You really don’t know how extreme some officeholders are until they show it.
Because in a postcard that was sent to me last night, a group of Republican officeholders are apparently so unhinged they’re breaking ranks and abandoning the GOP in the District 35 State Senate race:
Sens. Julie Frye-Mueller & Phil Jensen and State Reps. Tina Mulally and Tony Randolph, along with several other apparent “Republicans In Name Only” seem to not like the fact that State Senator Jessica Castleberry serves in the seat, and overwhelmingly won in the Republican Primary.
Because despite her 100% pro-life rating from SDRTL, 100% pro-business score from business group Elevate Rapid City, and A Rating/Endorsement from the National Rifle Association…
…apparently State Senator Jessica Castleberry isn’t extreme enough for this herd of RINO’s. So they’re rejecting the choice of the voters of the Republican Party, and leaving the fold.
As one local party official noted to me “I think it’s shameful that four (4) sitting GOP legislators and the current Vice Chair of the Pennington Co. GOP would endorse an Independent candidate. These sitting legislators routinely complain that the GOP should somehow police the ranks to deny support for those they believe to be RINOs.”
I guess we know who the phonies are that these legislators believe the party should police. Themselves.
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Update – When Republicans are faced with a cancer from within, and a group that wants to reject the voice of the voters, it’s a good opportunity to rally support, and remember why real Republicans work together.
These people have no fixed beliefs. They just tilt at windmills.
Will the real RINO’s please stand up. Any Republican who endorses another party’s candidate against a Republican candidate is the ultimate RINO.
They are trying to knock Castleberry down before she runs for congress in 2022 shakeup. She’s got to be the moderate favorite.
A few thoughts:
First, it speaks volumes that only a handful of RC legislators oppose Castleberry. The real news is the names not on the card, including Real Republican Tim Goodwin.
Second, everyone should google Gentry’s recent NPR interview. He was asked why he’s running as an Independent instead of a D or and R. He responded, ”we wanted to protect the seat.”
I don’t know what that means. Protect the seat from a woman with a 100% pro-life and pro-business voting record??? What or who does he want to protect the seat from, and why?
Gentry had the same opportunity as everyone else to run in the Republican Primary, but he didn’t. So now he’s running as an Independent to unseat a credible Republican who happens to vote according to the Republican platform.
Shame, shame, shame on all you RINOs.
Brian Gentry aka Mr. Platitudes
Brian can you tell me specifically what you’re top priority is if elected. He responds in platitudes.
.
Brian anything else you would like to see in South Dakota as a legislator? Mr. Platitudes responds “I like sunny days with one day a week where it rains and like good roads.”
Little late for this kind of grandstanding. The cancer that is Trumpism has already metastasize throughout the entire GOP.
Some people are so far right they’re left. And they should leave.
As Pennington County Republican Party State Committeeman, I am saddened that sitting Republican legislators and a Party officer would PUBLICLY endorse another party’s candidate against a Republican candidate.
Republican legislators caucus together and should have, at minimum, a level of trust and loyalty with each other. While disagreement on some issues is expected as they advocate for their districts, PUBLIC electoral opposition should be out-of-bounds. This is particularly regrettable when PUBLIC opposition is expressed across district lines.
I hereby PUBLICLY ENDORSE ALL STATEWIDE AND DISTRICT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WITHOUT EXCEPTION. THAT WOULD INCLUDE SENATOR JESSICA CASTLEBERRY OF DISTRICT 35.
So by this logic does the SD GOP support QAnon?
that would be a ‘no’ einstein.
you asked about a path of logic.
Perhaps the people who pretend to be Republicans should resign. They were elected as Republicans by their voters and now have turned toward another party. Disciplinary action should be taken against each of these.
The supposed “big tent” gets smaller by the day.
The big tent is the Republican big tent. It doesn’t include people aligned with other political parties.
Alignment with what? the national party didn’t even publish a 2020 platform
It is not often that grudznick, a past president of the Conservatives with Common Sense, agrees with young Mr. Randazzo.
Mr. Randolph is indeed a RINO. Ms. Mulaly has always been incompetent and insaner than most.
That Mr. DiSanto fellow who sits fat on the County Commission…well just use the googles to look up his insanerisms and those of his wife.
You mean ex-wife?
None of these have ever authored one bit of legislation that has ever benefited any of their districts , especially D-30 . Why do they keep getting elected? All the legislation they prime sponsor is just statement politics that does now one any good . You may as well vote for Mickey Mouse
Fun fact, Mike: My name can be sung the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club theme song. G-I-D … E-O-N … O-A-K-E-S. Josh Klumb and I figured that out back in 2003 at TAR Camp when I was running for state chair. Good times. Anyway, don’t vote for Mickey. I will serve our district, not my own agenda. <3
Is Ms. Thomas speaking for the entire Rapid City school board? Mr. Disanto for the county commission? If not, why are positions posted? Same for the rest.
