anna.

U.S. Term Limits is the largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits at all levels of government, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.

State GOP To Be Toppled By Rogue Elements

Rebel County Groups Endanger South Dakota’s Political Stability
by Sam Kephart

South Dakota now finds itself at an immediate crossroads of political turmoil… orchestrated by a faction looking to destabilize the intricate fabric of our state’s Republican leadership structure. This rebel group is meeting this weekend. These self-proclaimed mavericks, operating under a guise of rebellion, have one clear mission—to dismantle and dismiss the solid and proven framework upon which the South Dakota State GOP stands.

With unprecedented boldness, these rogue elements have spread their subversive influence across more than twenty counties’ local organizations… and intend to wrest control of the state party. They’re determined to undermine the State Republican Party, backed by clandestine forces that hold no genuine interest in the betterment of our great state. Their actions are not just a mere dissent; they are a calculated assault on the foundations of our political stability.

These individuals—ostensibly driven by a radical thirst for power—threaten to replace seasoned, proven leadership with a regime characterized solely by its unbridled ambition. Their ruthless tactics and sinister intentions will fracture our political landscape, resulting in long-lasting damage that could take years, if ever, to mend.

Their platform is bereft of any constructive alternative vision or genuine concern for South Dakota’s future. Instead, they peddle deceit, spread dissension, and foster a narrative grounded in falsehoods. The outcome of their actions, should they succeed, will be catastrophic—a political system in disarray, leaving conservative South Dakotans in jeopardy… and without legitimate representation.

The State GOP, whatever its arguable flaws, has pretty consistently delivered for local, State, and Federal conservative candidates. Wholesale statewide rebellion and change for change’s sake make zero sense… and offers no substantive and reliable deliverables.

I call on sane conservative voters to take a resolute stand against these subversive tactics; now is not the time for discord but for solidarity. To maneuver through this turmoil, we must remember the collective strength that’s historically guided us through adversity.

My warning is urgent; it extends to every rational conservative South Dakotan – you’d better reject the divisive rhetoric and destructive ambitions of this rogue faction. Rather, embrace and protect the values that have brought prosperity and stability to our state.

Stand in unity, for it is only together that we can repel this clear and present political danger… and secure a bright, stable future for South Dakota. In unity, we find strength. In collective action, we find resilience.

Frankly, great changes cannot be made in a minute. Every rational conservative South Dakotan needs to rise against this challenge, protect our cherished political system, and ensure that South Dakota remains a beacon of individual rights and conservative values.

Mark my words, theses rebels are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. As President Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Sam Kephart is a former primary candidate for U.S.Senate. He’s a Spearfish-based marketing and media consultant.

Submitted by:

Samuel R. Kephart (73)
Spearfish, SD

South Dakota Attorney General Jackley Files Lawsuit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that he has joined a civil antitrust lawsuit with the U.S. Justice Department and 40 other Attorneys General against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

“Live Nation-Ticketmaster is monopolizing live concert markets across the nation,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This anti-competitive conduct increases ticket prices for South Dakotans and makes it more challenging for music goers to attend live performances.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Southern New York. The lawsuit can be read here:

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Attorney General Jackley Praises 8^th Circuit Court Decision Overruling ATF Ban 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley praises a recent U.S. 8^thCircuit Court reversal on a federal ATF rule banning pistol braces.

The 8^th Circuit Court overruled a U.S. District Court of North Dakota Judge who had earlier denied a preliminary injunction against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rule on pistol stabilizing braces. A coalition of 24 states, including South Dakota, had filed a lawsuit in 2023 against that ATF rule.

“This is another victory against a federal bureaucracy that tries to take away individual rights,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Our Second Amendment is a very significant and recognizable individual right.”

The proposed ATF rule also was rejected earlier by a Texas federal court.

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It does not look like Representative Brandei Schaefbauer had a good July. First she paid a speeding ticket she received in Potter County. And then she filed for divorce.

The filing, dated July 9th, cites “irreconcilable differences” and states further grounds exist under SDCL 25-4-2 (1) and (2). Those sections are regarding (1) Adultery; and (2) Extreme cruelty.

The filing also requests that alimony be provided for the District 3 State Representative.

No response has been filed in the civil action at this time.

The Biden-Harris Economy Leaves Too Many Americans Falling Behind

By Sen. John Thune

America has always been a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead. But it’s gotten a lot more challenging in the Biden-Harris economy. Inflation has dealt working families a series of setbacks that have made it harder to get ahead. And it’s in large part due to this administration’s reckless spending.

