Remember a week or so back when Norman Woods, the executive director of right wing group Family Voice, had an editorial in the Dakota Scout trying to justify that it’s ok for 16 year old girls to marry 40 year old men if the parents say so, because it’s the left-coast liberals trying to tell people it’s bad?  Well.. apparently, his wife – former Doeden acolyte Carolyn Woods – is also writing editorials, and expressing her outrage claiming feminism is wreaking havoc on our culture.

But it’s not her article in the Federalist that should give you pause. It’s her facebook comment about her article:

Darned women! Who on earth decided to give women the right to vote?  Those darned liberal feminists from 100 years ago! 

Some rando on the internet claims we need to repeal the 19th Amendment.. And Carolyn Woods is “Here for it?”

Norman wants underage girls to be able to marry? Caroline wants to take away women’s right to vote?

Wow.  It’s like a little Warren Jeffs encampment in the South Dakota political scene.

I don’t think I want either of these Hansen supporters having anything to do with any public policy. Whatsoever.

From Facebook, in the race for Governor, former Speaker of the House Steve Haugaard doesn’t have much nice to say about his former ally Jon Hansen, instead choosing to sing the praises of Toby Doeden this past weekend:

To each their own, I guess.  But did anyone point out to Steve how much his guy makes from his liquor and gambling operations? Because I know Steve isn’t big on the giggle water and Toby is as per the Grassroots Conservative Republicans group:

Just askin’

As I’m told, Sleepy Senator Carl Perry at the Northern State University strategic planning meeting about a month ago.

It’s really time to get someone competent in the District 3 Senate seat.

Update…. Shhhh… don’t wake Carl…

Jackley to Host Election Night Watch Party in Rapid City

Rapid City: The Marty Jackley for Congress campaign announced today that Attorney General Marty Jackley will host a primary election night watch party at the Robbinsdale Entertainment Center in Rapid City on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Doors open at 5:30 PM and election results will start being reported shortly after 7:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. The event is open to the public and to members of the press.

Jackley will be joined by family, supporters, and community members from across South Dakota as primary returns come in.

“I want to spend election night with my supporters who have made this campaign possible,” said Jackley. “Whether you have volunteered, put up a yard sign,chipped in five dollars, or simply voted, this night is for you. Bring your family and friends and watch the results come in with us.”

The event is open to anyone interested in watching the primary results, regardless of which race they are following on the ballot.

Members of the media are invited to attend. Jackley will be available for one-on-one interviews throughout the evening. To RSVP for media credentials, contact [email protected].

EVENT DETAILS

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Doors open: 5:30 PM MT Robbinsdale Entertainment Center 805 East Saint Patrick Street Rapid City, SD 57701

To RSVP, visit the campaign’s Facebook event page or email [email protected].

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Here’s another web video hitting the internets, this one coming from over in Meade County. Where they are reminding people that “We can do better than John “California” Carley:

There was a column the other day where Norman Woods, a representative of a church-based PAC tried to claim that there was nothing wrong with marrying off 16 year old girls, and it’s nothing sinister…

When you cast your vote this spring, you can have confidence that your senator stood up to outside activists and told the East and West coast elites to keep their ideas on marriage to themselves. As Marco Rubio once said: “The greatest tool to lift children and families from poverty isn’t a government spending program. It’s called marriage.”

Read Norman’s justification for it here.

Welcome to the 1950’s, where those little girls knew their place, and there were no coastal elites trying to prevent child trafficking.  Fortunately for us, we’re 70 or so years past that.

In a well needed counterpoint, Democrat Representative Kadyn Wittman points out that the effort to stop child marriage is a bipartisan effort involving both Republicans and Democrats, faith leaders and child marriage survivors who are asking for a stop to a practice that has no place in modern society:

During testimony, Norman Woods argued that many fathers would prefer their 16-year-old daughters marry an “established” older man. That statement reveals exactly why many South Dakotans were alarmed by opposition to this bill. 

and..

The argument about the age of consent is equally misleading. We regulate different rights and responsibilities at different ages all the time. A teenager may legally drive before they can vote. They may work before they can sign contracts. They may consent to some medical decisions before they can serve on a jury. The existence of an age-of-consent law does not automatically mean the state should permit minors to enter into marriage.

Many of the same lawmakers who argue teenagers are too immature to make health care decisions, vote or enter contracts suddenly insist they are mature enough to enter a lifelong legal marriage contract. That inconsistency deserves scrutiny.

and..

South Dakotans can disagree respectfully about a lot of issues. But reducing legitimate concerns about child protection to conspiracy theories about “outside activists” is unserious and insulting to the many South Dakotans, Republicans, Democrats, independents, faith leaders, survivor advocates and parents alike who supported this reform because they genuinely believe children should not be married in our state.

