I had previously noted my contentious objection to supporting Kevin Quick for District 35 State Senate.. And while he was the first, he won’t be the last person I’m going to respectfully take a hard pass on supporting in the GOP Primary.
And with that, I’d bring you another edition of Candidates I just can’t get behind, with a pair of the candidates running for office. Aaron Aylward and Thomas Werner, who are hopefuls running for the State House of Representatives in District 6.
I believe I’ve noted previously Aylward’s previous political affiliation, as he’d been registered as a Libertarian last year.. when he was statewide chair for the Libertarian Party. I’m a strong advocate for the GOP maintaining a big tent policy, as many people have had sincere changes in thought and ideology over their lifetimes, and have come to serve the GOP well after reaching a crossroads.
State GOP Chair Dan Lederman is one. So is Lt Governor Larry Rhoden who both changed after originally registering in another party in their long-ago days of youth. Ronald Reagan did the same thing himself before becoming one of our most noteworthy presidents in modern history.
But, then there’s Aaron, who I have to view a bit more cynically:
When you tell someone you switched to the Republican Party, and are “running on that ticket for 2020,” I don’t exactly get the feeling that there’s been a shift of ideology, rather than a shift for opportunity’s sake. If Aylward’s conversion to the GOP is sincere, he hasn’t sold me on it. And I have the feeling I’m no different that many others.
Sorry. I’m going to nope out of this one.
And then, there’s his fellow District 6 House candidate Thomas Werner. Much like Kevin Quick in the last edition of this column, when someone pops up on the scene and you have no idea who they are, you do some checking.
One of the first rules of opposition research is to research yourself first… and clearly… horrifically that was not done here. Otherwise, you would have asked yourself twice as to why Werner ever thought of running:
This was a public notice from February 17, 2000 in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. And yes, it was 20 years ago. But, as you dig, you find plenty of things in more recent years, such as civil judgements and as noted here, a 2014 Sheriff’s sale (Argus Leader July 2, 2014).
And believe me, that’s not all… I’m just being brief for brevity’s sake.
I know businesses have downturns. I know people can have a bad run of luck. But.. what I’m stumbling across in a very surface look is all very publicly filed, via notices in the newspaper. It was a fairly simple look through the Argus, where I found this and more.
So, what happens when someone decides to do some serious digging against Werner in the fall? Because that’s what opposition research is all about. It’s campaigning 101. At times it can be difficult enough to run a race with a stellar candidate, much less one who seems to be deeply flawed.
So make this a District 6 double nope.
Party switching for opportunity’s sake, and being all too well acquainted with the Argus Leader’s public notice section? Sorry, but District 6 House candidates Aaron Aylward & Thomas Werner are candidates I just can’t get behind.
Aylward is a definite not
Clearly an opportunist only
Sopko?
Sopko identifies as a libertarian openly. He’s no republican and should be a hard hard hard no.
sopko didnt file
Eeks. I have friends who who have had DUI’s and chosen not to run because of that. Interesting what bothers some and not others.
A DUI demonstrates a lack of judgment—drink or drive, just don’t do both.
But drinking and legislating is just fine? I find it funny how hypocritical the GOP can be.
What did these candidates say when you called them to ask about these things?
The story is about why I can’t get behind them as a candidate. Not sure why I would call them and ask them to talk me out of my opinion.
I guess your response bothers me for a couple reasons here: 1) If there was something about my past that seemed to be as vague as this case announcement from 20 years ago, I would sincerely hope that your opinion wouldn’t be based in part the fact that there was an announcement. Especially regarding this type where the announcement could be of the nature of one party maintaining full parental rights and the other losing them, or maybe they both did. Who knows?
2) The phone call would not be to convince you that your opinion is wrong, it would be more to inform them that you have discovered an announcement that appears to implicate them in wrong doing and see if they would like to comment on it. Sometimes, you get more dirt, sometimes you get some shine, either way, would’ve been awesome to see a quote from either of these candidates about it.
I can see them running on the Republican ticket just like Trump did. His chances of winning on the R ticket where much better than the Democratic, Reform, or Independent ticket. You have a much better chance of winning running as a R in SD. As long as you stay true to yourself I don’t discriminate against any party affiliation a person wants to run on.
IMHO this is blatantly unethical in an effort to deceive voters on who and what Mr Aylward stands for. There is more than just getting elected to say “hell, no!” to any legislation that requires a legislator to actually engage his/her brain to GOVERN as we’ve seen in some of our current and/or past legislators.
I’m understanding that the young Mr. Aylward has been mentored by a certain Marine/Senator from District 19 (who resigned before completing his full term) to switch parties from L to R – both of which the former “hell no” Senator decried far and wide when other legislators did either.
According to Libertarianism: A Primer by David Boaz, Free Press, 1997:
Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person’s right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force-actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.
Mr. Aylward ran for House in D6 as his true self, a Libertarian, and was in fact smacked down hard and his views were totally rejected by the voters in D6 coming in at the very bottom of two Republicans and two Democrats by over 2400 votes. A simple search of Ballotpedia shows the actual results. Being true to yourself, tara, shouldn’t mean deceiving the voters on what you actually believe and stand for. Run as a Libertarian then. Be transparent & truthful!
I respectfully disagree with you. I hope voters pay attention to issues rather than party labels. I think I have been a member of every party in SD. Libertarian gives you the freedom to be who you really are. Unfortunately in SD, many people vote R without even knowing the issues.
Thomas Werner is a fake, he is abantant several children, ruined several peoples businesses and was on the news a couple of years ago or stealing benifit money from a business he was a partner in family man I think not have up right to some ingonores some and leaves his thirteen year old son to raise the last two, oh I forgot his post on a page for swingers discriping his size not someone I would want in any office
Practice what you preach Thomas Werner!