Three and a half years ago Vice President Harris cast her first tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate to advance $1.9 trillion in spending under the guise of pandemic relief. She and Democrats in Congress had been warned that that level of spending risked setting off inflation unlike any we had seen in a generation. But they passed it anyway. And inflation began to take off almost immediately.

For many Americans, life in the Biden-Harris economy feels like a downgrade. All told, it costs a typical family $13,000 more per year just to maintain the same standard of living it enjoyed when President Biden took office, and nearly every aspect of daily life is more expensive in the Biden-Harris economy. More than one-third of Americans are worried about paying their bills.  People are pulling back on their spending and putting more on their credit cards. Some people are even taking on extra work just to get by. But sometimes, it’s still not enough.

And it’s not just higher prices. Measures to tame inflation have also added to Americans’ financial pain. To fight inflation, the Federal Reserve has been forced to keep interest rates high, which affects Americans’ finances in a variety of ways. Higher interest rates, in part the result of the Fed’s actions, are making credit card bills harder to pay down. The same is true for car payments. And Americans looking to own their own home are facing what one housing expert called “the most challenging home buying market we’ve ever seen.”

The White House has spent a lot of time trying to spin this economy as strong. But the American people aren’t buying it. An economy where people are working harder and still struggling to get by isn’t what most Americans consider a strong economy. And it can’t be America’s future.

Inflation began accelerating as a result of Democrats’ reckless spending. Yet the Biden-Harris administration and congressional Democrats show no signs of backing off their reckless tax and spending agenda. In fact, it’s clear they envision a lot more of the same. The administration’s latest budget request is filled with burdensome new taxes and trillions in new spending. They want to see the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire, which would mean more tax increases on American families and businesses. And Democrats still have plenty of other tax and spending ideas they would like to implement.

The American people have suffered enough. I don’t want to think about what kind of economic pain we could see from another four years of Democrats’ reckless spending. And I hope the American people will not have to experience it.

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BIG Investments
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
August 16, 2024

BIG Update

South Dakota received a presidential disaster declaration for the historic flooding in the southeast portion of the state. Twenty-five counties have received disaster assistance from FEMA and four of those counties qualify for individual assistance for residents and business owners. This is great news for recovery and rebuilding efforts after many homes and buildings were destroyed.

In the aftermath of the flood, I joined Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds in sending a letter to support Governor Noem’s disaster declaration request. I’m glad the President approved this request.

BIG Idea

Project labor agreements (PLA) are a contract between the federal government and construction companies about how workers will be handled on the job site. Recently, President Biden published an executive order that federal construction projects worth more than $35 million use a project labor agreement. These require a union to be involved, which proves difficult in South Dakota because most of the contractors in the state aren’t unionized.

Requiring unionized contractors would mean construction workers at Ellsworth Air Force Base or other projects in South Dakota have to find workers from out of state. This will cost taxpayers more, hurt our state’s economy, and hurt the readiness of our base.

I’m opposed to this rule and have been working to prohibit requiring these project labor agreements on federal construction projects. To learn more, watch KOTA’s story about the roundtable here.

BIG News

What was once a gold mine is now a scientific data mine. At the site of the old Homestake mine, a mile below ground, the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), in partnership with Fermilab and the Department of Energy, is searching for answers to questions we might not even have yet.

For three years, construction and excavation teams have worked to remove 800,000 tons of rock to create a cavern the size of eight soccer fields. Excavation is officially complete, bringing SURF one step closer to beginning research on particles called neutrinos that can hopefully give insight into big questions about our universe.

It was phenomenal to see the facility. I look forward to the great economic impact this will have on our state and to learning what the scientists will discover.

Interesting discussions on how political parties replace candidates yesterday. Do you know they changed some laws on that in the last few years?

For the Ben Krohmer District 20 replacement, being a multi-county legislative district, there is a specific law that applies:

12-6-57. Meeting of party committee to fill vacancies–Manner of voting.

To fill a vacancy for a party candidate to a:

(1) State office or as a presidential elector, the party State Central Committee chairman shall call a central committee meeting to fill the vacancy, and designate the time and place where the meeting shall be held;

(2) Multi-county legislative district, the party State Central Committee chairman shall call a meeting of affected county party central committee members to fill the vacancy, designate the time and place where the meeting shall be held, designate the person who will conduct the meeting, and notify all affected central committee members of this information;

(3) Single-county legislative district or county office, the county party central committee chairman shall call a meeting of the county party central committee to fill the vacancy and designate the time and place where the meeting shall be held.

Vacancies filled by State Central Committee shall be by unit representation, each county casting the number of votes cast in that county at the last general election for that party’s candidate for Governor. All other vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote of the affected committee members present.