Here’s the irony and , frankly, narcissistic issue. Jessica won a primary. Only real Republicans can vote there. She is the Real Republican senate candidate. These other characters want to claim that they are so superior and are more important than the voters and the laws, and they get to decide who the “real” Republicans are!!! Not in America. Not now, not ever.
That’s rich coming from you Senator. Who’s trying to decide who the “aberrations” are again?
That sounds like someone who was handed his hat in the 2020 primary races.
I don’t know either Castleberry or Gentry and don’t know their records. But I do see most of you saying that she is the Republican candidate , picked by Republicans, so Republicans should vote for her and not the candidate of the other affiliation. I would tend to agree. Now go tell that to George Bush, Jeb Bush, some current Republican governors and any other Republicans, who have said that they will vote for Bidden!
That is the point of the story, there are all RINO’s
Actually I don’t care for the term. But I’m not sure what else you call a Republican candidate/elected official who goes out of their lane to support a candidate from another party in the closing days of the election.
Julie Frye-Mueller, Tina Mulally, Randolph, et al have all the moral authority of “Republicans for Biden,” because they’re doing the same thing. And frankly there should be consequences within the party for their actions.
I believe Kate Thomas is Vice Chair of the Pennington Co GOP. She should be immediately stripped of her office for doing the opposite of what she has been elected to do – help Republican candidates win elections.
As for the others, they’re pretty quick to call out others for not toeing the Republican line. Yet here they are actively opposing the party.
If members of the republican party believe the manner in which a candidate behaves is antithetical, if not openly hostile, to the ideals the party is supposed to stand for, I’d say they are completely reasonable in doing what they are doing. That doesn’t make them RINOS, it makes them people who are willing to stand for their principles.
The only ones hostile to the ideals the party is supposed to stand for are the “Republicans for not republican” group here.
Especially considering they’d be the first ones to demand ideological purity and howl if someone came out and supported their opponent.
You’re conflating people who are loyal to party apparatus to party principles. They aren’t the same thing. Getting in line no matter what is not what makes someone a “real” republican and people tossing around terms like RINO is a trite ad hominem for people who demand loyalty above all else. That’s dumb.
Castleberry won the Primary. She was selected by registered Republican voters, not the “party apparatus”.
there’s a wall of certainty in south dakota elections that few other states can rival. outside of a couple of districts, a democrat is going to lose. outside of a couple of districts, a republican is going to win. and we have found this certainty: the small cabal who time and again deigns to hand-pick who can be ‘republican’ with the, is totally ignored.
i don’t ignore them, but i do note that ms castleberry most thoroughly thrumped her opponent in the spring primary, while phil jensen won by a much smaller margin in his bid to keep a jensen family buttcheek on a chair in the legislature. perhaps some sour grapes? we have no time for such foolery.
SDPB has this on their website: “Brian Gentry is an Independent candidate for the South Dakota Senate in District 35 which lies in Pennington County. Gentry was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. His candidacy is inspired, in part, by former District 35 lawmaker Lynne DiSanto. It embraces some of her conservative values.”
So…..the truth shall set you free – he is inspired by Lynne (Lyndi, Lyn, whatever) DiSanto, Meyer, whatever. That should tell you all you need to know – bottom line whackadoodle, nutjob.
I found it exceptionally funny as to all of the do-nothing legislators who have lined up to support someone that isn’t even from their own party. Jessica Castleberry is a good legislator and is learning the ropes. There is literally no reason to side with her competitor if you’re a Republican – unless you are one of the “morality defenders” as each of these “supporters” preach to be.
Mike V. is right on target – these legislators have done zero to help western SD whatsoever (its more a negative really). Yet, they’ve pushed countless pieces of worthless, non-starter legislation that seeks to impose their own social/moral engineering agenda onto the SD public while wasting valuable legislative time and energy on things that have never and will never pass (hopefully).
The Pennington County and State Republican Party should be ashamed of this fiasco while immediately bringing harsh action for any party officer who was involved. The Party needs to grow a pair and finally weed out these hyper-right wing lunatics once and for all. If they want to do this kind of crap, then make them register as Independents or form some other party. This is not good for the Republican Party and it certainly isn’t good for South Dakota.
These Wing Nuts are hurting the GOP and I agree they are wasting time with divisive Bills that will hurt SD and hurt economic development. Most of these people should not be throwing stones!