Reaching back to my post of 2 days ago, I’m continuing the countdown on the top 10 SDWC Political stories of 2023 with numbers 5-3…

 

5. The fall and resurrection of the South Dakota Democrat Party

This has not been a good year for the South Dakota Democrat Party. In April, as Democrats were coming off of another unsuccessful election and lackluster legislative session, Chairman Randy Seiler, a man who was generally liked and respected by Democrats and Republicans alike, suddenly passed away after going into cardiac arrest while jogging.

Seiler was within days of finishing his term, and with his passing, Vice Chair Jennifer Slaight-Hansen immediate took over. Slaight-Hansen had been named as the new chair at the end of February with 93% of the vote. Where Seiler was universally liked as it turned out, his successor ended up being universally loathed.

The chair’s downfall began after the Democrat party hired former Legislator Dan Ahlers, someone with actual election experience as their new executive director. Within 3 months, Ahlers resigned in a brouhaha which brought national attention to the SDDP as Ahlers leveled accusations of a hostile work environment, potential FEC violations, “demeaning and foul language” from the chair when dealing with party staff, and hiring people without board approval.

In other words, Slaight-Hansen was the antithesis of her predecessor. And for a party in a super-minority, this was not publicity or problems that Democrats needed.

This triggered Democrat Legislators and leaders of the largest county organizations to call for Slaight-Hansen’s head, with Slaight-Hansen trying to chalk it up to saying she and Ahlers never developed a good working relationship.  Literally, the only Democrat defending Slaight-Hansen was former state Sen. Susan Wismer, but the handwriting was on the wall as Democrats off-loaded their Slaight-Hansen baggage. Dems voted 57-0, with two abstentions, to remove Slaight-Hansen from office.

Slaight-Hansen vowed to appear the party’s decision, but ultimately with those numbers, she found herself not being very appealing, with the decision being upheld in September. Shane Merrill from Parker, the current vice-chair, was elected to serve as Chair of the Democrat Party, as they attempted to right their overturned life raft.

Merrill quickly rehired Ahlers to return to the Democrat Party in October, where he now runs Democrat party operations in the state, as they attempt to pick up legislative seats, and rebuild the crumbled foundations of the state’s minority party.

 

4. Pipeline Wars erupt as populists attack ethanol industry’s plan to sustain saleability

In South Dakota, apparently, there’s no battle like a pipeline battle, as 2023 has been dominated by fights over carbon dioxide pipelines to enhance ethanol’s use as a green fuel alternative, and sustain the $2.4 billion in area household incomes and more than $4.4 billion in corn production it provides in South Dakota as well as the 30,000 jobs in-state.

The year started off with battles during the 2023 legislative session, with legislative attempts to halt CO2 transmission lines in the state, trying to re-define what constituted a commodity (excluding CO2, of course), and generally creating roadblocks for pipeline permitting. Those attempts fell flat and were killed, but the temperature of the pipeline wars were increasing.

For a state that had previously attempted to criminalize riot-boosting with regards to pipeline protests for the Keystone XL pipeline, you now had some of the same people who fought to jail protesters from the Keystone XL oil pipeline now fighting to stop a pipeline for the transmission of Carbon Dioxide, which is currently being released into the atmosphere.

Predictably, the populists of the legislature, having been stymied during the normal legislative process found themselves calling for a special session. Governor Noem noted in social media that “If the legislature wants to call themselves into special session to change the law, I look forward to reviewing what they send to my desk.”  Of course, with the Senate lacking any interest in revisiting an issue which could not get past the committee process in that chamber, there was no way that a special session was going to happen.

Pipeline opponents fared better in their push against the ethanol industry with the Public Utilities Commission. In September, the Navigator CO2 pipeline’s application for a permit to construct the Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline in South Dakota was denied by the PUC, on the basis of that they failed to “adequately disclose carbon dioxide plume modeling, and a failure to provide timely notices to some of the landowners along the proposed route.” This effectively killed the Navigator Project.

The Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) pipeline found itself similarly at odds with the Public Utilities Commission, as in September the PUC denied Summit’s pipeline application “because the project would violate county ordinances related to setbacks and other aspects of the pipeline route.”  However, while Navigator lacked visible public support, at the time of the denial, Summit had 73% of landowners along the proposed South Dakota route who have signed voluntary agreements.”  And with that, the pipeline company took a step back to plan and regroup.

The PUC’s rejection of the Summit Carbon pipeline has also generated other controversies, with those in favor of ethanol and the sequestration project not holding their tongue on the PUC’s decision, as it generated other headlines, as Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck called out State Treasurer Josh Haeder, questioning his intelligence and labeling him as “anti-ethanol” for his decision while sitting on the PUC board opposing the SCS pipeline.

