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From Punchbowl News, South Dakota’s Senior US Senator is the most effective leader in Congress, according to those in the opposition:

A majority of senior Democratic staffers on Capitol Hill said Senate Majority Leader John Thune is the most effective congressional leader, according to our latest Canvass survey.

When asked which of the “Big Four” is the most effective, 54% of senior Democratic aides chose Thune. Around a quarter — 27%— said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, while 13% said Speaker Mike Johnson.
Just 6% of senior Democratic staffers chose Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Read it all here

STATE REPRESENTATIVE JIM HALVERSON ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR DISTRICT 21 HOUSE

WINNER, S.D. – Today, State Representative Jim Halverson officially announced his candidacy for re-election to the South Dakota State House of Representatives, seeking to continue serving the residents of District 21.

“South Dakota consistently demonstrates effective, limited government, thanks to a strong legislative commitment to conservative fiscal responsibility,” said Rep. Halverson. “We maintain balanced budgets, low taxes, and strong educational outcomes while meeting formally for only a couple of months a year. This requires dedicated individuals who approach legislation with common sense, listen to all constituents, and understand that government cannot be all things to all people.”

During his tenure, Representative Halverson has leveraged his background as a former member of the South Dakota Highway Patrol and former small business owner, an electrician, and coach to inform his legislative priorities. He has focused on maintaining public safety, supporting strong educational standards, and improving community health services.

As a member of the Education Committee, Rep. Halverson has voted to protect essential public services, including maintaining resources for the South Dakota State Library, and has championed local control, protecting librarians, teachers, and certified counselors from over-regulation and state overreach. On the Health and Human Services Committee, he has supported critical public safety measures such as the “Safe Baby Box” legislation and increasing public accessibility to life-saving overdose reversal medications like Narcan.

“As a coach, I strive to teach integrity, honesty, and respect, values I carry to Pierre on behalf of District 21,” said Halverson.

Halverson resides in Winner with his wife, Coni.

District 21 includes Aurora, Charles Mix, Douglas, Gregory, and Tripp counties. Absentee voting for the Republican Primary begins on April 17, 2026, with the primary election scheduled for June 2, 2026.

For more information about the campaign, please visit halversonforhouse.com or follow his campaign on Facebook.

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From Facebook, you can listen in with the District 24 legislators as they talk about the budget and what’s coming up in this next session for the district containing the State Capital Building:

Here’s a story that just came out of left field, as the SDSU police chief has apparently been charged with 5 counts of animal cruelty:

The Chief of Police at South Dakota State University has been arrested and charged with five felony counts of animal cruelty after Brookings Police found dogs living in a home he owned in horrendous conditions.

Read that here in the Brookings Beacon.

Update: there’s more from the Brookings Police Department:

The Brookings Police Department arrests subject for felony cruelty to animals

From the kings of wishful thinking, the Independent Brian Bengs campaign commissioned a poll where they believe they can get 31% against incumbent Republican US Senator Mike Rounds.

But only if the Democrat running drops out of the race.

PPP poll | 11/13-11/14 RV

South Dakota Senate

🟥Mike Rounds 44% (incumbent)
⬜️Brian Bengs 31%
Undecided 25%
—
🟥Mike Rounds 52% (incumbent)
🟦Julian Beaudoin 30%
Undecided 18%

(Poll sponsored by Bengs) pic.twitter.com/126Qg5QXco

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) December 4, 2025

Insert eyeroll here.

With the end of the year approaching, it means that the time is upon us.  No, not Christmas. I’m talking about the opposite of peace on earth and goodwill towards men. The 2026 legislative session is coming up, and along with it the biggest campaign in a generation.

Advertising slots are filling at the SDWC but we still have a few key advertising opportunities for reaching South Dakota’s opinion leaders based on a first-come, first-serve basis.

South Dakota War College is getting ready to turn 21 years old.  We’ve spent an entire adult worth of keeping an eye on political leaders, and offering commentary from a conservative Republican point of view. With politics continuing to be controversial and directly affecting people’s day to day lives – people are reading more than ever!

Advertisers – I have a few advertising spots open, and questions on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here. Open space available at the includes the #1  and #2 spots on the right, and spots available lower on either side of the page. Ads run in their position through the site, meaning they are not rotated.  Advertising is available on a first-come first-served basis.

And I love my long-term advertisers! Discounts are provided for extended commitments starting at 6 months.

As always, please take a moment to visit our advertisers such as Monae Johnson for Secretary of State,  US Senator John Thune, United States Senator Mike Rounds, Dusty Johnson for Governor, Heath Shields for SD Treasurer, Emmett Reistroffer for District 35 House and others – including our friends at Dakota Town Hall, and my own Dakota Campaign Store,down on the right, you’ll find me getting ready for the elections with yard signs, postcards, and all the things a professional campaign needs to make an impression.

Thank you to our advertisers for your support, and please reach out if you’d like to join them!

Supporting Student Success
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
December 5, 2025

Ultimately, education is about our future. We want our kids and our grandkids to have the very best opportunity to learn and grow so that they can become well-informed and productive members of our society and get into the career of their dreams. Education is about having the freedom to learn so that our students can chase down opportunity.

I unveiled my budget recently, and it strengthens freedom to learn by supporting continued growth at our tech colleges. I’m proud of South Dakota’s tech colleges – they are some of the very best in America. They’re creating all kinds of opportunities for our kids to get into the careers of their dreams.

