Category: Uncategorized

A Pierre teenager has announced that he will be running for Governor on the Democrat Ticket in 2026, according to multiple sources. In the Dakota Scout version of the story, it appears that state Democrats are someone ambivalent about the whole thing:

Robert Arnold has a double major, a student ID, and a vision.

The 19-year-old Dakota State University student announced he’s running for governor in 2026—as a Democrat. If he gets on the ballot, he’ll be the youngest serious candidate for governor in U.S. history. The state Constitution has a requirement that a governor or lieutenant governor be at least 21 years old.

and..

Arnold is not blind to the odds.

“The state party told me they had someone else in mind,” he said. Arnold said he didn’t know who that was.

Read the entire story here.

Governor Rhoden Leads Trade Mission to Israel

 PIERRE, SD – This week, Governor Larry Rhoden is leading a business-driven trade mission to Israel alongside South Dakota Trade. By the end of his first full day in the Holy Land, he will have met with President Isaac Herzog, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar of Israel. You can find photos of his meetings with President Herzog and Foreign Minister Sa’ar here and here, respectively.

“South Dakota continues to be an economic leader – both nationally and internationally. Israel has been a key partner in our state’s economic success, and I was honored to meet with the Israeli leaders to strengthen our relationship,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “By working together with countries across the globe, we will keep South Dakota Open for Opportunity for generations to come.”

The Governor is leading a business delegation made up of defense and agriculture businesses that are actively seeking sales in the Israeli market.

“This mission is 100% business-driven,” said Jesse Fonkert, President & CEO of South Dakota Trade. “We had a successful mission in November of last year and are back because our businesses are generating real opportunities that have already produced millions in sales and a robust pipeline for even more expansion.”

Governor Rhoden also conducted a wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. You can find a photo of that ceremony here. Governor Rhoden also saw sections of the memorial specific to the Mauthausen concentration camp, which his father helped liberate near the end of World War II.

President Trump’s newly confirmed Ambassador, Mike Huckabee, will host a reception to honor the Governor’s visit.

Governor Rhoden also visited the Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah’s Mt. Scopus Hospital to meet with recovering soldiers who have been injured since the start of the war. This stop was coordinated by South Dakota Jewish community leader Carol Rosenthal, who serves as the Chair of Hadassah International. You can find a photo of the visit here.

“The Gandel Rehabilitation Center is a beacon of hope that serves as a home where the wounded come to gradually regain their lives through physical and emotional rehabilitation,” said Carol Rosenthal. “I’d like to thank Governor Rhoden for visiting Hadassah during his time in Israel. I’m confident that he will see first-hand the resilience of the Israeli people and that our Jewish friends and neighbors here in South Dakota will never forget this statement of support.”

Governor Rhoden is joined by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner Joe Fiala, who attended the first trade mission to Israel in November 2024. Governor Rhoden and the trade delegation are hosting, a “Doing Business in South Dakota” seminar that focused on recruiting foreign direct investment into the state.

“South Dakota was the first state to bring a trade mission to Israel after the horrific attacks on October 7, 2023,” said Deputy Commissioner Joe Fiala. “Being there in person demonstrated our commitment to building relationships with the Israeli people. Our trade missions have created new friendships, stronger business ties, and exciting opportunities for our state’s economy.”

Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz of Sioux Falls, SD, is also joining Governor Rhoden and the business delegates in Israel.

“Governor Rhoden has been a true friend to the Jewish community here in South Dakota, and I am incredibly grateful he included me on this visit to the Holy Land,” said Rabbi Alperowitz.

Trade missions to the UK/Ireland and Canada are currently being planned for later in 2025. Interested businesses should reach out to Rachael Weiland from South Dakota Trade at rachael.weiland@southdakotatrade.com.

South Dakota Trade is a 501(c)(6) association that navigates international trade for South Dakota. The Association has offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. For additional information, please visit www.southdakotatrade.com.

 ###

Attorney General Jackley Announces Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Jail, Restitution For Embezzlement from Lincoln County Police Organization

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces a Sioux Falls man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $3,507.20 in restitution after earlier pleading guilty to one count of Grand Theft by exercising unauthorized control over the funds of the Lincoln County Fraternal Order of Police Union.

Matthew Wilson, 39, was sentenced Thursday in Lincoln County Circuit Court.  Electronic monitoring was authorized for the 90-day sentence. The state had requested the defendant be sentenced to 180 days in the county jail.

“This defendant violated the trust of the organization and its members,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Thank you to the investigators and prosecutors who brought closure to this case.”

The theft occurred between July, 2024 and September, 2024. Value of the property involved is between $2,500 and $5,000.