Even more forcefully, the CEO of GEVO, who was set to put a 1 billion dollar bio-jet fuel plant into east-central South Dakota, adjacent to Lake Preston, pointed out that unless the landscape changes for CO2 sequestration in the state, that they may be forced to take their project elsewhere, noting “CO2 pipelines and sequestration have met resistance in South Dakota, but it’s part of the future of carbon abatement and renewable and sustainable fuel.”

The CO2 pipeline wars show no sign of abating in South Dakota, as ethanol and bio-fuel producers fight for survival against “NIMBY” activists and some of the same environmentalism interests who fought oil pipelines.  Whether anyone likes it or not, ethanol is fighting for survival in an environment where purchasers are passing over product that doesn’t have a reduced carbon footprint. And if they are not allowed a way to do that in South Dakota, a multi-billion dollar industry faces collapse.

 

3. Conflicts of Interest

There was a little rumble over legislative conflicts of interest early on this year, when in January, I wrote about several contracts out there with State Representative Kevin Jensen’s name on it as the fiscal officer for contracts/grants written between his wife’s business while he has been serving as a state legislator.  But, it was only the first crack in a wall of questions over what constitutes a conflict of interest with the work a legislator does. No one really knew the dam was soon to break.

The conflict of interest issue exploded with the announcement that the Governor requested and Attorney General initiated an investigation in July of State Senator Jessica Castleberry after it was discovered that her business had received $603,000 of COVID-relief funds.  Apparently, the investigation was triggered after a Social Services employee noted the Senator’s name on a $4000 grant application.

A hard deadline for Sen. Jessica Castleberry to either pay back the $603,219 in funds she collected for her daycare business, Little Nest Preschool, or to come to an agreement with the state on how to move forward under threat of legal action, was asserted by the Attorney General. Ultimately, Castleberry and the Attorney General struck an agreement for the state to be repaid $2400 a month over 20-30 years, and the Senator resigned from the legislature.

Senator Castleberry, in her defense, had relied on legal advice which had informed her that she could accept the funds because they were federal dollars. Unfortunately, South Dakota law did not agree.

This episode started a flurry of reviews and reports that other lawmakers may also have received state funds through their business, and/or have an indirect relationship to receiving their salaries through funds which originated with the state.

Around September, State Senator Lee Schoenbeck began working with the LRC to outline policies for legislature’s executive board to review what constituted an unallowable indirect conflict, yet that process was fraught with questions over what actually was disallowed.  At one point, State Auditor Rich Sattgast noted to the exec board that competing legislative factions were engaging in finger-pointing conflict allegations noting “We have these factions that are trying to take one another out, and they’re trying to use this office as their way of going about that.”

As the executive board found themselves slogging through the questions, Governor Noem was yet to name a successor to Jessica Castleberry.  Governor Noem reportedly was intentionally not quick to fill Castleberry’s position because of the conflict-of-interest concerns of potential appointees.  At this point, with the support of the House and Senate, the Governor asked the Supreme Court for guidance about conflict-of-interest rules for lawmakers. This request became more important as another kink in the works occurred with District 34 State Representative Jess Olson resigning for ongoing health reasons, leaving the Governor now 2 legislative seats to fill.

The Legislature hired former US Attorney Ron Parsons to assist in the conflict of interest case in writing an amicus brief on it’s behalf, while Governor Noem used her in-house counsel, and the Attorney General also submitted a brief.

At the end of the year, the South Dakota Supreme Court finally agreed to hear oral arguments on the day before session as to the question of conflicts-of-interest, and possible guidance as to what constitutes a conflict of interest for legislators, and how far indirect conflicts might stretch before the courts will snap them back.

Conflicts have been a big issue that have dogged State Government since statehood. And maybe we’ll see some light at the end of the tunnel in coming months. Maybe.

 

Stay tuned for the final top 2 SDWC Political issues of the year!

HEERMANN SEEKS RE-ELECTION TO DISTRICT 7 HOUSE SEAT

Mellissa Heermann announced today her intention to seek re-election to the South Dakota House of Representatives as a Republican in Legislative District 7. Representative Heermann is entering the second year of her first term in office. She is a member of the House Education and Health and Human Services Committees. She was appointed by Speaker Hugh Bartels to serve on the Long-Term Care Summer Study and the Extraordinary Cost Fund Oversight Board during the summer of 2023.

She was also selected, through a competitive application process, to attend and complete the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. Heermann was among 39 select lawmakers from across the Midwest chosen to participate in the fellowship program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders.

Heermann commented: “I am grateful to have been selected to participate in the different boards, committees, and training experiences over the interim. They have provided me excellent opportunities to learn and grow in my legislative role.”

Last session, Heermann sponsored bills supporting the development and expansion of adult day services programs, grants to support programs for youth and young adult mental health, and updated cremation regulations. Heermann also voted in support of keeping college tuition affordable, workforce development, and election integrity.

