4% Gubernatorial wannabe Toby Doeden  apparently had a plan to meet a lot of people at the SDSU opener game today in Brookings, sending out a text blast a couple of days ago:

Jackrabbits Fans. America First Patriots. All in one place.

Patrick, you’re invited to Toby Doeden’s South Dakota Gameday Tailgate tomorrow outside Dykhouse Stadium.

There will be music, games, free food, and free drinks. The tailgate starts at 1:00 PM and runs until game time.

Hang out with Toby, meet up with fellow conservatives, or just grab a snack or a drink. Feel free to stop in for a minute or stay for a while!

Couple of problems with this whole thing..

# 1 – they are opting to tailgate in Brookings on what might be the busiest day of the state fair in Huron? Really?

# 2 – their whole advertising scheme for this campaign event is using the fairly well guarded NCAA jackrabbit logo, which as I understand is a no-no. As is lifting from SDSU’s football promo videos for campaign advertising, which it appears they may have also done.

# 3 – I happen to be driving on the north side as they were pulling up to set up tailgating. Where they found themselves stuck out on the very very far corner, away from where people congregate.

Add those things together, and you can see the turnout they’re having this afternoon;

Yeah.. that looks like a dumpster fire campaign event from team Doeden.

Here’s a 3pm update…

Not looking any better.

Gov. Rhoden Launches FAQ Page for New Prison Plan

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden launched a page to address Frequently Asked Questions regarding the plan for a new prison as put forward by the prison task force. You can find the page here.

“South Dakota’s state penitentiary is more than 140 years old, and it needs to be replaced,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “We have a good site, a good plan, and the money to pay for it. It is time to get this project across the finish line and keep the people of South Dakota safe.”

The prison task force was announced by Governor Larry Rhoden in February. Over the past several months, the prison task force considered the facts, listened to experts, and invited hours of public testimony. This process ultimately led to a plan that received unanimous support from the task force members.

Governor Rhoden has called for a special session on September 23, where this plan will be voted on by the legislature.

###

Seniors, Soldiers, and the State Fair
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
August 29, 2025

BIG Update

I joined the Peaceful Pines Senior Living Center in Huron to talk about my work in Washington and the policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill that will help seniors. Policies like cutting taxes on Social Security, expanding access to home and community-based care, and ensuring longevity for health and social programs will make a meaningful impact on the lives of many seniors.

I also shared some of the things I’ll continue to work on in Congress like banning individual stock trading for members of Congress and the threat of farmland purchases from the Chinese Communist Party.

Johnson speaks with Peaceful Pines residents

BIG Idea

The Chinese government will find any avenue to infiltrate and influence the United States. In fact, technology developed and manufactured in China, like LiDAR, can be used as spyware here in the United States. LiDAR is commonly used in autonomous vehicles and transportation projects, creating highly detailed 3-D maps of our infrastructure. If our adversaries, like China, have access to critical infrastructure like maps of ports, railways, airports, roads, or bridges, they could disrupt our supply chains and cause a national security crisis.

I introduced a bill to prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation from using Chinese-made technology for transportation projects. Congress must protect our critical infrastructure from the malign interests of the Chinese Communist Party.

BIG News

The State Fair is a beloved event in South Dakota. Many people gather for food, fellowship, and a celebration of what makes South Dakota great. During the Bull Bash, I helped honor Vietnam veterans who served our country. This recognition is hosted annually by Red Wilk during the rodeo.

Johnson honoring Vietnam veterans at the State Fair

I also joined the South Dakota Pork Producers at the fair to talk with producers about some of the things I’ve been working on. I’m leading the Save Our Bacon Act which will end California’s Proposition 12 rules that negatively impacting pork producers across the country. We also discussed trade and commodity prices and how Congress is working to support our producers.

Johnson meets with Pork Producers

###

Celebrations at the State Fair
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
August 29, 2025  

The South Dakota State Fair is something to celebrate. Once a year for a few days, it seems like the whole state is in Huron, and everyone has a smile on their face.

At one event this year, we kicked off the celebration of America’s 250^th Birthday with a mock signing of the Declaration of Independence – I signed, and so did about 100 kids. Quoting the Declaration, I said that everywhere you look at the fair, you see South Dakotans pursuing happiness!

In many ways, the State Fair is a celebration – or a series of celebrations. We celebrate agriculture, our most important industry. We celebrate our veterans. And we celebrate so many things that make South Dakota the greatest and freest state in America.

The State Fair is primarily focused on agriculture, and that’s as it should be. Ag is king in South Dakota, and it’s worthy of celebrating. We honored family farms that have been in the same family for 100 years or more alongside the South Dakota Farm Bureau and Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 100 years – that’s pretty remarkable! Our state depends on ag, and ag depends on our family farms, so anytime a farm stays in the same family for that long, it’s a testament to South Dakota’s strength and stability.

We also honored our veterans, both with a Salute to Veterans event during the daytime and at the Bull Bash rodeo in the evening. None of this – not the State Fair, not even our state or our nation – would be possible without the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform. I particularly enjoyed the F-16 flyover by the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114^th Fighter Wing out of Sioux Falls – what a powerful symbol of American freedom!

We finally cut the ribbon on a project that’s been several years in the making, the new SHED, which will be the open class sheep facility at the fairgrounds for many years to come. This high-quality facility will also make our fairgrounds more attractive for national events!

