South Dakota News Watch has an extensive profile of Congressman Dusty Johnson’s background and career, and opines whether our popular congressman could be the next Governor for the State of South Dakota.
“As voters, we either want someone who matches our ideology, or we want someone whom we believe will be more of a trustee and do the right thing for the people because they have more information. I think that’s going to be a challenge for Dusty because it appears to me that the state is moving in the direction that we are more ideological in terms of what we want from our leaders in the Republican Party. It’s a challenge, but it’s not clear if it will be a problem.”
and..
News Watch analysis, based on interviews with political pundits, officeholders and colleagues and mentors of Johnson, point toward him running for governor in 2026. He has met with potential donors and had nearly $3 million in his campaign committee as of the June 2023 filing date, plus about $65,000 in his leadership political action committee. He also established a state-level PAC in February.
“I hope he runs,” Daugaard, who served as governor from 2011 to 2019, told News Watch. “I think he will. And if he does, I am four-square behind him.”
and..
Dusty Johnson focused on rural economic issues and blasted Biden’s social spending. But vulnerabilities were exposed in a race pitting a well-known incumbent against “the least effective legislator in modern South Dakota history,” as Johnson characterized (Taffy) Howard.
and..
The parade of GOP primary opponents for 2026 could get crowded, with Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden and Attorney General Marty Jackley the names most mentioned, along with Johnson. There will almost certainly be action from the party’s populist brigade, especially after Howard’s tally in the U.S. House primary.
While I don’t agree with some of the author’s conclusions, it’s a wide-ranging article which provides an extensive background on our state’s congressman, which is well worth your time.
I don’t think it’s a slam dunk.
Is Rounds not a “most mentioned” name anymore? Or has that changed?
rounds is busy senator-ing. if he wants to be gov again you’ll hear it here.
Never read so many words trying to suck up to one little man. Made me blush several times. Next time just send him flowers.
If he’s the only “conservative”, I don’t have a choice but to vote for him, but I guarantee you this, he won’t be half the governor Noem is. He has proven time and again he could care less about those he represents by the way he goes with the flow of the ruling elite in the GOP.
For instance, we have a severe crisis at the border now, guess who voted against the border wall that Trump proposed. Now even Biden realizes it was a good idea now that millions have entered.
Johnson also voted for the J6 investigation after the FBI had ruled in their first report that there was no insurrection. If left up to McCarthy and those who support him, Biden and family will go free and the GOP will lose the house in 2024 all because our illustrious RINO’s are to busy sucking up.
This is not idle rambling, just look up voting records and you’ll find the truth.
biden opposes the border wall, he is spending border money but it will be surveillance and electronic detection.
So what!? Ask anyone who has a surveillance camera on their driveway how well that worked to prevent someone from breaking into their car.
correction – he has money earmarked for building 20 miles of wall and hasn’t acted on it. he won’t build it.
Dusty Johnson is a person with an active, inquiring intellect. He is able to hold two or three seemingly oppositional views in his mind at one time, and weigh them one against the other to synthesize different points of view into a coherent position on an issue. He is a forward looking, “Big Picture” , the kind of person we need in leadership, He combines that with being a savvy kind of “retail politician” who attracts voters across the spectrum pf political opinion. So…what’s not to like??