The Amendment H – SD Open Primaries group has a new ad up, tagging off of Saturday’s SDSU Game where that team from Vermillion is going to make an appearance:

From Facebook:

The Campaign Finance Filing for Toby Doeden’s Political Action Committee , Dakota First Action PAC, has been posted at the Secretary of State’s website.  In case you were wondering who paid money to support the biggest debacle of a political event in South Dakota history – the Mark Robinson Rally – here’s exhibit #1.

Since the primary election, it appears that the largest donor to the political action committee is not Doeden, who gave his PAC another loan for 5k, but  State Representative Brandei Schaefbauer is the committee’s largest donor, having given not just $750 out of her pocket for Doeden PAC, but she shifted $4000 out of her own campaign coffers to Toby Doeden for his use.

Dakota First Pac Campaign Finance Disclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

So, of the $7800 in donations from individuals and PAC’s she reported since the primary,.. she tithed 60% of it directly back to Toby’s Political Action Committee, so he could try to bring Mark Robinson to South Dakota. 

And there are a lot of other names on the list you’ll recognize, in case you were curious who wanted a seat at the Mark Robinson Rally:

Besides Brandei being all in, Brown County Commissioner Drew Dennert was a $250 donor. Dave “move to Wakanda” Roetman is on the list. The crackpot who lost for D7 Senate in 2022, Julie Erickson sent in her $250. D4 House Candidate Dylan Jordan is on the list. Senate Candidate”California” John Carley paid $500.

Taffy Howard was there with her $250 check in hand. (Try not to be shocked).  Conference room gun-slinger & State Rep Julie Auch was in $250. Free-dumb caucus member and State Rep. Tina Mulally came with a big $1250 check, as did former District 24 House Hopeful Mary Weinheimer. Minnehaha County Commission Candidate Cole Heisey made sure he was there. Julie Frye Mueller’s buddy Anthony Mirzayants paid his toll, as did State Rep. Karla Lems.  D14 Candidate Tony Kayser thought it was a good idea to send a $500 check as well, as did the South Dakota Young Republicans.  (SDYR’s sent $500 for this shady crap? Ugh. Don’t send them any more money if that’s the way they’re going to spend it.)  Also disappointed to see Joni Tschetter shifting campaign funds over to this, but Brandei for House is the real shocker, as Schaefbauer put more into it than anyone.

A few takeaways.. I’m sure not all of these attended. But even so, it’s not a long list for a group touting themselves as some sort of conservative answer to the Republican party. We can be thankful for that, because the event itself hurt the Republican cause. Does anyone think this attracted new voters to the Republican Party? No. Did it cause fewer people to look at the GOP and say – “I like the way they think?”  Of course it did.

Because this was a complete sh*t-show and attracted no one to become a Republican, unless there were some people wearing pointy bedsheets who were registered independents.

By encouraging and fanning the flames of the worst in the GOP, this is the way Republicans are going to lose elections in South Dakota.

After the pile of postcards and invoices I needed to be reimbursed for were spilling off my desk today, I cleaned up and submitted, and dug out.. and I came across my certificate of election for Precinct Committeeman from the June Primary:

Apparently the Brookings County Auditor laminated it. I mean, it’s a nice gesture, but it’s heavy duty lamination, like a 3 year old’s place mat. This thing will outlast my future grandchildren.

So, I can use it to prove my claim to the office, and to help keep my desk clean when I’m eating lunch at my computer.

Next election, I’m wondering if I can get my certificate of election with the solar system on the other side?

 

 

If I ever needed a reason to avoid work, my daughter and her husband showing up with a pile of campaign ribbons I bought last week was one of the best excuses I’ve had. Especially considering there’s not a single one I already have.

The Auction house who sold them was closer to her in Vermillion where she’s in her last semester of law school than me in Brookings, and she was nice enough to run them up after class for me.  And there’s some great stuff.

6 GOP State Convention ribbons, a previously undiscovered Pierre for Capital Ribbon, 3 campaign ribbons from 1906, a national creamery buttermaker’s convention ribbon from 1899, an 1899 Corn Belt exposition ribbon, and just a pile of neat stuff.

Emrick did run for Congress in 1906, but lost at convention to Col. Parker, according to news stories at the time:

Interestingly, this story is similar to others in South Dakota politics.

