Neal Tapio featured in Watertown paper for Trump, and his election.

Pat Powers

The Watertown Public Opinion followed up on the story a short time back about Neal Tapio being Trump’s South Dakota person, and also spoke with him about what he’s going to do in Pierre next January:

“I am excited to be a part of the Trump campaign. I’ve seen with my own eyes the blue collar workers, police and firefighters, once the backbone of the Democrat Party, come out in support for Trump. They are the heart of the Trump movement. Once people start paying attention to the solutions offered by Donald Trump, I believe he will win in a landslide.”

and…

As for what he plans to address as a member of the state legislature in Pierre, Tapio wrote that one of his goals will be to oppose the expansion of Medicaid as overseen by the federal government.

“All states face challenges with a growing and increasingly bankrupt federal government. As the federal government looks to expand welfare in the form of Medicaid by promising to pay for it, I will actively oppose it and look for ways to encourage work and reduce welfare,” Tapio wrote.

Read the entire story here.

It will be interesting to see how active the campaign plans to be in South Dakota over the next few months, ad what type of role Tapio will play in the new Senate. Especially if Trump wins.

If so, he’s going to have quite a few spots to fill in Washington.

33 thoughts on “Neal Tapio featured in Watertown paper for Trump, and his election.”

  1. Thune declined, Rounds declined, Daugaard declined, Noem declined… at least he’s over the moon about this position. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

    1. Then you have not been paying attention….Neal Tapio just knocked off Rep. Roger Solum for the State Senate seat in Watertown….

    2. He comes and goes every two or three election cycles in SD. He is a political animal.

  4. I just googled him and it looks like he’s had the political bug for a long time. Here he is trying to run against Daschle in 2004:

    Tapio and his fellow Minnehaha County Young Republicans quickly found a solution to that problem. Make somebody a candidate under the law and begin criticizing.

    Tapio and I talked in a Minerva’s booth on Saturday, May 31, before potential Daschle challenger John Thune spoke to a gathering of the Pennington County Republicans.

    Tapio said he hasn’t gotten much sleep since he announced last month that he might challenge the Senate minority leader, a man with whom he has one unpleasant thing in common. He said he has already received a death threat.

    Ross: Other people are saying that you are doing this to be a placeholder for whomever, ultimately, the candidate will be – that you don’t have any intention of being on the ballot but just want to provide a vehicle to criticize Tom Daschle under the constructs of the new campaign-finance laws.

    Tapio: To say I would never want to be on the ballot is inaccurate. However, I think the values of the Republican Party have to be spoken. And I don’t believe that Sen. Daschle represents those values.

    Ross: He is a Democrat.

    Tapio: I mean the people of South Dakota’s values. I believe the people of South Dakota’s values more resemble the Republican Party than the Democrat Party. Sen. Daschle represents interest groups in New York City and Hollywood and not the people of South Dakota. The purpose of me looking into testing the waters is to determine how much sentiment is out in South Dakota. If for some reason a John Thune or a Bill Janklow doesn’t come forward, it’s very important to begin organizing early against an $11 million war chest and 20 campaign workers that are going to start (in June) in South Dakota. Something has to be done to counter that right away.

    http://rapidcityjournal.com/denise-ross-wannabe-daschle-challenger-takes-aim/article_c0a49333-6059-55f8-a963-7b1fff46acce.html

  5. Good news. Good news Trump supporters. Yesterday, the Republican nominee made this pronouncement:

    “At the end of four years, I guarantee you that I will get 95 percent of the African-American vote, I promise you…”

    OK, little Donald. Now, take a seat and wait till you are called on. OK?

    1. Donald Trump believes this stuff. I would like to see just one of you say that you agree with him. Just one.

    1. Porter, if the media would report on Hillary the same way they report on the Donald, this would be a VERY different race.

        1. You are missing my point Porter. The media treat Hillary a whole lot different then the do the Donald.

          Do not misunderstand me, I think the media does a far job of reporting on the Donald. Maybe a little overboard at times.

          I just wish the same people that dig into the Donald affairs would do the same with Hillary.

          What evidence do you have on Donlad being a conman and the Clinton’s not doing the same?

          I have talked with some people would have worked for the Donald and they tell a different story of the man.

  7. Every day Don Trumps lawyers are in court or preparing to be in court defending him from lawsuits by former business partners, former employees, former wives and former just about anybody unfortunate enough to have done business with him. He’s been sued over 3,500 times. Candidate Clinton hasn’t ever been sued or been charged with a crime. She has 6 documented Pants On Fire lies since Vietnam and Don Trump has 42 in just the last two years. Crooked Hillary? No way!!

    1. Just because you are being sued does not mean you are a con man Porter. Being sued in business happens all the time. My company has been sued for all types of reasons. Some are similar to the Donald. Most of the time (about 99% of the time especially with the way the Democrats and some Republicans have changed laws in business) the only people who win or come out ahead are the lawyers. By the way in case you are curious Porter, we have not lost a case.

      I have never said that the Donald was not crooked or wrong. What I am saying I think Hillary is a crooked politician much like most of these people in Washington and some in Pierre. Not all but most. It is the fact that Donald is NOT a politician is why he has so much appeal.

