Stronger, Healthier SD GOP, an Open Letter to Republican Party
January 15, 2024
by Rep. Will Mortenson (R-Fort Pierre)
I remember my first GOP convention vividly. So much enthusiasm for our candidates and our causes. So much pride in our state and our core values. So much community, kindness, and shared history. Since then, I’ve been a state party employee, a county delegate, and worked hand-in-hand with the state party and county party on a variety of causes. I’m a proud Republican and care deeply about the trajectory of our party and state over the next several decades.
That’s why I was encouraged that Rep. Tyler Tordsen introduced HJR 5001. That measure would submit the question to the voters: should nominees for statewide office be chosen through Primaries or Conventions? Rep. Tordsen’s resolution would open up our nomination process to every Republican from the grassroots voters to the county party officials to the state Chairman, and everyone in between. Our primary voters would decide who should be our nominee in the general elections in November. The proposal will make our party stronger and healthier.
In recent years, the convention devolved from a party promotion and unity event to a forum for political knife-fighting by party insiders. The sense of enthusiasm, pride, and community was replaced by partisan infighting, which started as a national phenomenon and has gradually infected our state as well. HJR 5001 gives us a chance to return the convention to its prior purpose: getting Republicans together to meet, share enthusiasm, and get prepared to help our candidates and our causes succeed on the ballot at the November general election.
Today, our system shuts out too many voters. It vests all authority in the few-hundred who sign up to go to convention. The last couple statements are tough for me to admit. I know these party delegates personally. Many are close friends of mine. But, just because I know the party delegates and like them doesn’t mean we should not include the hundreds of thousands of Republican voters I don’t know. We need to consider what is best for our state and the voters, not just what is good for our friends.
A little over a year ago, the Republicans in the House of Representatives elected me to be their Majority Leader. I have worked hard to serve the caucus members and advance causes where we take caucus positions. I took over a caucus that had been fractured in years past. Decisions were made top-down, and rank-and-file members felt like they had no voice. I was resolved to change that. Our caucus was made healthier, stronger, and more cohesive by giving every member a voice. We have had less infighting and we are getting more conservative victories ever since. I believe the same will happen with our state party with the enactment of HJR 5001.
I know full-well that many county party officials and convention delegates will disagree with me. I know many of my caucus members disagree with this position (that’s OK: I work for them, not the other way around). I have been talking all weekend to former colleagues and friends from across the state, really digging into ways to make our state party better. That is a good thing. We shouldn’t vilify one another over attempts at the same goal: party strength, health, and unity. We have important battles to come in this state. If we want to win them, we need a robust party where all Republicans get a voice. I hope you’ll consider joining me in supporting HJR 5001.
Representative Mortenson is a man of his word, is smart and has the best interest in focus for our Republican Party and for our great State. He has done a phenomenal job in uniting our Republican Caucus in Pierre. District 20 Representative Lance Koth
This bill is right on the money. Let the PUBLIC decide. We are, after all, a rePUBLIC.
This bit of rhetoric belies the defense mechanism created through representative democracy, aka republic.
The representatives should be selected carefully, then defended that they might cast a vote in good conscience, and not cast a vote out of blackmail or extortion.
Leave it the same as it has been for 150 years. The convention format is the same concept that helped build the United States back in 1650 to 1750, leading to the Revolutionary period of 1760 to 1790. The established long time members of the legislature and the executive body of the Republican party are just upset cause their beliefs are no longer the same core beliefs of the thousands of people residing under the counties, and they are further upset that the voters are choosing to elect America First Candidates over the neo-con, liberal candidates of the past 40 years. America is in the middle of a revolutionary period, one that people are rising up and demanding accoutability, change in philosophy, and on that the people are asking for a change in government practices. Leave the system alone, there are many good precinct people that are making a difference led by many in several counties. Gone today is the left leaning politics of South Dakota today.
That has not been the format for 150 years. You made that up! Governor Mickelson changed the rules to create the current system when Dwight Adams was chairman. Tell the truth
PS. We haven’t been a state for 150 years!!!
We have nominated at conventions. Mickelson only changed it to go from 3 delegates in each county (5 in minnehaha and Pennington). To the current precinct voter format. He didn’t like that “whackadoodles” took over minnehaha. But it will only be a matter of time until the primaries go that way and someone will want to start letting independents vote in them.
But convention have been the norm.
The end of the tordsen mortensen political careers.
I would prefer to invest more into the current process, which creates a defensive layer of indirection. That said, it could be improved by formalizing a ballot form and instituting a process for immediate, in-line audit of the results.
That’s the idea of the day, in my opinion, is “trust by verify”.
It seems to be getting harder and harder for our elite leaders to hang with the unwashed public. Give them what they want and elect others.