It’s always worth watching the postscripts in how candidates assess the results of their own race. Because sometimes you catch a whiff of the truth. Or in this case, a quick whiff of something.
In case you’ve blinked and may have forgotten Kevin Quick, he was the candidate who was recently slaughtered in the District 35 State Senate primary on a 72-28% basis by current State Senator Jessica Castleberry.
He was also the candidate who – about a year ago – was featured as Pennington County’s Most Wanted/Felony alert for Drug and Assault charges.
Castleberry didn’t just take Quick to campaign school – she took him to campaign reform school and just punished him. Castleberry ran a tight campaign where she worked hard, and smashed Quick to the sidewalk.
But there might be another reason that contributed to why District 35 State Senate Candidate Kevin Quick was ground up in one of the worst defeats of the primary election. Because it appears his role in the race was less about representing the people of the District, and more just a weak attempt to deny Senator Jessica Castleberry the election.
After his shellacking, Quick is being quite open about his alliance with the person running as an independent in the race to do just that:
So, after getting his hat handed to him, Quick is claiming some sort of unholy alliance between himself and Independent District 35 candidate Brian Gentry, and wants us all to support Gentry? Republicans should take note that Kevin can’t even come out and say “the better Republican won” in the primary. Instead, he’s out shilling votes for the Independent.
If we’re to believe Quick, Indy candidate Gentry is a candidate who took a back bench in running to Quick, a state senate candidate who just got his drug felonies wiped away via suspended imposition just DAYS before his run. Not exactly a lead many Republicans I know would want to follow.
I think we can all take a hard pass in joining the opportunist in supporting the Independent in the race. As well as the Indy candidate who played second fiddle to him.
Okay, now I’ll go. 😀
Our political process is pretty complex. I’m learning more about it every day.
When I ran for Mayor of Spearfish, I registered from R to I. That was an ignorant move, but while ignorance can be fixed, stupid is forever. Unlike what the name implies, I is basically Democrat.
I make my platform not based on what the GOP is pushing, but based on what I feel in my chest when I really dig into an issue. Abortion is wrong. Free markets are good. Cannabis should be legal. Compound interest is evil. Exploitation of labor takes a back seat to pedagogy. Mass surveillance is not as effective as empowered stakeholders in a thriving economy. These are my principles, and they seem to map more to the Republican platform than the Democrat platform, so that’s where I’m making my home.
Also, I’m not a pedo and I got that going for me, which is nice, so I would make a really bad Democrat.
So, I re-registered as Republican (which I had been for going on two decades prior to my 2019 naivete). I also learned that, despite its name, Independent doesn’t really mean “moral construction of a personal political platform”.
Imagine my shock!
My view, now, is that I would like for the Republican party to shift the platform just a bit to reflect reality on a couple of key issues. I’ll advocate for these changes passionately but respectfully. I’m not interested in jumping back and forth from party to party.
I’ll be playing a more active role in the Republican party in this regard as time allows, and I’m also interested in another run for Mayor of Spearfish in 2022 after learning more about the political process, in addition to what I already know about technology, philosophy, law, family, art, work, and life.
Mayor Boke tripled-up my vote tally after apparently making quite a few promises to various groups in/around Spearfish .. I believe some Spearfish voters are having some voters remorse, but only time will tell. My team garnered 246 votes with a $30 budget. If my math is correct, that’s about $0.12/vote.
NOT BAD!
Since then I have had quite a few folks come forward willing to fund a 2022 campaign. That is heartening.
Last time, it was just my wife, daughters, and I collecting signatures in frigid cold weather under very difficult circumstances. This time around, I hope more folks come forward to help us get on the ballot and communicate what they would like to see from City Hall. I’ll have a more clearly defined platform with well known and desired objectives, and I’ll do my best to get off the rails of the shepherded process to highlight some alternative economic options for our town, which seems to be very controlled by out-of-state/town interests operating through various corporate entities in the area.
I feel connected to the core of Spearfish seeking a more historical and personal improvement identity, and I hope they feel connected enough to me and my truth-teller instincts to support my next campaign should it manifest as per.
Sincerely,
John Dale
https://PlainsTribune.com/dale4mayor
Clear communication and grammar don’t appear to be in Mr. Quick’s arsenal.
Granted, a lot of people thought Obama was a great speaker even though what he spoke was bile, so simply speaking well isn’t enough; however, you do need to have at least some ability to sound like you are an intelligent, thoughtful candidate.
When is castleberry going to jump in a statewide race? Assuming thune doesn’t run in 2022 and dusty jumps to that spot it should be her time!
After victory in November, Castleberry should seek a Senate leadership position. For example, if Sen. Bolin decides to run for something other than asst. majority leader, Castleberry might fill that role… although she’d probably be even better as majority whip.