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Greetings Central Committee Members,

We are looking forward to the South Dakota Republican State Central Committee Meeting this Saturday, February 11th at 1pm in Pierre.

On behalf of the SDGOP, I would like to cordially invite you to a small reception on Saturday morning at Red Rossa, from 11am-12:15pm, prior to the State Central Committee Meeting. From there, Committee Members can go directly to the Central Committee Meeting where we’ll have check-in set up for credentialing.

Below is the Agenda for the Meeting:
Pierre Chamber of Commerce, Community Room
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call of Counties
III. Reports
Chairman
Treasurer
Report on State Convention
Report on National Convention
Report on General Election
Legislative Races
Ballot Measures
Amendment V
Report on County Work
IV. Officer Elections
a. Chairman (nominating speech – Two mins, seconding speech – One min, and personal speech – 5 mins)
b. Vice Chairman
c. Secretary
d. Treasurer
V. Break for Regional Caucuses
VI. Regional Director Elections
VII. National Committeeman & National Committeewoman Reports
VIII. Auxiliary Reports
IX. Report on GOP Data Center
X. Reports/Discussion/Suggestions from County Parties
XI. 2017 Leadership Institute Training for Candidates and Parties Update

Here is the link to the Proxy Form

If you haven’t already, please let me know if you plan to join Saturday.

Please contact me with any questions.

Thanks.

Ryan Budmayr
Executive Director
South Dakota Republican Party
ryan@southdakotagop.com
www.southdakotagop.com

Thune Meets With Supreme Court Nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch 

From left to right: Judge Neil Gorsuch, Sen. John Thune, former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)

WASHINGTON — Today U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) met with Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Gorsuch currently serves on the 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2006.

“[Americans] want judges who call balls and strikes,” said Thune. “They don’t want judges who are trying to make up the rules of the game as they go … [T]his is someone who will be very much in the great tradition and role of Antonin Scalia. Somebody who sees the role of the judge as a great respect for the rule of law, great respect for the Constitution, and somebody who will apply the Constitution and the laws in an even-handed and impartial way.”

Once again, with Municipal and School Board elections coming up in April and June, it’s shameless plug time!  At the bottom of the right hand column, I have an ad for my printing and campaign material business – dakotacampaignstore.com, where you can get some of the best quality supplies the industry has to offer, at some of the cheapest prices you’ll find.

Check out my website, or click here, and browse the latest catalog on-line!

2016 Dakota Campaign Store Catalog by Pat Powers on Scribd

Remember, the early bird gets the worm!

From the Aberdeen American News:

The Army has notified Congress that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, completing the four-state project to move North Dakota oil to Illinois.

Read it here.

Progress. It does a country good.

Rounds Statement on Confirmation of
Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education:

“I support Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education because she understands the need to keep education decisions at the local level: with parents, teachers, school boards and students. Further, I believe she will be successful in implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was signed into law last Congress and repealed Common Core and other one-size-fits-all approaches, giving local units more flexibility in developing a curriculum that best fits the needs of South Dakota students. The South Dakota Department of Education and our individual school boards are more than capable of making decisions best suited for our students; they will be further empowered to do so under Ms. DeVos’s leadership.”

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GOP Vice Chair Candidate Dan Wheeler and GOP Chair Candidate Dan Lederman met with interested Republicans last night to explain why Republican Central Committee members should elect them to leadership posts this coming weekend in Pierre, where Dan Lederman and Linda Rausch will be opposing incumbent Chair Pam Roberts and David Wheeler for the offices in question.

According to Yankton County GOP Chair Jason Ravnsborg:

“They both represented their positions well and we had a good question and answer session from the audience and they were both engaging.”

“We are thankful that they both could attend and we told them they are always welcome in Yankton and hope that they can come back for a Lincoln Day dinner on April 7th no matter what the outcome is on Saturday.”

Stay tuned – there’s lots more to come on this weekend’s race for South Dakota GOP Chair!

