Stu Whitney’s big Huether interview is up at the Argus, and apparently Mike Huether thinks a lot about Mike Huether.
Ever since he was easily re-elected in 2014 and saw term limits looming next year, speculation has raged about Huether’s next move. When the longtime Democrat announced at a December press conference that he was registering as independent, it seemed a calculated move to trumpet his moderate credentials in a heavily conservative state.
The 54-year-old Yankton native admitted in a wide-ranging interview this week that South Dakota governor, not Sioux Falls mayor, is his ultimate dream job, and the one he first considered before running for City Hall.
And…
The problem, of course, is that the last non-Republican elected South Dakota governor was Dick Kneip nearly half a century ago. Huether is well aware of that historical hurdle and may lean toward a 2018 bid for U.S. House, a race in which voters have been more willing to stray from partisan norms, especially without heavyweight GOP contenders in the hunt.
“When you look at races where you can ultimately succeed and make a difference, the strategists and odds makers will tell you that the U.S. House race is the one that holds the most potential for me,” says Huether, stopping short of referring to Republican candidates Dusty Johnson and Shantel Krebs by name.
And…
“There are people who have known Mike Huether for a long time who still don’t know what drives him,” says Hildebrand, who has been mentioned as a possible Sioux Falls mayoral candidate. “Some might argue that he’s been a strong leader, but saying ‘my way or the highway’ is not being a strong leader. That’s being a strong dictator.”
And..
“Running for statewide office as an independent is a very bad idea,” says longtime Democratic political figure Drey Samuelson, who served as Johnson’s chief of staff for nearly 30 years. “What a Huether statewide race would do would be to divide Democrats and independents, and almost certainly elect the Republican nominee.”
Another option, with many of the same hurdles, would be to challenge a possibly vulnerable Rounds for his Senate seat in 2020. Huether could also choose to make another run at Sioux Falls mayor in 2022.
Huether thinks he can run and win with no organization… And Huether, a former Obama delegate, thinks he has a path to victory by being third man against what will certainly be two major party candidates in any race after abandoning his former party?
Two words…. Larry Pressler.
Here’s a little chart from Wikipedia how that race turned out:
Pressler HAD some loose infrastructure, some loyal former aides, and some loyalties from former voters who remembered him. And he was a former Republican.
Huether? Aside from his massive ego and serving as mayor in his own dictatorial fiefdom in Sioux Falls, Huether is saddled with his former association with the Democrat party and Barack Obama in the state that was among those that detested the former President the most.
Not only is that dog not going to hunt now or anytime soon, but Republicans would salivate at stripping the bark off of him in a statewide race; Governor, Congress, or whatever.
Bring it on.
Very interesting story. His style is the subject of debate, but his record of success speaks loudly. No doubt many headinds in a SD race, but be careful not to underestimate him. Those that have litter the playing field while he stands in the end zone.
It’s the Daaugard faction which presents the low hanging fruit for Huether. With that, his chances remain slim.
This would be the second time Huther has taken the politically expedient path and ran for an office other than what he really wants.
He’d wanted to be governor in 2010. But settled for running for Mayor. I believe mayor is a better job anyway. Governor is the most prominent though.
If he passes on Governor again and ends up running for Congress then I truly think it all depends on who he faces in the general and what the Democrats do. There could easily be an Independent coming from the right also like there was in 2014 with Howie. Howie is obviously too far out there to be taken seriously though.
The sooner Huether gets in the sooner we might get some polling and when we get some polling and head to head matches we will know who the best candidate in the GOP field is.
Many of us thought Jackley was toast when Noem got in but he is holding his own and now I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up winning.
He’s god awful. Frantic energy and ego, powerful combination. The best part of the article however is hildebrand saying that mayor mikes chances are hurt by leaving the party. He won’t have the party’s infrastructure? The d’s don’t have an infrastructure. They’ve got a clown car of a party.
You might bot like him but a majority of Sioux Falls residents do and that makes him a good candidate in a general election.
Quite honestly I have always thought Huether was a big business crony republican more than a democrat anyway. If he was a republican Mayor of Sioux Falls he’d be a strong option for governor.
As an independent I have no idea how he does but he will do better than Pressler by a long shot. But the liberal democrats obviously dislike him more than republicans do.
If republicans nominate a week candidate for congress then he has a shot.
Gary Hanson ran for PUC and has done well there partly because he recognized the difficulty of a Sioux Falls Mayor winning statewide after having been a Sioux Falls Mayor. Now that Gary has a statewide track record, he would be in a much better position to run. And in Gary’s case, he always had a strong connection to western South Dakota’s ranching community. Marty Huether has none of that, and his manipulative efforts to consolidate all SD High School Athletics events in Sioux Falls have made him enemies across the state.
Being a democrat not only doesn’t provide an infrastructure but it creates a drag on any candidate. Ditch the D and just go it alone. That’s how low the sddp has sunk.
Smart enough to realize he couldn’t win with a “D” after his name, but not smart to realize he can’t win no matter what is behind his name.
I think it all depends on his opponent.
After sending out the sacrificial lambs last fall, the Dems might not have a candidate for governor and/or U.S. House. A bitter Republican primary and no Dem on the ballot could then give Mayor Mike a small opening to pull the inside straight he’d need to win a statewide race.
Mayor Mike should focus on being Governor of Sim City or Sim World. The state Dems will be in a civil war for a while so don’t waste much hope in them.