There are 2 great ribbons for the man who was our State’s 6th State Treasurer, C. H. Cassill, noting how he’s “Lincoln County’s Choice,” invoking the image of Abe Lincoln:

Lots of great stuff in there.

Half of them are definitely going into my personal collection, and maybe I might be able to make back what I spent on the auction off of the rest. (maybe)

Spotted on the road in Sioux Falls today.

Whoa! This one slipped under the radar.  While no one was looking, District 3 House Democrat Candidate Erin Rudner came in and ran the boards with fundraising, bringing in more than her Republican opponents combined.

Erin Rudner D3 Candidate by Pat Powers on Scribd

 

In D3, Novstrup brought in $12k, after a $3700 loan to himself, and Schaefbauer raised $21,325 after giving herself a $10,000 loan.

But with income of over $46,000 (inc a $5k loan), it should get some notice that Rudner has some serious capital to work with in her District 3 State House race.  And for her, she doesn’t have to win. Just come in second place and knocking out whomever is the low hanging fruit.

It might be a tall order, but with the interest and energy (and cash dump) coming into that contest, they could turn that into a sleeper upset.

Someone explain to me where the SDGOP adopted a stance on RL21?

Because it looks like the Minnehaha County GOP is coloring outside the lines on this one, as they blast out to their facebook contacts and use their e-mail list to campaign against Referred Law 21:

Considering this is an issue the SDGOP has not adopted a position on, and there are a considerable number of people on both sides of the issue, you have to wonder what’s going on.

And more importantly, what is the Minnehaha County Republican party doing for candidates? If they’re putting their efforts into an outside ballot measure, they must have put considerable resources into their actual job, electing Republican candidates?

You would think.

The Legislative Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access by Minors is meeting this am, and one of the major pieces being presented today is a letter to the committee by Facebook’s parent company, META, regarding age verification and parental approval for teens under 16 to download apps.

Check it out for yourself:

24-10-23_SD_Meta_FINAL by Pat Powers on Scribd

If you recall my post on Monday noting how State Representative Scott Odenbach was among Independent Candidate Karen McNeal’s largest donors through his Liberty Tree PAC, the days since haven’t gone much better.

In an op/ed from the Dakota Scout, Nanny State Representative Bethany Soye authored an article with Indy Senate Candidate Karen McNeal where they jointly attacked McNeal’s Republican opponent for State Senate, Senator Helene Duhamel.

Why? Because Soye doesn’t know how to write legislation that will pass muster in the courts, but insists on it being passed or her opponents are immoral demons? Aside from the fact she thinks that only she is qualified to tell parents how to raise their kids.

Why do we need a couple of carpetbaggers from out of state (Soye & McNeal) telling South Dakota parents how to raise our kids and that being sued over unconstitutional legislation is the way to go?  And even worse is that one of them is supposed to call herself a member of the House Republican caucus yet is providing comfort to the enemy?

And giving comfort to the opposition to Republicans is the continuing theme for House members as apparently helping the other team to beat members of your own caucus is the trend for 2024. For another example, check out what a reader pointed out to me.

Remember Karen McNeal’s son, Justin McNeal who ran as an independent? He had some familiar names trying to help him on his way:

 After Dusty Johnson had been solidified as the Republican Nominee for Congress in March, on line #4, we have State Representative Jon Hansen signing his name to Justin McNeal’s Independent Candidate petition to run against Republican Dusty Johnson on April 12th. (This also comes after Hansen voted ‘No’ last year on the House Republican nominee for Speaker. )

I also caught Brown County Commission candidate and Aberdeen Right Winger Kyler Dinger on line 7.

Moving to the other side..

“Supposedly Republican” Brown County Commissioner Duane Sutton is line #8 signing a petition for the opponent to Dusty Johnson. On line #9 signing on for a non-Republican alternative to the GOP Candidate we have State Representative Brandei Schaefbauer. We also have Republican D1 House Candidate Christopher Reder showing up below Brandei on the sheet at petition signature line #15.

I imagine it may be kind of hard for some of these people to try to rally people around the Republican Party banner when they might be looking to run for office within their respective Republican Caucuses, coming as it will after they give aid and comfort to the enemy.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall in caucus elections when they get together to try to explain why they’re the best choice to be a part of the leadership team to lead House Republicans next month.

Stay tuned.