With Leadership from Noem, House Backs Black Hills Cemetery Expansion

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today unanimously passed Rep. Kristi Noem’s H.R.337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act.  If enacted, this legislation would facilitate a permanent land transfer of approximately 200 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery outside Sturgis.

“Our veterans and their families have made tremendous sacrifices so our people could remain safe and our freedoms secure,” said Noem.  “Securing a restful piece of hallowed ground for these patriotic men and women is a small token of gratitude we can offer as a nation.”

NOEM PRESENTS BILL ON HOUSE FLOOR PRIOR TO PASSAGE

Under current law, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act limits transfers like this one to a lifespan of 20 years. The Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act would make this particular transfer permanent. 

First introduced by members of the regional congressional delegation in 2015, the legislation was passed by the House in 2016 and was nearing passage in the Senate at the end of that year.  Sens. Thune, Rounds and Enzi again joined Noem in re-introducing this legislation in 2017. 

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I have to admit, I was taken aback a bit to see the announcement of today’s appointment of Rick Knobe to the State Board of Elections:

New Board of Elections Members Appointed

Pierre, SD – Secretary of State Shantel Krebs is looking forward to working with two new board appointees on the 7 member bipartisan Board of Elections. The new members are Rick Knobe of Sioux Falls and Clay County Auditor Carri Crum of Vermillion. Secretary Krebs said, “I value the dedication the board members bring to the table while we work together to ensure South Dakota elections remain fair and transparent. Both Rick and Carri will bring new enthusiasm and a great work ethic to the bipartisan board.”

Auditor Crum was selected by Speaker of the House G. Mark Mickelson to replace Codington County Auditor Cindy Brugman and Mr. Knobe was selected by Senate Majority Blake Curd to replace Drew Duncan. Auditor Crum said, “Serving on the Board of Elections is a great honor. I am humbled to have been chosen, and I am also very excited to see what the next four years will bring for South Dakota.”

Former Sioux Falls Mayor Rick Knobe will be the first registered Independent voter to serve on the bipartisan board. “This is going to be a grand adventure! Working to ensure election laws are fair to all, ballot access is open, and our procedures use the best techniques and technology available is important. I am eager to join the ongoing effort,” stated former mayor Rick Knobe.

To put it delicately, WTF?

Didn’t people on either side of the aisle just spend the last year and tens of thousands of dollars fighting Slick Rick Weiland, Rick Knobe, the Daschle/Johnson Machine and a load of out-of-state money on Amendment V, because we didn’t want to see California’s systems of elections implemented in South Dakota?

On top of that, the Anti-Amendment V side believed that Knobe’s group supporting Amendment V played fast and loose with campaign finance laws, and accused the group of taking illegal donations.

And now, just a few months later, Senate Majority Leader Curd appoints the person who wanted to completely up-end our elections, and shutting independents out of the process, to the State Board of Elections?  After the State Republican Party went all-in to stop it, the Republican Leader in the Senate does this?

I might be speaking for myself, but today’s appointment? Well, that was an awful idea.

On a personal note, on this Superbowl Sunday, my overachiever Daughter #4, Sydney, just departed the family domicile post-haste to drive to Pierre to serve as a legislative page in the State Senate during the third paging term, sponsored by our State Senator Larry Tidemann.

My #2 daughter Meredith, who had previously served as a page in the House, offered her a bit of advice for her time in Pierre. She suggested that Sydney have a card printed as follows that she can hand out:

Probably a bit too constraining, but indicative of the cross my daughters bear in relation to me.

Right now for Sydney, based on scholarships and an early offer of law school (if she completes an honor’s degree and maintains a certain GPA) it’s looking like she’s leaning towards USD. She’s made early noise about a degree in political science, which she can get at either school, but unless SDSU gets on the stick and ponies up on some scholarship offers, I’m going to lose another child to the state’s lesser University.

And that could permanently damage her standings in the contest for favorite child of her father’s.

Seriously though, I’m proud of my daughter, and excited for her and the opportunity to see how our legislative process works in Pierre.

Who knows, maybe she’ll be Governor someday.