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) investigated the case, and the Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.

-30-

Stop the presses. Apparently, Toby Doeden has been endorsed by literally, South Dakota’s most reviled legislator, State Representative Phil Jensen:

Toby says “His support shows the depth and breadth of our coalition,” and further referring to Phil, he “could not be happier to have his support.”  What kind of support is Toby wrapping his arms around?

I seem to recall detailing Phil’s history of dragging the GOP down when he ran (and ultimately withdrew) to be the SDGOP’s National Committeeman:

During Vietnam, Phil was a draft-dodger:

“I was drafted,” Jensen said. “And I filed for conscientious objector and I was going through a process of looking for alternative service. And then Nixon cancelled the drafting power before I got established.”

Read that here.

He’s been a Member of the far-right Oath Keepers Militia

“In 2014 I was sitting at my desk in the Senate chambers and I had read some information about the Oath Keepers. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the South Dakota Constitution, and it seemed like a good group of guys to belong to.”

Read that here.

He brought a bill that would’ve made it justifiable homicide to actually kill a doctor who performed abortions.

Phil says that he believes to be OK for businesses to deny service on the basis of race or religion:

While the bill was killed, Jensen defended it to the Journal as legislation that would ensure businesses have the freedom to choose their clientele. He also said that businesses should also have the right to choose based on race and religion – whether that’s right or wrong, he said, can be fairly addressed by the free market, not the government.

Read that there.

Let’s not forget his skills in phrenology.

Speaking over the phone on the way to Pierre on Tuesday, Jensen recalled when one of his constituents told him he witnessed “dozens of South Americans” fleeing a white bus parked near downtown Rapid City.

“He knew they were South Americans,” Jensen said, “because they had different skull structures and skin tones from Mexicans.”

Read it here.

And that was before Phil was stripped of his Education Committee Vice-Chairmanship, as House Speaker Jon Hansen lacked the will to remove him entirely from the education committee for his attempt to strip the Huron School District of public funding, because he wanted to send a message:

 A firestorm of criticism Wednesday forced a South Dakota lawmaker to lose a committee vice chairmanship and withdraw his bill to defund the Huron School District, which he filed in reaction to a tip about the district’s bathroom policy.

and..

Rob Monson, executive director of School Administrators of South Dakota, released a statement on social media saying he and Steinhoff had met with House leaders and had requested that Jensen not only lose his vice chairmanship but also be removed from the committee. Monson said Jensen is “unfit to serve on that committee,” and later said there was still “ongoing discussion” about a removal.

and..

Monson and Ahlers described Jensen’s bill as part of a broader attack on public education this legislative session.

Read the entire story here.

With a background like that, which government job do you think Toby will plan on slotting Phil Jensen into to thank him for his support if he were to be elected? Secretary of Education? Or Division of Human Rights?

Sad news out of Rapid City. Former Republican State Senator Royal “Mac” McCracken passed away last Friday at the age of 83.

Mac in his professional life worked for US West, starting as a lineman in the 1960s, eventually rising to the level of Director of Public Affairs for Northwestern Bell (USWest) with the company out of Rapid City, until his retirement in 2000, when he ran and served as Senator representing Rapid City from 2000-2008.

McCracken was a long-time carrier of water for the elephant, and served as Assistant Majority Leader & Majority Whip in the South Dakota Senate during his legislative career, as well as serving on the legislature’s executive board.

Memorial services will be held 3:00 pm Saturday, June 28, 2025 at South Canyon Lutheran Church in Rapid City.

Providing Clarity
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
June 6, 2025

BIG News

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice arrested two Chinese nationals for smuggling an agroterrorism weapon, funded by the Chinese Communist Party, into the United States. I’ve been sounding the alarm for years that the Chinese Communist Party seeks to undermine America’s food supply and national security – this weapon could have devastated both. If these individuals are found guilty, they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

As a member of the Select Committee on China, I have seen and heard many ways China is undermining U.S. interests. We’ve been working in Congress to identify and address these concerns to protect America from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

BIG Idea

Blockchain technology will transform and empower every industry, much sooner than most people realize. The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on my bill, the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The United States has the potential to be a leader in this space and the CLARITY Act establishes a much-needed regulatory framework to foster investment and innovation. My bill will give digital asset markets the clarity they need to thrive, protect consumers, and foster innovation.

Click here or the image above for Johnson’s remarks

BIG Update

Attendees at this year’s Boys State in Aberdeen had some great questions for me when I visited with them earlier this week. We discussed the deficit, the threat of China’s growing influence in the U.S., how to get involved in government, and the importance of volunteering.

