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Dan Lederman is our new chair for the SDGOP. pic.twitter.com/Xh3SugAPv4

— Brown County GOP-SD (@BrownCountyGOPS) February 11, 2017

Gubernatorial Scion Russ Janklow was announced today as Campaign Treasurer for gubernatorial hopeful Attorney General Marty Jackley, in an effort to make up the fundraising deficit Jackley faces against Congresswoman Kristi Noem:

Russ Janklow’s presence on the campaign could help Jackley overcome a potential weakness in the area of fundraising. Noem, following the transfer of $1.6 million from her congressional account, ended the year with $1.8 million on hand – a sizeable lump of money for a primary that is still more than a year and a half away.

“We’re very pleased with where we are financially overall and with how things came together at the end of the year,” Noem spokesman Justin Brasell said in a statement. “Kristi continues to persuade new people to join our team every day. Kristi is taking nothing for granted and is out there working hard for every vote just like she always has.”

Jackley ended the year about $800,000 behind Noem.

Read it all here.

Early reports are noting that on a vote of 73 to 53, former Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dan Lederman is the new SDGOP chair.

Stay tuned for more details to come.

Another article on the election tomorrow for the GOP state chair has come out. 

And by the looks of it this one is the best of all. (Maybe I’m just saying that because I’m extensively featured in it.)

Typically, the governor has recruited the party chair, said Pat Powers, who runs South Dakota War College, a conservative blog. This is the first time in decades that State Central Committee members who gather Saturday in Pierre, South Dakota, will have a choice.

GOP Gov. Dennis Daugaard supports Roberts, and said it’s unusual for two people to be interested in the position that is typically only filled by persuasion.

“In most of the cases there’s not a matter of which candidate is going to win. It’s a matter of who can be persuaded to bear this burden,” he said.

Powers said with roughly 250,000 registered Republicans in South Dakota, competition for the post isn’t inconceivable.

“It’s a healthy thing,” Powers said. “Oh darn. Republicans have choices.”

Read it here.

The Argus weighs in with their take on the GOP Chairmanship race. And actually, it’s a very good article, well worth the read:

For decades the governor’s seal of approval has been an effective appointment to be confirmed by the committee. Candidates lobbied the governor for his endorsement and on a few occasions unendorsed candidates have continued but pulled out hours before the vote.

“By the time the voting started there was only one candidate standing,” said Frank Brost, a former chief of staff to Govs. George S. Mickelson and Walter Dale Miller and longtime member of the GOP Central Committee. “I can’t remember in my lifetime a race that was contested going into the convention.”

Daugaard told reporters that he liked Roberts’ modesty, along with her hard work and strong track record in the role.

“Pam very clearly is a very capable, unselfish candidate that I would wholeheartedly support and look forward to helping her in her role over the next two years,” Daugaard said.

Holien said the party was ready for a change and that during the time he and Lederman worked together in the South Dakota Senate he found Lederman to be a straight shooter and strong advocate for the GOP.

“In politics you learn the people who will stand by their word and stay true to it, and Dan did that,” he said.

Check it out here at the Argus Leader.

My Work on the Next Farm Bill Begins Today
By Sen. John Thune

Most Americans don’t realize the important role agriculture plays in our daily lives. They can easily hop in their car, drive across town where pre-packaged meat, produce, and other items are waiting for them on the shelves at their local grocery store. Everything is easily accessible, ready to be purchased and brought home to fill refrigerators and pantries.

Ask a South Dakotan about agriculture, and you’ll hear an entirely differently story. Farming and ranching make agriculture our state’s top industry. It’s an opportunity to provide for one’s family. It defines a lifestyle. The hard-working farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs throughout South Dakota are among the people responsible for making sure there’s food in America’s grocery stores, restaurants, and schools. And they’re proud of it, too.

Neither farming nor ranching is an easy way to make a living. There’s plenty of blood, sweat, and tears to prove it. It’s not a nine-to-five, stress-free job either. They’re often up before the sun rises and home after it sets. The dirt literally runs through their hands as next week’s weather forecast weighs heavy on their mind. As if farming and ranching aren’t hard enough during the best of times, today’s record low commodity and livestock prices have made it even more difficult. 