As always at the State Fair, we took time to meet with leaders from all our state’s ag groups. I heard them out on each of their priorities and shared a few of my own. We talked about the need for property tax relief, especially in certain counties, and how my proposal does so in a way that doesn’t harm agriculture in the process. We also discussed the importance of advancing South Dakota ag on the international stage, as I’ve been doing with my trade missions.

Finally, we celebrated South Dakota’s state sport: rodeo! One of my favorite accomplishments from my time in the legislature was carrying and passing the bill to make rodeo South Dakota’s official state sport, and the Tuff Hedeman Bull Bash is as good as any rodeo in the state. Like I said before, we also took time to honor our veterans at this event – and that’s something else that makes rodeo pretty special: we honor our nation and our heroes.

To everyone who has an opportunity to enjoy the State Fair this year, I hope you enjoyed the celebration. And if you didn’t, I hope we’ll see you next year!

###

This is interesting. Tonight a fundraiser invitation is going around in Republican circles kicking off the first big event for the Casey Crabtree for Congress campaign on September 3rd at the offices for Marketbeat in Sioux Falls.

A lot of names sponsoring that you might be familiar with in the form of legislative colleagues and old school Republicans.

It’s also a sign that the Crabtree campaign is moving into a more active phase, now that we’ve reached the end of summer and school is kicked off.

Looks like it’s ‘game on’ in the Congressional primary!

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Richard Vasgaard

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide from sunrise until sunset on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, in honor of former state legislator Richard Vasgaard. He served in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 2021 to 2022, and again in 2025.

“Representative Vasgaard was an honorable, God-fearing man who served our state with unwavering commitment. Sandy and I are devastated by his loss,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “He left a lasting impact on South Dakota, and his leadership will be deeply missed. We will continue to keep the Vasgaard family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 am CT on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville, SD.

###

Also, per the family, the details on the visitation and funeral are as follows:

Funeral Arrangements
Wass Funeral Home in Beresford is handling the arrangements. A full obituary will be available here: https://www.wassfuneralhome.com/obituary/richard-vasgaard

The Obituary can be found here:  Richard G. Vasgaard – Wass Funeral Home

Visitation
Monday, September 1, 2025
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Scandia Lutheran Church
251 Broadway Street
Centerville, SD 57014
Prayer Service at 7:00 PM

Funeral Service
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
10:30 AM
Scandia Lutheran Church
251 Broadway Street
Centerville, SD 57014

If you recall my post from last week, I’d been seeing campaigns putting out the more generic “logo” political buttons (not that there’s anything wrong with that)  But as a collector, I kind of like the stuff that’s …different.  So, I couldn’t help myself and I’d made a couple pins for the 2026 elections.

First off, I’d made a Dusty Johnson for Governor pin:

And today, the next box of pins arrived – the completely unofficial Christine Erickson for Sioux Falls Mayor pin – the “Christine Rocks” button!

Featuring Christine Erickson, the non-boring mayoral candidate in the race for Sioux Falls Mayor coming out on stage with giant eagle wings (it’s a Talledega Nights reference) because these are meant to be fun, if not a little silly.

Again, there is a VERY limited number of them available (about 5-6 dozen). And I’ve just about got the store put together so you can purchase your own for about $7.50 each, which will mainly cover shipping.

Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of the Minnesota Shooting Victims

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden ordered that flags be flown at half-staff statewide effective immediately until sunset on August 31, 2025, as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless act of violence at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“This violence in Minneapolis took place during mass while the children prayed — that’s horrific,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “Sandy and I are praying for strength and healing for the children victimized and families impacted.”

This announcement is consistent with President Trump’s order, which can be found here.

###

Toby Doeden’s favorite renter Brandei Schaefbauer is just the gift that keeps on giving for clickbait. Certainly not anything in terms of leadership or competence, but definitely she provides a lot of clickbait.

Tonight, after South Dakota Searchlight published an opinion piece noting how her talk of civil war was … well, what many would consider conspiracy, Schaefbauer launched a tirade of gibberish on Facebook complete with acronyms, and.. well, read for yourself:

Total and utter rubbish! South Dakota Searchlight receives grants through a bought and paid for NGO through USAID!

I was simply stating the fact that failure to disclose the Epstein client list will cause uproar and social backlash on both sides of the political aisle. Today’s tragic events in Minneapolis involving a “trans” gunman opening fire on a Catholic school during Mass are unfortunate illustration of what I was warning about.

Whaaaat? One of the House Majority Whips is writing that “The Epstein List” is somehow connected to a mentally unbalanced killer? I would wager she’s probably the only member of House leadership who is going to fall on that sword.

Even better, Schaefbauer declared with all the indignity she could cobble together in her Facebook post that “I am considering my legal options for what I consider defamation.”

The problem with her ‘legal options’ is that the parts of all of this that might bring her public ridicule is all of her own making.  These are all her own words.  If she does not like how people react to them, maybe she should not tap them out with her iPhone on Facebook?

That, and I’m quite sure in America we’re still allowed to question what politicians holding office claim.

I’m sure there will be an official press release, but reports are coming in that District 16 Republican State Representative Richard Vasgaard lost his life in a farm accident today.

Please keep his family in your prayers.