      I have been involved in politics too long to know where there is smoke, there is a fire. It just depends on how long the politician can keep the fire under control……

      Still waiting for the Clinton’s health records to be released…..

      1. Anti-Clinton zealots have been hounding them since Vietnam and have never been proved correct. Y’all need to win one or the ridicule will leave you invalid, if it hasn’t already.

        1. Porter this is why it is hard to have a conversation with most liberals and some conservatives. You do not address most of the issues that I have said and when you do not have any facts to back up your claims, you resort to name calling. i.e. zealots or the same lines I have heard since 1992.

          Porter until that time i bid you good day.

          I just hope I don’t get shot at when I go to Bosnia………….

  8. I can respect what you believe. I hope you don’t get shot, also. South Dakota direction might be improved if voters give it more balance. Power To The People.

    1. It looks to me like the people of SD are satisfied with the direction it is going.

      Dems are getting their butts handed to them consistently. So much that some want to HIDE the D behind their names on the ballot.

  9. What is going on? It’s all so bizarre. Now its reported that Sean Hannity is advising the Trump campaign. So he is advised by Roger Ailes as well as Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon and now Hannity?

    All of these allegedly conservative media folks have not only been pushing for Trump for the last year but now advise the campaign directly. Trump is the most whacky, crude, ignorant, unstable and dictator-friendly man to ever run for the office. And he’s far more liberal than the guys these same folks love to criticize such as Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, George W. Bush, etc. (That is if you can figure out Donald’s morphing position on issues.)

    Trump’s the guy these “conservative” media guys go “all in” for? Go figure.

    1. America has survived Presidents that were shady and selfish. I don’t believe we’ve ever experimented with a delusional narcissist who has close ties to Russia and an affection for dictators. A guy who not only spreads conspiracy theories but authors them as well.

      Good luck going “all in” with that kind of guy.

      1. Oh, you mean Clinton? Yeah She loves dictators. Takes lots of bribes from them. Has been supportive of Putin with her Reset button, and recall Bill’s help for China’s missile and nuke program? She is also delusional – she remembers “dodging sniper fire” and says FBI Director Comey’s words the exact opposite of what he actually said, and her latest about Powell! Wow.

        1. But he isn’t Clinton. That’s always the response. Donald Trump has done so many unbelievable things that make him unacceptable…. but time and again, “he isn’t Clinton”.

          Well, maybe we ought to demand a decent candidate. Maybe we should be calling for Trump to step down. Maybe the Republican Party could offer a sane candidate before we lose everything. Stop excusing this disaster of a candidate.

          1. Nah. Your description is much more applicable to Clinton.

            Trump was elected by American voters. Are you suggesting that their will be overturned? Not very democratic. Much like the Democratic primary during which the DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz cheated so Hillary could be coronated.

            1. Oh for the day when candidates were criticized for their spelling of “potato” or riding in a tank. This Trump guy beclowns himself on a daily basis… and we all just shrug.

              1. I agree. Hillary Clinton’s criminal behavior makes me and others long for the day when we didn’t have a Presidential candidate who openly peddles influence, takes bribes, has a ridiculous “charity” which does no charity but launders money, gives “charitable” million dollar donations – to HERSELF, flouts gov’t security laws and gives advantage to our enemies, fails to carry out even the most basic of her duties while in office but instead sets up shop selling her services, and cheats in her OWN PRIMARY against her OWN VOTERS and hires the hatchetwoman as a campaign staffer as a reward.

                Wow. Democrats. Why doesn’t Hillary Clinton withdraw from the race? She is a crook and everyone knows it.

                1. Hillary is a mess and was beatable. So what did we do? We listened to Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Drudge and Breitbart… and nominated the worst candidate in modern history to oppose her.

                  We blew it. Unless Trump can be convinced to drop out, we will likely lose the Presidency, Supreme Court and at least the US Senate if not the House. And a ton of legislative seats too.

  11. Trump has close ties to Russia and an affection for dictators?? Again, listening to sound bites and believing them. I guess Obama cozying up to dictators, the latest being Castro in Cuba, and the Arab Spring characters in the past eight years escaped your scrutiny. I guess you also missed Hillary’s ties to Russia through the Clinton Foundation and Russia’s donations to a Canadian charity which in turn used those dollars through the Foundation to purchase a huge quantity of US uranium. But I guess that is fine with you, huh?

  12. You got it. I have a big problem with Obama and Clinton but they aint crazy. Donald Trump says he will get 95% of the black vote in four years. That is absolutely, undeniably whacko. Add that one to all the other tall tales he tells and you have a candidate that Republicans had no business nominating. Ever.

    1. Wait. The “95% of the black vote” pipe dream is old news for the Donald. (Two days old.) Since then, he is onto yet another bizarre attack on some media personalities. He is busy insulting the Morning Joe folks. Saying co-host Mika is “neurotic and not very bright mess!” and rumoring that her and Joe are having an affair. That is the Republican candidate.

      A candidate for President would have virtually no time left on their hands. They would be incredibly busy. But instead of confronting the important issues that impact our lives, and the rest of the world’s, this is what he concerns himself with.

      What a nut job.

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