Johnson with Boys State attendees

I was able to thank nine more Vietnam-era veterans while in Aberdeen during a Vietnam veteran pinning ceremony this week. These veterans didn’t get the welcome home they deserved, and I was honored to thank them for their service to the United States.

Johnson with Vietnam-era veterans in Aberdeen

###

Keeping Our Foot on the Gas
By Sen. John Thune

Since President Trump and Republicans took control of Washington in January, we’ve been hard at work delivering on our promises to the American people. In the Senate, we’re working hard to get all of President Trump’s team in place, pass important legislation, and rein in burdensome regulations and wasteful spending. We’re five months in and have no plans to slow down – we have a job to do.

The Senate got right to work in January to get President Trump’s team in place. President Trump had 21 Cabinet officials confirmed earlier than any incoming administration since George W. Bush’s in 2001. So far, we’ve confirmed more than 70 civilian nominees, including a number of ambassadors who are carrying out the president’s foreign policy in postings around the globe.

The Senate has also been busy passing legislation this year. In January, we sent the Laken Riley Act to the president’s desk. This bill requires law enforcement to detain an illegal immigrant who steals, assaults a law enforcement officer, or kills or seriously injures another person. We also passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would ensure law enforcement has an important tool to prosecute those who bring deadly fentanyl and fentanyl analogues into our country and peddle them in our communities. And last month, President Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law to combat nonconsensual, explicit images being shared online.

The Senate has also been working to repeal burdensome Biden-era regulations. We’ve passed 18 resolutions repealing regulations that would have raised costs, destroyed jobs, and reduced choice for the American people. That includes blocking the Biden natural gas tax, eliminating burdensome new appliance standards, and blocking the California electric vehicle mandate that would have driven up prices and reduced consumer choice nationwide.

We’ve made considerable progress in just a few months, and we are keeping our foot on the gas as we work to codify some of the Trump administration’s spending cuts. The administration has worked to identify wasteful spending, and now Congress will take up its role to save taxpayer dollars.

This month, the Senate is also working to advance President Trump’s agenda through a reconciliation bill that makes America stronger and more prosperous. This bill would prevent a multitrillion dollar tax hike on working families and small businesses. It would invest in border security and deporting illegal immigrants. It would strengthen our military by making a down payment on the weapons and resources that our men and women in uniform need to keep America safe. And it would leverage our natural resources for a reliable and affordable supply of energy.

When the American people elected President Trump and Republican majorities last year, they expected us to deliver. We have wasted no time in scoring wins for the American people, and we won’t stop now.

###

 

A Midsummers Night Dream
by State Representative Kent Roe, District 4

Hello District 4 voters, & anyone else reading this. While I’m not a Shakespearean, I find his writings fun and challenging. I recently read “A Midsummers Night Dream”, and it’s a pretty good reflection on society.

We’re being treated to various political actors announcing their intentions for South Dakota and you and I. We’ve heard from the woke right, we’ll soon hear from the woke left. I sure hope someone more right-center shows up soon. District 4 and South Dakota deserve measured deliberate thoughtful & considerate leadership.

This country has survived for nearly 250 years, we’ll continue with our hiccups. The founders are considered to be quite radical. At the end of the day, they mostly wanted self-representation and freedom from the King of England. I believe that they would be shocked at today’s polarization, how both ends have picked up causes that attain an oversized influence. What’s wrong with boring? Not to discount causes with merit, but, a boring government probably isn’t going to abuse the citizenry. I’ll observe that the low voter turnout last election was largely due to this boredom. And maybe even a measure of satisfaction with the status quo. So let’s not fall prey to paraolgy, the false legitimation of ideas through consensus.

Do we have problems? Absolutely! Take a look at the national debt. Social issues? Yep, we have them too. But, here in South Dakota, we’ve got it good. We have a balanced budget, we’re a nearly crime free state (statistically speaking), our Churches are strong. The Lutherans are suffering, the Baptists are preaching, the Catholics are catholicing, etc.

Statewide, the prison is our next big issue. Well, it’s not really next. It’s been studied for years. 3-4 years ago a task force of subject matter experts took up a study to develop a plan. At that time the legislature recognized this need and put money away for the project ($600+ million). This last session we heard about the well thought out plan. Of course the zeitgeist had moved in Pierre. A big hubaloo was raised. Many people decided to ignore a well thought out plan and burn it to the ground. I even caught a slight scent of burned hair in the Capitol. So, here we are, mid-June and we have now seen this new study. The initial study was heavily criticized because of the site selection. The cost was a concern, but it was mostly the site selection that caused it’s demise. So, second verse same as the first verse, the second study landed nearly identical in it’s recommendations as the first study. As a former warden stated on the floor of the house, “nobody wants a prison in their back yard”. The prison was built in the 1880’s. It’s obsolete. We need to do something. Let’s follow what 2 commissions recommend, put the prison in Lincoln County on land we (the state) already own.