Truth be told, I never graduated from college. I did take a year of ranch management at Western Dakota Tech. I thought I’d spend my whole life running the ranch, but God had other plans. Maybe some of our students will follow a similar path – maybe they’ll follow a different path entirely. That’s the beauty of a strong education system: it gives our kids those options and opportunities.

My budget invests $6 million one-time in a new James Abdnor Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls. This facility will increase student capacity by 130 in several programs. The proposed project will include more than 53,000 sq. ft. of new and renovated space that includes state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, and collaborative spaces. This will benefit students in the Advanced Manufacturing Maintenance Tech, Advanced Manufacturing Automation Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Welding programs to meet the demand in these growing industries. As a welder myself – I approve! The state will support one quarter of the project, and the rest will come from a mix of federal, local, and private funds.

My budget also supports $4.3 million one-time for equipment upgrades at all four of our tech colleges. This will provide two-thirds of the investment as we have done in recent years. Our tech schools will be able to make sure their students meet industry expectations, provide higher safety standards for students and instructors, and grow overall student capacity. My budget also increases ongoing aid to our tech colleges by $1.7 million because of rising enrollment – which is great news! It means more kids are using our tech colleges to pursue opportunity and chase down their dreams.

There’s been a lot of chatter about the fact that we have to keep K-12 education flat this year, and I want to talk about that a bit. I wish we could give an across-the-board increase to the Big Three: K-12 education, Medicaid providers, and state employees. Unfortunately, with nearly all of our ongoing revenue spoken for by mandatory increases, that just isn’t possible right now. But it was important to me to protect K-12 education to the greatest extent possible.

Some legislators have tried to push for 5% across the board cuts in the budget, which would result in a big chunk being taken out of K-12 education. I don’t support that. I don’t think it’s right for South Dakota kids, teachers, or schools – so my budget did not make any such recommendation. So though I wish we could give an increase to K-12, I’m glad that we protected our schools from a budget cut.

I am committed to keeping South Dakota education strong, safe, and free. Thanks to our strong K-12 schools, growing educational freedom options, and state-of-the-art tech colleges, South Dakota kids have tremendous opportunities for their futures.

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From the Dakota Scout, please keep the Barranco family in your prayers.

A Sioux Falls public official and leading contender to become South Dakota’s next state auditor is recovering after a medical emergency earlier this week that nearly cost him his life.

The Dakota Scout has confirmed that City Councilor David Barranco is hospitalized at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls following emergency abdominal surgery Tuesday, an unexpected scare that kept the Southeast District representative from attending municipal proceedings later that day.

Read that here.

All is well, and he came through like a champ. I also had a note from his wife Catherine on how he’s doing:

Hey…. David is in the hospital right now— he had emergency surgery on Tuesday. He’s doing MUCH better, but it’ll be a couple days before he’s discharged. The silver lining is that by happening right now, he’ll have time to fully recover before the Lincoln Days start back up again!

That sounds like a family committed to the campaign trail!   Best wishes for a speedy recovery to David.

Opportunity and Affordability
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
December 5, 2025

 BIG Update

Unnecessary federal regulations drive up costs for consumers. I’ve been working to undo burdensome red tape and make life more affordable for American families. It’s estimated that American households pay an average of $16,016 per year in hidden regulatory costs. Those federal rules affect many aspects of day-to-day life including auto emissions, energy efficiency standards on appliances, building code, health and food requirements, and more.

The Biden Administration piled on more than $2 trillion of new regulations from 2021-2024. I’ve voted to repeal nearly two dozen Biden regulations, and there is more work to be done. This week, I voted to empower the Small Business Administration to evaluate other unnecessary federal rules that are burdening small businesses and making products more expensive for consumers.

BIG Idea

Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) does a great job preparing South Dakota’s high school students to enter the workforce. This program helps students explore meaningful opportunities beyond graduation and builds the confidence and skills they need to pursue their goals.

I enjoyed talking with JAG participants this week to hear how the program has shaped their goals and improved their readiness for life after high school. By opening doors and expanding horizons, JAG helps young people step confidently into the next chapter of their lives and strengthens the future of our state in the process.

Johnson with JAG students

BIG News

The Chinese Communist Party has sought to influence nearly every aspect of American life – including the American education system. There are at least 164 documented Confucius Classrooms at K-12 schools in the United States, which have been receiving money from the Chinese government. This is very concerning to me – our students shouldn’t be influenced by the authoritarian agenda of China while they go to school on American soil.

This week, I voted to prevent Chinese Communist Party money from going to our K-12 schools to keep our kids safe from the malign interests of our biggest adversary. China should not be influencing our education system.

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My spies are sharing that legislators are being busy bees as they gin up sensationalized legislation. The latest is Taffy Howard wanting to demand that truck drivers have to be proficient in the english language. And if you aren’t, you could go to jail for up to a year.

So Taffy’s bill wants to make it a class 2 misdemeanor, or up to a class 1 misdemeanor if a driver lacks “sufficient English language proficiency to operate a commercial vehicle in this state.”  The obvious throwaway joke is asking “whether this is going to prevent Travis Ismay from possessing a CDL?”

It does say “The department may not evaluate an applicant on the accuracy of answers during the oral interview but only on the applicant’s proficiency in understanding and responding to questions in English.”  So he may have an out.

The bill also outsources this to vendors as it notes “The department may contract with a third party to conduct the interview required by this section.”  (another unfunded mandate?)

I’m sure we’ll hear more about this once it hits the hopper.