From the Argus Leader, a new legislative measure – House Bill 1198 – to move three of the races being selected at political party conventions to a statewide ballot moved forward on the testimony of legislators and former candidates for office arguing that nominating for some of the offices was bigger than just who could be convinced to go to the convention, according to the Argus Leader:
“I also believe that these positions are still too important to just let a couple hundred people decide and looking at our state motto that ‘under God, people rule,’ should guide us in this decision,” Tordsen said.
Former Attorney General Mark Barnett said while he had benefited from the convention nomination process, he felt that the fairest election was the one he lost when he ran in a primary against Mike Rounds in 2002 for governor.
“The reason I say it was the fairest was because it was a primary and it was all voting Republicans, not just a sum of the Republicans that I could convince to run for delegate,” he said.
yes, sir. This should pass. This is better than the resolution as it leaves the smaller statewide officers alone and it isn’t a resolution to send it to the ballot. The Legislature — R’s and D’s — need to decide this. The offices of AG and SOS are too important to be decided by a couple hundred people in a conference center in one corner of the state. A motivated candidate or operative can bus people in and win this election with a few hundred votes. It’s high time to let all primary voters decide the candidates for these important offices. Those who are against this tend to be either, 1) people who control county parties, or 2) people who have run or want to run for one of these offices. It is much more difficult to run for office when you need 60,000 votes in a primary than it is when you need 200-300 votes at convention and you can easily identify half of those voters and recruit dozens more yourself. Last point – during the last convention we had candidates jump in during the last minute to run for AG and Lt. Governor and then get a substantial number of votes. We should want our candidates to collect petition signatures and declare a desire to run months ahead of the June election. Let’s go… pass this bill.
Otherwise known as the grifter protection act.
Now only people with name id and money can run for these offices. Plus, can you imagine the chaos when a separately selected LT Gov thinks he/she wants to maybe primary the Governor? So much for a team.
But what the hay? It’s been years since the elites even pretended to care about the people.
It’s also been years since the wackadoodles cared about what the people outside their insane circles thought, and they about wrecked the convention. So much for a team indeed!
Anonymous at 4:50 says this bill is supported by the ELITES? Sheesh, that writer must have had to take 4th grade math, over. You know, like…”Sorry, you are being held back.”
Right now, about 400 delegates get to tell 200,000 republicans “We had a little vote while you weren’t watching, and decided who your candidate will be this fall.” How much is 400? 1/5th of 1% of voting republicans in the last governor election. Yes, you read that right….1/5th of 1% of the R votes cast in the prior election. Talk about elites? ELITE is a deal where a micro-tiny fraction of people get to tell 200,000 republican voters who our candidates will be.
Bottom line, the opponents to this bill, are opposed to a PUBLIC, POPULAR VOTE. That alone tells you what you need to know.
Who supports this bill? The rich elites who don’t like the people know they are just running a big scam. And it is these rich elites who will finance their lackeys.
But do not think i endorse those who came and almost beat your grifters. I just fear grifters more than i do those who are fed up with the corruption.
The difference in vote percentages for Haugaard for governor and Haugaard for LG made it obvious to everybody that the delegates do not represent “the people.”
The rantings about the “elites” are just noise. The numbers don’t lie.
The convention system has actually been a terrific vehicle for picking candidates for 135 years and time and again has delivered good candidates. But it was sorely tested at the last GOP gathering in Watertown, when anti-establishment delegates offended long-time party people. My reaction? “I’m shocked to see politics going on here at a party convention!”
That said, it’s probably a good idea to add the three positions to the primaries, if for no other reason than to make sure candidates are thoroughly vetted by the entire party ahead of the general election.
Cliff, “Vetted by the party”” will include independents when these people feeling disempowered and independents vote to have either independents voting in a party or jungle primaries.
In the end, you will get what you deserve.
This Bill is just another attempt to move to OPEN primaries. It should be killed ASAP!
Anonymous at 6:17 and Charlie at 7:10… I’m unaware of anyone in the GOP advocating for open primaries or allowing independents to pick candidates ahead of the general, so doubt it will get pushed in our lifetimes.
Cliff, there is a Constitutional Amendment likely to be on the ballot for jungle primaries. When it almost passes, they will propose open primaries and it will pass the next year. Getting a say in more races will give more incentive.
Anonymous at 8:17… Good points. My sense is, as long as Republicans hold a 2-1 advantage over Dems, and the same margin over independents, it’ll be highly unlikely that a CA can get the votes.
the people who want open primaries are the people who can’t decide which party they should join
they probably don’t know which bathroom to use, either
Let us remember Warren Green, a self described “dirt farme” from Hazel, who received 7% of the vote in the 1930 Republican Primary for Governor. He hung in there for the Convention, and after several votes were taken, prevailed over Gladys Pyle, who had 28% of the primary vote finishing first, though she needed 35% to win the nomination. She likely would have been South Dakota’s first female Governor. Green served one term, in the depth of the Depression and Dust Bowl, before being buried in the next election by Belvedere cowboy, Tom Berry, a Conservative Democrat who became a favorite of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Excellent history!
Zitterich, shouldn’t you be writing love letters to Koskan?
Thank God we have you to be the arbiter of all things GOP. Kick Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower, Goldwater, & Reagan out of the party too while you’re at it.
Two things:
1. Would you like Pat more if he was a crappy businessman who repeatedly cheated on his wife and taxes?
2. Stop following the white rabbit down the hole. You’re clearly not equipped to handle that.
anon 9:21, you have pretty good command of english for a ruskie sympathizer. you, trump and the whole bunch of you, can do your worst and see what it gets you after you put us alongside cuba as a mere russian asset. i’ll keep backing an america free of your new brand of kleptocracy.