Read that here.

The law seems to be pretty specific in that it spells out “the party State Central Committee chairman shall call a meeting of affected county party central committee members to fill the vacancy, designate the time and place where the meeting shall be held, designate the person who will conduct the meeting, and notify all affected central committee members of this information;”

What was that notice that went out about the meeting a couple days ago? I think you can find it here on the website:

From: Rich Hilgemann
Date: Wed, Aug 7, 2024, 11:25 AM
Subject: D20 replacement meeting notice

I am Rich Hilgemann, a region director for the state Republican party, Chairman Wiik has tasked me with running this replacement meeting. I am reaching out because all of you are eligible voters and need to be notified of a replacement meeting to be held on Monday August 12th at the Mitchell Public Library, 221 N. Duff Street in Mitchell, SD.

Yesterday afternoon Representative Krohmer withdrew from the 2024 general election ballot. All elected Republicans residing in District 20, and organized county party executive boards are eligible to vote at a replacement meeting. Davison County Republicans have a room booked for us and will also help with credentialing.

Credentials will run from 6pm to 7pm.
Nominations and voting starts at 7pm.
Spectators are welcome but I will ask they be seated separately from the credentialed voting block.

Those eligible to obtain credentials: There are 2 organized counties in District 20, Jerauld and Davison and their executive boards are eligible as long as they are still registered Republicans in District 20/their counties. District 20 partisan office holders, current Legislators/Senator, county elected officials (Coroner, Sheriff, Auditor, Deeds, Treasurer, Commissioners, State’s Attorney) and precinct people.

Nominations and a second will be required to be considered a candidate. Nominating speeches and candidate speeches I believe would be in order, seconding speeches optional. Nominations and seconds can only be made by credentialed voters.

I do want to apologize for the short notice and nature of this notice but the deadline for replacement is the day after the meeting so email, social media, and phone calls are what we are relegated to. Also I would ask your help in forwarding this email to those who are eligible but have not seen this email notice or know about the meeting yet.

Please feel free to reply to this email with questions or concerns.

Thanks!
Rich Hilgemann

Rich Hilgemann calling the meeting does not appear to be the party State Central Committee chairman calling the meeting. While he might’ve been tasked with it, that notice doesn’t really seem to indicate that he is the Republican party state central committee chairman himself, does it?

I hate to be that guy, but on the surface, it would not appear that the notice requirements of 12-6-57 were followed.

Which casts some aspersions on that entire Monday night process.

Interesting update this evening from the district 20 meeting to replace Ben Krohmer on the ballot, as it sounds like this was maybe not exactly the most organized and unbiased process.

The precinct people, who seemed to be somewhat pre-coached, as both candidates gave their speeches, and the precinct people all voted for Kaley Nolz of Brookings while the elected officials who attended cold and listened to the speeches largely voted for Mike Lauritsen of Mitchell.

And as I’m hearing while Rich Hilgemann ran the event for the Republican party, my correspondent tells me Ben Krohmer – who gave the nominating speech for Nolz – started collecting the ballots. After he got about 10 of them, Rich Hilgemann remarked ‘“oh, I should be doing that,” and took over.

(Rich contends Krohmer simply brought the bucket from the back off the registration table and went to pass it down the line when he grabbed it and went down each row himself.)

Not sure that’s the way it’s supposed to work. But that’s the way I’m told it went down.

Unfortunately, the precinct people outnumbered the elected officials, so D20 Republicans picked the one whom they had better make sure moves into the district next January.

From my e~mail box this AM, looks like the Brown County GOP‘s leadership team is collapsing in the wake of Katie Washnok’s departure:

Brown County Republican Central Committee Members,

After taking some time to think about things, I am writing to resign from my position as Brown County Republican Party secretary, effective immediately. In light of Katie’s recent departure, I believe that the direction for the future of the Brown County GOP has changed.

Our country has reached a pivotal point where the success of our nation depends on citizens’ willingness to work together towards a common goal. The same is true at the local level. I believe that as executive board members, we hold a duty to diligently work to unite the Brown County GOP through leadership and example. Unfortunately, in recent years, personal agendas have plagued our efforts and have threatened the upward trajectory that we have worked tirelessly to maintain. I will always believe that our board exists to represent and welcome ALL Republicans, not just those who share our same views and opinions.

It has been my honor to serve Brown County for the past five years. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished, especially our efforts to ensure that Brown County remains red. It is, and always will be, a privilege to carry water for the elephant.

Respectfully,

Ashley Tanner-Fliehs

And that’s another person choosing to walk away in light of the divisiveness that’s plaguing the SDGOP.