We’re less than two years away from needing to pass the next farm bill, and given today’s market conditions, it’s not too early to start working on it. Our top priority must be to make production agriculture more sustainable by keeping farmers and ranchers on their land. We can work toward achieving that goal by enacting policies that could help prices rise above production costs, bolster commodity programs, protect soil health, preserve crop insurance, and simplify and streamline conservation programs.

I feel strongly about making sure we get this right, which is why I’ll soon be unveiling multiple farm bill proposals that will address specific portions of most titles of the overall bill – well in advance of any deadline. I think these individual proposals are an important place to start. Once we begin the rollout, I look forward to hearing from South Dakotans about what they think of my proposals and if there are any areas in which we can improve.   

I’ve written three farm bills during my time in Congress, having served on both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Next year’s bill will be my fourth. I know what it takes to get these farm bills across the finish line, and I know the farmers and ranchers who will be affected once we do. After having recently met with former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who will soon lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I’m confident we’ll have a strong partner who also understands these high-stakes times.

Our work begins today. 

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Obstruction in the Senate Does More Harm Than Good
By Senator Mike Rounds

Since even before President Donald Trump took office in January, the Senate has been attempting to work through the confirmation process for his Cabinet secretary nominees so we can get to work on the important policy issues to get our country moving in the right direction again. Filling the Cabinet is critically important for the executive branch to function effectively. In addition to their advisory duties, Cabinet members lead their respective departments, create policies that guide each unit and manage programs within their respective departments.

I take very seriously the Senate’s role in providing ‘advise and consent’ to the president’s Cabinet selections. However, as a former governor, I generally believe that a chief executive has the right to choose his or her Cabinet and that nominees should be allowed an up-or-down vote. The Senate’s job is to assure each candidate is qualified to assume the offices for which they are nominated. 

The idea of a Cabinet dates back to our first president, George Washington, who had a group of four advisors who assisted him in fulfilling his duties as president. President Trump’s nominees have unfortunately undergone the slowest Cabinet confirmation process since President Washington took office. 

If you have monitored the news recently, you’ll note that confirming President Trump’s nominees has been a slow-moving process, as Senate Democrats continue to do all they can to slow their confirmations, regardless of their experience or qualifications for the jobs they have been nominated to fill. I understand that some Senate Democrats may have differing policy objectives than some nominees, but rather than voicing those concerns, they have slowed down the entire confirmation process for nearly all nominees, with very few exceptions. 

Historically, the Senate has worked with an incoming administration to fill their Cabinet picks. In fact, every incoming president from James Garfield in 1881 to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 had all of his Cabinet officials confirmed on day one of their presidencies. By this point in his first term, President Obama had all of his Cabinet secretaries confirmed. As we all know, elections have consequences. I understand that some of my colleagues were not pleased with, nor expected, the result of our recent election, but it’s time to put aside political gamesmanship and work together on behalf of the American people we all serve in Congress.

This historic obstruction prevents Congress from working on issues important to many Americans, such as regulatory reform, tax reform, repairing Obamacare and fixing the VA to make it better for our veterans. These are issues that drove millions of Americans to the ballot box in November in support of President Trump, and issues that I have pledged to work on throughout my time in the Senate. I am ready and willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to accomplish these goals. Additionally, when federal agencies do not have leadership in place, policy decisions important to citizens are delayed in their delivery. 

The Senate is historically known for its decorum. Though individual senators may disagree with one another on policy, comity reigns in this body. I’d like to think that all of us share similar principles, especially when it comes to a peaceful transition of power. We will all benefit by finalizing the president’s nominees in a timely manner so we can get to work on the issues that will have a positive impact on the lives of all Americans. 

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An Eternal Tribute
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Through the many sacrifices made, our veterans and their families have earned America’s eternal gratitude.  Since 1948, the Black Hills National Cemetery has been one way in which this appreciation has been shown, although burial space there is increasingly limited.

Tucked in the hills outside Sturgis, around 100 acres has been set aside to serve as a final resting place for some of our state’s most courageous.  Included among these heroes is Chief David Beautiful Bald Eagle.  Born in a tepee in 1919, Chief Bald Eagle served as a paratrooper during World War II.  He – alongside John Bear King and Clarence Eugene Wolf Guts, who are buried in the Black Hills National Cemetery as well – was also a Code Talker.  These men were critical to our success in numerous battles during the war, using their native languages to help protect, defend, and secure freedom.

Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth was also laid to rest at the Black Hills National Cemetery.   This is a man who flew 400 combat missions during World War II and earned numerous metals.  He returned to the U.S. where he eventually became wing commander of what was then called the Rapid City Air Force Base.  While co-piloting a bomber during a simulated combat mission in 1953, his plane encountered bad weather.  With limited visibility, the plane struck a hill, killing everyone on board.  Later that year, Rapid City Air Force Base would be named in General Ellsworth’s honor.

These legacies continue to earn our country’s respect.  This is a lesson in patriotism that Sturgis and other nearby communities have never forgotten.  On a brisk day this past December, for instance, Pennington County 4-H, the Sturgis Boy Scouts, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, and members of the surrounding community came together to place 1,000 wreaths on the graves of those laid to rest in the Black Hills National Cemetery – a community coming together around those who sacrificed much to protect it.

The cemetery, however, does not have the room required to continue serving veterans and their families unless it is expanded.  After working with a number of area veterans and related federal agencies, I again introduced the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act this year, which would nearly triple the cemetery’s size by transferring federal lands that are currently under the Bureau of Land Management’s jurisdiction to the Department of Veterans Affairs.  I was humbled to see the House unanimously pass my legislation earlier this month and I’m hopeful the expansion can soon earn the support of the Senate, where Senators Round and Thune have introduced a companion bill.  Enacting this legislation would be an incredible way to show our nation’s eternal gratitude for all our service members and their families have done. 

One final thing: to all those who have served and to the families who stand beside you, thank you. You are what makes this nation great.

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SD’s Gun Laws: Effective, Appropriate and Minimal
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Gun control measures have been gaining ground in some places around the nation in recent years. In the more urban areas of the country and along the coasts, people are more wary, and perhaps fearful, of guns. That may be why some states pass very restrictive gun laws. For instance, in New Jersey a citizen cannot even own a handgun, rifle or shotgun without a permit or Firearms Purchaser Identification Card. In some states, obtaining a concealed carry permit can take months. In Maryland and California, an individual has to prove a need to be granted a concealed carry permit.

South Dakota is a state that respects the Second Amendment. A great many of our citizens own pistols, rifles and shotguns. Here, guns are as common as saddles and pickups. Many of us grew up hunting or on farms or ranches where we needed to be able to handle a gun. Most importantly, we understand that law-abiding individuals should be able to defend themselves.

As a lifetime member of the NRA, I support the right to bear arms. I own a rifle, a pistol, and more than one shotgun. I am happy to be governor of a state that still respects that right and I am proud of our current gun laws.

South Dakotans do not need a permit to purchase a firearm in our state. The firearm requirements we have in state law are few and reasonable. One such requirement is that if you want to carry a concealed pistol – under your coat, for example – you must obtain a permit. You pay $10 and undergo a background check. The background check is a safety measure to identify applicants who may not be eligible to carry a concealed weapon because they have a criminal record or a history of mental instability. Barring those few exceptions, it’s easy and cheap, and it usually takes only a few days to receive a permit. My friend Matt said he spent five minutes at the sheriff’s window, paid his $10 and three days later had his permit.

There are a number of bills being considered this legislative session that would alter our state’s common sense gun laws. A couple of those bills are deceptively labeled as “constitutional carry” bills.

House Bill 1072, for example, would eliminate the permit requirement in order to carry a concealed weapon. Under this bill, the vetting process would be removed. Individuals with a proven history of violence or substance abuse and those who have been identified as a danger to the public or to themselves could not be restricted from carrying a firearm. If this bill becomes law, it will create confusion for law enforcement who will still seek to ascertain whether an individual is lawfully concealing a weapon. Innocent citizens could be detained by law enforcement and subjected to time-consuming criminal and mental health background checks.

I am proud of South Dakota’s traditions and pro-Second  Amendment track record. Just as I do not support gun control measures, I cannot support bad legislation which would lead to a whole host of unintended consequences. The laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was an ardent defender of constitutional rights and a staunch conservative. In one of his last opinions, Scalia referenced concealed permits. He stated unequivocally that “like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited,” and he affirmed that concealed weapons permit laws are not an affront to our Second Amendment rights.

On this issue, I’m with Justice Scalia.

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