This just popped up in my facebook feed from a person apparently circulating nomination petitions for Shantel Krebs for Congress:
I wasn’t familiar with the person, but if you hover over her name as I did, then you might see something surprising:
You’ll see that apparently this person circulating Krebs for Congress petitions is actually a professional paid petition circulator at Advanced Micro Targeting.
I’m not going to say that other Republican candidates haven’t used paid petition carriers before, but I don’t know that I’d ever seen it at the start of petitioning, as opposed to when signature gathering comes down to the wire. Most all Republicans I’ve seen or been involved with have volunteers carrying petitions at the dozens of Republican events taking place between now and when petitions are due.
And the campaign rolls on…
Update – in looking further, it may not be AMT she’s working for in this instance but another company that’s paying petitioners:
Regardless of the firm being paid to get someone on the ballot, for South Dakota Republicans, it remains unusual for someone to have to hire petitioners right out of the gate.
Dusty has all the grassroots republicans circulating petitions for him, while Krebs is relying on DC consultants to hire a young lady with a face tattoo. Grassroots wins every time. Go team Dusty!
at least she is not using nasd circulators. With all the errors and forgeries with that group she would have a hard time making it out of the gate.
That’s what happens when Jason Williams abandons ship. No grassroots? Write a check.
Seven thousand Five hundred sixty four, sixty five, sixty six . . .
I suppose all her free time is spent counting ballots.
ok Fred, that’s funny 🙂
Oh, Shantel.
This is sad.
Jackley essentially hired the best circulator in the state when he hired Glodt. Marsy’s law was epic and no one did it bigger or better than Glodt.
Got my Jackley petition in the mail.
Krebs looks strong. On Facebook she had a big crowd in Aberdeen. I suspect she got a lot of signatures from that lunch. The more the better for everyone!
You are kidding right?!
Marsy’s law is a disaster!
The Launch Collective is Jordan Mason’s company, I believe. Now that he’s done helping Mickelson raise taxes and limit free speech, he’s on to the next person that will pay him.
You mean he earns money for doing work?! For shame!
I have not seen a successful Republican campaign use paid petition carriers. Why would you intentionally disengage from your volunteer base while spending ten or twenty thousand dollars?
I kinda like her cheek tattoo.
Is that what they call a “face bunny?” Do you think Ms. Krebs will get a face bunny?
We can hope.
A guy left over from the pot drive was collecting sigs outside the Pennington County admin building too.
For shantel
can’t wait for tapio to jump into all of this too
Every time I have been asked for advice about running for state-wide office I share wisdom I learned from Senator Abdnor.
1). Have a personal friend of influence in every county who will advocate, defend and raise money.
2). Have $100,000 of other people’s money raised (or firmly committed) and in the bank before you announce.
3). Have a vision of your strategy to win.
4). Have a vision of how you will make a difference in the office you will seek.
If you don’t have that, don’t waste your time, my time or the time of your friends.
I never even imagined (nor did Jim I am sure) one would also have to add “Have enough volunteers to collect a few thousand signatures in 3 months.”
Turn the lights out. The Krebs campaign for Congress is toast. Time reconsider a Constitutuinal office.
Desperate measures after Jason Williams leaves.
I think the conventional wisdom on this blog is why Shantel makes a great candidate. Let’s not change anything since Sen. Abdnor time. Political advisers always look back for strategy but seldom remember their failures. Trump is popular because he is not afraid to approach issues with new ideas. Shantel is demonstrating that same forward thinking and maybe it’s time for a little disruptive innovation. Krebs will represent SD very well.
Sounds like JimV is the DC advisor calling commenters ignorant.
JimV,
Nice try to obfuscate but no cigar. We aren’t talking about approaching “issues with new ideas.” We are talking about how a candidates touches voters and impressions are made with the people the candidate is asking for a job.
BTW: In the last 50 years until last cycle, name me a successful GOP candidate besides Pressler for a major state-wide office who wasn’t the best retail candidate in the field? Just one. The “tried and true” is the “tried and true” for a reason- it works.
It’s hard to say Krebs isn’t a good retail candidate. She and Johnson are very good. She might be better.
One could question Dusty paying staff $5k a month a year + out.
It’s apples and apples. Spend money where you want it.
Anon 8:46
I am neither a DC advisor or calling commentors ignorant. I am a SD taxpayer tired of politics as usual producing our weak, so called leaders.
Troy
If your measure of success is winning an election I will not argue your point. I will suggest for the last 50 years the political process has not produce leaders who wish to do little more than protect the status quo and bring a few dollars home otherwise we would not be facing the problems we have. If our measure of candidates is how well they follow the political process conventional think and that is your idea of good governance so be it but for me I expect more. Won’t know until Krebs gets elected but I’m willing to support a candidate that approached the election process with new ideas. I suggest that the Trump experience threw conventional political think under the bus. There are better ways to touch voters & impress them so why critize those that take a different approach.
JimV: “If your measure of success is winning an election I will not argue your point.”
Well, if Krebs has an objective of not winning, I guess she is on the right track.
So, I’ll ask another question besides naming someone who has won who wasn’t the best retail candidate- name a candidate who made a meaningful difference by not winning?
Anonymous @ 12:01: A good retail candidate is better than just making a good speech or having a good handshake. They have a focus and drive to involve volunteers in the campaign. Hiring someone to get signatures replaces a volunteer involvement for a professional involvement and thus diminishes retail credit.
I know people disagree and we’ll see. I’m just predicting here this is an indication Krebs will not win the primary. Doesn’t have teh core vision of a retail candidate (which you can’t fake).
Time will tell but if I recall correctly the pundits said the same thing about Trump. Leaders who employ disruptive innovation tools are successful more than not.