Heermann stated: “It has been a humbling and incredibly rewarding opportunity to represent District 7 in Pierre. It would be a great honor to take all that I have learned this far and apply it to another term. I will continue to focus on legislation that is clear and beneficial to District 7 and South Dakota.”

In Lake Preston, Heermann previously served on the City Council and as Mayor. She then served on the Brookings School Board for six years. While on the School Board, Heermann spent four of her six years there in a leadership role, either as Vice President or President. She is a graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an International Business degree. Additionally, in 2020 Heermann received her Masters of Operations Management from South Dakota State University.

A Rapid City investment broker filed paperwork to run for Congress in the 2024 Republican Primary this morning, challenging one of the most popular politicians in the state, Congressman Dusty Johnson. Justin McNeal of Rapid City filed a statement of candidacy to run in the race against Johnson, joining Patrick Schubert Jr. who has previously declared his intent to challenge the sitting Congressman.

 

From a review of records, it would not appear that McNeal has previously been active in Republican politics in South Dakota.

Both McNeal and Schubert will face a steep uphill battle against Johnson, who at last report has nearly $3.3 Million cash on hand in preparation for the upcoming primary election contest, and is recognized as currently having one of the most effective campaign ground games in the state.

In 2023, Dusty Johnson was recognized as the most effective Republican Congressman in the country on Agriculture, as well as being noted by The Hill magazine for his influence in helping to bring House Republicans together.

It has been an annual feature for a number of years at SDWC, and I’ve even had people drop me a note asking me when I was planning on running it. So, who would I be to deny them any further?

I’ve reviewed the archives and taken the pulse of the state over the last year. And if I was to assign any theme to it all, it might be one of general unsettlement. Or maybe “change” or “chaos” is a better word, whether it was abrupt or not.  And so many of the top political stories of the year go along with that theme.

 

Top Ten SDWC Political Stories of 2023 – Part 1

10. The employment line; comings and goings.

It seems that 2023 brought the South Dakota political scene a lot of changes in employment for people in the public view. We can hardly get through a month without something rising to the level of the public eye. I won’t get into the revolving door of employment at the Secretary of State’s office (as *spoiler* that will come later). There was the usual changing of the guard in the Governor’s office as people moved on after their time in high-profile/high-pressure jobs in the cabinet.  But those changes are a given, and happen with every administration.  It just seemed that in addition to those, we saw a number of other changes that we didn’t plan for.

Early on in the year had an abrupt change for former Dakota News Now reporter Austin Goss, who was identified by a criminal investigation as the culprit behind a prank phone call which spoofed the Governor’s telephone number. No one knew who did it when it was reported, but when one of the state’s highest profile political reporters was ID’d as the person behind it by law enforcement, despite Goss’ claims of it being a joke, no one really found it funny, including the victims of his so-called joke and his employer.  Goss managed to land on his feet with employment at the Dakota Scout newspaper shortly thereafter.

We also had the ouster of Reed Holwegner as the head of the Legislative Research Council after several years. Holwegner, who stood alongside the House Speaker in the rebuffing of media for asking about public information in the case is remembered in claiming that LRC was being “pestered.” The ouster came in late October, and from the sounds of it was a long-time in coming with dissatisfaction expressed by some legislative leaders.

And of course we can’t forget former SDGOP Political/Finance Director Dave Roetman who might hold a national record, and certainly holds the North Dakota record for the shortest tenure as the Executive Director of the North Dakota Republican Party after holding the job for about 8 days. It took that long for North Dakota Blogger/Reporter Rob Port to write about Roetman’s twitter account which included such gems as suggesting a black woman “Go back to Wakanda.” After which Roetman noted that he believed “that the best path forward for the NDGOP is for me to take a different path.”  No kidding.

In a bit more of a happy departure, SDGOP Executive Director Madison Sheahan is departing after 10-11 months on the job to a new position after being appointed to Louisiana governor’s cabinet, serving as that state’s Secretary of Wildlife and Fisheries. Huge job, and reminiscent of the positions that many SDGOP Executive Directors departed and ended up as agency heads, such as former ED John Thune leaving to be the director of the State Division of Railroads, former ED Jeff Stingley leaving to head up South Dakota Game Fish & Parks, and former ED Lucas Lentsch moving from the party to lead the State Dept of Ag. And that’s just a few, as several others in the past have left to take up high ranking positions elsewhere.

2023 was about change – expected or not!

 

9. Governor Kristi Noem and the 2024 veepstakes/Trump Rally.

Governor Noem has been attacked and maligned constantly by the other side of the political aisle. But there has also been some fire coming from factions on this side of the aisle.  Why? You might attribute a chunk of it to other Republicans attempting to derail the locomotive coming down the tracks as Governor Noem is often cited as one of the top potential candidates for Vice President on a Donald Trump presidential ticket in 2024.  And this speculation was cemented at a rally that was pulled off by the South Dakota Republican Party in Rapid City in September.