On the bright side, I’ve been working with Applied Digital, a data-center entrepreneur, on getting meaningful economic development here in South Dakota. Things are in motion. I benefit from good relationships with like-minded legislators. It’s not all gloom and doom. We benefit from a core of smart, bi-partisan, legislators that understand big ideas. We’ll develop legislation that encourages entrepreneurs and benefits the local economy and the state economy. We’ve got entrepreneurs who won’t quit. It’s in our DNA. We’re not always right, but we’re always swinging.

So, it’s summer. Time to read a book or more. If you don’t like Shakespeare I’d recommend Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, maybe Steinbeck. Hopefully you can get them past the librarian as those librarians are under threat of arrest…

Have an enjoyable summer. Take in a rodeo, stock car race, baseball game or just go fishing. Talk to you after Independence Day!

Rep Kent Roe, D4

Interesting note from a correspondent yesterday:

Had a kid who came up to me and said this lady called him to get him to work for Jon and Karla’s campaign a few weeks back. I asked who and he sent me the number which was Kelly Brack.

As in the SDGOP’s Finance/Fundraising Director Kelly Brack. A member of the SDGOP Staff is allegedly recruiting more Hansen/Lemmings?

This anecdote is surprising, considering the words of SDGOP Chair Jim Eschenbaum recently:

It has been brought to my attention this morning that Toby Doeden’s campaign is asking County parties to endorse him. It has been discussed many times that this would not be appropriate for the party to influence the election process, other than supporting Republicans. 

Read that e-mail from the chair here.

So was Eschenbaum’s admonition that “it’s not appropriate for the party to influence the election process” only applicable when it’s someone who wants to work against the Hansen/Lemmings campaign, since it appears he has a staffer directly recruiting on their behalf?

How long did that last? A whole 5 minutes?

There were never any questions about the party’s employees staying out of the primary election process, until now. And with the current regime in charge of the SDGOP, it sounds like that the traditions that made the Republican party dominant in South Dakota are now being thrown out the door.

Attorney General Jackley Congratulates LET Class Recruits Graduating Friday

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley congratulates the 36 students who graduate Friday from the state Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course in Pierre.

“The Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course is a rigorous 13-week training where students are challenged in different areas of law enforcement,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Congratulations to the recruits who have committed themselves to serving their communities and South Dakota as law enforcement officers.”

The recruits represent 29 different state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. The certification course is required for the students to become fully qualified law enforcement officers in South Dakota.

Graduates are required to complete 520 hours of course work that includes instruction in the law, arrest control tactics, firearms, vehicle handling, and criminal investigations. The training program is taught by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies from across the state.

Friday’s graduation ceremony starts at 10 a.m. CDT in the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center in Pierre. Attorney General Jackley will be the keynote speaker.

Members of the 196th Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course and their law enforcement agency are:

Sadie Bartle, Rapid City Police Department; Carson Between Lodges, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety; David Briesemeister, Mitchell Police Department; Alex Burkel, Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Department; Andrea Carlson, Edmunds County Sheriff’s Department; Jesse Cummings, Box Elder Police Department; Kevin Peterson, Brookings Police Department; Parker DeRouchey, Corson County Sheriff’s Office.

Steven Diaconu, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; Kody Elbert, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; Andrew Erickson, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office; Jacen Hancock, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office; Christopher Jackson, Kingsbury County Sheriff’s Office; Nathan Johnson, Rapid City Police Department; Trey Kelderman, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; Chance Kerner, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; Kendon Koep, Watertown Police Department.

Jacob Kumpf, Brown County Sheriff’s Office; Zane Lewis, Pierre Police Department; Josef Long Solider, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety; Clint Mitchell, Sturgis Police Department; Andrew Nelson, McCook County Sheriff’s Office; Jonathan Otter, Faulk County Sheriff’s Office; Joe Pham, Elk Point Police Department; Jazlyn Phelps, Rapid City Police Department; Tabor Schabot, Aberdeen Police Department; Kaitlyn Schmeling, Watertown Police Department.

Alexander Sorenson, Potter County Sheriff’s Office; Jackson Spurr, Spink County Sheriff’s Office; Troy Thompson, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office; Casey Uthe, Lyman County Sheriff’s Office; Jimmy Wade, Wagner Police Department; James Waldrop, Hand County Sheriff’s Office; Nathan Williams, Harding County Sheriff’s Office; Thane Witt, Sisseton Police Department; Paetyn Yeshulas, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

-30-