Read the entire column here.

Currently, a 16 year old in South Dakota is old enough to be married to a 40 year old man, but not old enough to hire an attorney to get out of it when she discovers that there may be something wrong with this arrangement.

There’s something wrong here. And it needs to be fixed.

 

After revelations over State Senator Tamara Grove maintaining a residence claiming a tax break in Sioux Falls due based on the residence being owner occupied, despite representing a legislative District that’s at a minimum a 4 hour drive away, the Dakota Scout is reporting that after calls from Republicans and Democrats alike, Grove is refusing to resign her position.

And that’s after the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney has announced an investigation into the arrangement for possible issues over the status of the Minnehaha County “tax break.”

A Lower Brule lawmaker will not resign after tax records revealed her primary residency is outside of the South Dakota legislative district she represents in the state Senate.

and..

Grove acknowledged in a statement to The Scout that she maintained an owner-occupied home in Sioux Falls that allows a reduced property tax bill while claiming to reside in Lower Brule and called the discrepancy — revealed through an investigation by The Scout Saturday — an “omission” and pledging to amend her property status.

and..

Republican state Rep. Rebecca Reimer, who is challenging Grove in the June 2 GOP primary, criticized Grove’s effort to revise her tax records only after questions emerged publicly.

“My opponent knew exactly what she was doing when she ran for office last time and again this time while these records remained unchanged,” Reimer said. “She has had more than enough time to correct them and did not. Now that she has been caught, suddenly she wants to fix it. She can either resign, suspend her campaign or face the fate of the voters on Election Day.”

Read the entire story here.

 

The election must be close, because outrage is building!

There are a number of far-right legislators allied with far-right gubernatorial candidate and community organizer Jon Hansen who are outraging tonight.

Why? Because the political action committee belonging to far-right gubernatorial candidate Toby Doeden and ran by former legislator Drew Dennert has hijacked their pictures and placed them alongside his own.

“Re: Cease and Desist – Stop Using Unauthorized Use of Our Names and Implied Endorsement.”  Is that a double-negative? Has AI slop become that prevalent that they can’t write a coherent sentence?

Do you think it would have been more effective if they had actually invoked the use of grammar or spelled all of the legislator’s names correctly?

Of course, Hansenites, aka 2%-ers, are staging other attacks in retaliation, such as this image Hansen supporters posted to one of the private crazy-pants groups, the so-called Grassroots Conservative Republican Group..

Oh no! Gaming, tobacco products AND drive-through liquor!

Next thing you know, there will be a pool hall. And THEN there will be trouble!

A new commercial has been released on-line by Governor Larry Rhoden.. and a State Senator who had attended a few Toby Doeden events is now prominently featured with the Governor who is seeking a full term of his own.

State Senator Amber Hulse is part of the list of characters in the video endorsing and supporting Larry’s bid:

 

South Dakota State Representative Kent Roe awarded fellowship to attend acclaimed Midwestern leadership institute

(Lombard, Ill.)May 19, 2026 -State Representative Kent Roe was among 39 select lawmakers chosen to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.

Representative Roe will meet with fellow lawmakers from South Dakota and 1o other Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces on July17-21in Madison, Wis., for The Council of State Governments’ 31st annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD).

“The Bowhay Institute is one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation,”saysIowa Sen. Amy Sinclair, who serves as co-chair of the institute’s steering committee. “The legislatures in the region have benefited greatly from the skills their members have gained through this unique educational experience.

Many of the graduates now hold key leadership positions in their state.

Since 1995, more than 1,000lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute. State andp rovincial legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Saskatchewan are chosen to participate through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process. Members of the Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.

BILLD was founded in 1995 to help new legislators meet the demands of increased policy responsibility being shifted to the states and, in many states, term limits and high legislative turnover. These two emerging forces highlight the shortage of training available for legislators – a void that BILLD aims to fill.

A program of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office, the 2026 BILLD program will include courses and seminars conducted by policy experts, Midwestern legislative leaders, and professional development trainers. In addition to curriculum designed to develop leadership skills, the program analyzes a variety of public policy issues.

The Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development is named in honor of the late James Bowhay, longtime director of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office. The program is funded through grants from foundations and corporate sponsors and an in-kind contribution from The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office.

Founded in 1933,The Council of State Governments has national headquarters in Lexington, Ky., and regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago (Lombard, Ill.), NewYork City, and Sacramento. The goal of the national, nonpartisan organization is 10 assist and advance state government by providing research assistance, professional development and educational opportunities, interstate consulting services, and public policy trends analysis.