Did you notice how Democrat State Senator Billie Sutton, who was said to be planning to announce that he was going to be running for Governor at the Democrat’s McGovern Day Dinner, didn’t?
While Sutton spoke at the event, he held back from letting Democrats know they had a candidate, even after supposedly poaching the party’s Executive Director for his effort, leaving an already chaotic mess in further disarray.
Here’s where we get into the rumor mill – What I’m hearing on the street is that Sutton is getting somewhat contradictory advice in the matter. Some are urging him to proudly carry the banner for the beleaguered SDDP, and try to show that they are able to produce a viable candidate after their last disaster of the inept Susan Wismer helping along Republicans to one of their biggest victories ever in a gubernatorial contest.
But not so fast… I’m also hearing that Sutton is being counseled and pulled the other way… to NOT run, recognizing that whether it’s Kristi Noem or Marty Jackley leading the party in 2018, it is not a race he wants to take on, especially given the disorganized mess the Democrat Party is in. Let’s face it. It’s not as if Ann Tornberg had a good year in 2016, and the Democrat party is even further fractured after the debacle of the recently attempted and failed Ann Tornberg coup.
What might be further driving it is that the rest of their ticket isn’t in such good shape. While Republicans have competitive races for many seats, all the Dems have is the foul-mouthed Chris Martian running for Congress on the Dem ticket. The unemployed IT professional isn’t exactly known among dems, nor does he seem to have the financial wherewithal to raise dollars for a congressional race. Martian isn’t their favorite at this time.
Plus, they may be ignoring him because State Dems know there’s someone better in the wings, and they don’t want to waste time with someone out of nowhere.
It has been rumored that Senate Democrat Assistant Minority Leader Troy Heinert may be weighing entering the Congressional contest. The well spoken Heinert would certainly electrify Democrats more than a profane and crass Martian, but South Dakota is still a Republican state, and the hill to climb might be impossible to navigate. Heinert might be well spoken, but he is most definitely in the hard D column, and would be campaigning on a pretty liberal voting record that might be hard for many South Dakotans to swallow.
Further driving Dem reluctance is that if both Heinert and Sutton ran and lost, that could take a large and significant bite out of Democrat Leadership, with two of their most capable spokesmen out of the legislature for two years.
So, will Billie be dem’s hero? Hard to say at this point. But the clock is ticking down to get a campaign underway. For both he and/or Heinert.
Will the other Mr. H step forward? The one with the giant ego?
Why jump into the election this early. Let the Republicans battle it out and damage each other.
It makes sense that Billie and Troy would both run. They are friends and have similar outlooks on things. If Billie wants a stronger congressional candidate on the ticket, Troy is who he would ask.
Billie is term limited anyway so the question for him is 1) Does he want to put the time and energy into a probable loss and 2) Does a losing campaign help or hurt his ability to run again?
Why the big push for a change in strategy? It has only been 5-6 years that the Dem’s have only been trying their current strategy of:
1) Allowing traditional organization to dissolve and disappear by inattention
2) Recruit liberal fringe candidates
3) Focus time and effort on ballot issues
They haven’t been at the above long enough to know whether it can work. I think they need to stick with it.
Troy if they were running a business the SDDP would be sued as a case study at a business school with what not to do. Could possibly be used at political science classes too.
Sorry not sued but used* as a case study
Actually, they could also be SUED by shareholders if their conduct was deemed a breach of fiduciary obligations and not just innocent stupidity.
They have as much of a chance as Tapio against Dusty. None.
“Recruit liberal fringe candidates” I’m not sure far the SDDP can go before they reach the bottom here in South Dakota. Candidates with nose rings, tattoos all over their body including their face, they reek of pot when going door to door and argue with home owners before having the police called on them. Advocating legalizing all drugs with a needle exchange. Everyone is a victim no matter what bad things they do and should not be incarcerated. Gosh! What else?
This overwhelmingly Republican state has sent quite a few Democrats to Congress over the year…..George S. McGovern, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson. They were all elected by Republican voters. Don’t be too sure it won’t happen again. Most South Dakotans are independent, and fiercely so.
C. Ermie Those Democrats you mentioned would be conservative compared to the hard left that have taken over the party today.
Compared to the hard right conservatives in office now? This upcoming election will be a reset. Voters have realized that if you vote for crazy, you’re gonna get crazy. Just watch, it was a bloodbath for dems in 16, it is looking the same for republicans in 18. Time to meet in the middle, and get work done.
Did running last go around wreck that Ms. Wismer person? Couldn’t they just run her again, with all the experience now under her belt?
Claiming Sutton or a Heinert are far left liberals will back-fire on the GOP. There are plenty Republicans in the legislature that have more liberal records than all of the Democrats combined.
Republican voters need to start weeding out the empty rhetoric from the ugly political facts.