Love Trump or be not so enamored with him, for the SDGOP the event was a huge get as they packed the Rapid City Civic Center for a rally with the former president, which would not have happened except for Noem’s assistance. Kristi had the cachet with the Trump campaign to make it happen, and there were not just huge payoffs for the party, it also very publicly propelled her name to the front of the veepstakes in conjunction with her very public endorsement of his candidacy.

Since then, Noem has been recognized as the front-runner for the job, and is a notable name on the short list for many in the Trump universe. A profile in an article just before Christmas has her name included again in that short list by USA Today. No matter who is writing about a potential running mate, it has been a constant all year that South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem might be “the one” chosen by Trump to serve as his second, and a hair’s breadth away from the most powerful elected office on the planet.

Governor Noem is currently slated to speak at a presidential campaign rally for Donald Trump on January 3rd in Sioux City, Iowa, and will likely continue to be a top surrogate for the campaign.

Keep watching.. Because Kristi may get the nod.

 

8.  Freedom Works Here helps drive influx of workers to South Dakota.

Another Kristi Noem item on this list is the Freedom Works campaign to bring workers to South Dakota, which to date has had more than 8,000 people apply to move to South Dakota through “Freedom Works Here.” And over 2,000 applicants advanced to or are in the final stages of moving. Which has been one of the most wildly successful advertising campaigns to recruit workers to the state.  It has taken the form of popular TV commercials, one of which aired during the Republican Presidential debate, a NASCAR stock car wrap, and other media, and is now preparing to move into a second round.

South Dakota’s freedom and opportunity has been highlighted since COVID hit the country, which locked things down for the nation. But South Dakota’s remoteness and red-state values allowed the state to largely stay open without the restrictions that the rest of the country suffered under. And we’ve been reaping the benefits of that image ever since, with our state’s chief executive making a major push this year to capitalize on our freedom as a selling point in the popular ad campaign.

It has garnered a lot of attention, and some criticism and questions, but there’s no denying that the campaign over the last several months has been a big win, including spawning other individual efforts from communities such as Mitchell who have dovetailed the campaign into their own efforts to fill 600 job openings, with their “Move to Mitchell, get $1000” effort.

South Dakota has jobs, and in the last year, and according to the census, an estimated 34,859 people moved to the state, giving us a net increase in population.

South Dakota has always needed jobs and people. And you can’t deny that this one is a definite win.

 

7. John Wiik becomes chair of the South Dakota GOP in the face of a headwind working against him.

The job of chair of the SDGOP might be one of those things where one should be careful what one wishes for, because they might get it.  And starting in February, rolling in with over 100 endorsement of the GOP faithful, State Senator John Wiik has been the holder of the hot potato, after 3-term chair Dan Lederman decided to take a pass on giving it another go.  During his six years at the job, Lederman had occasional internal flare-ups from such as a Lora Hubbel/CFL led petition against him in his earlier tenure, which garnered about 20-30 signatures, and a group at the last convention that wanted the last convention to be free.  But as the state and the country has recovered from COVID, and a wave of anti-vaxxers, election truthers, and trumpy-populists have swept the country, the temperature of the swamp water around these groups in the state has increased as they display an eagerness to burn down the big tent of the GOP in their attempt to take it over.

As the prior chair was faced with in his early tenure, Wiik has had to contend with a similar splinter faction who doesn’t really exhibit any interest in the GOP’s actual mission (the election of republican candidates), and instead seems more focused on policy statements and burning down the GOP’s big tent to remake it, with one of the leaders of the anti-Republican breakaway groups actually writing in the Epoch times of his desire to “replace “establishment Republicans” with grassroots conservatives who reflect the concerns of the Republican base.“

This same group includes the Minnehaha County GOP whose activities included skipping their regular booth at the state’s largest county fair (250-300k attendance), and hosting a yard sale. When they weren’t actively ignoring the GOP’s Trump Rally in Rapid City.    In fact, speaking of the wild success of the State Party’s Trump event in Rapid City, it actually sparked a backlash from this anti-Republican splinter group. While the State GOP sold out the event, they mustered as much toxic indignation as they could and actually fought the event.  In the face of the event completely selling out, election truthers SD Canvassing declared “the SDGOP does not stand for the average American…. Buying a ticket to the Trump Rally is funding their agenda.”  Losing Congressional primary candidate Taffy Howard declared to her followers “..I don’t want to help in any way.”

Despite the best efforts of the anti-Republican splinter faction, Wiik has managed to chalk up victories, including successfully holding off passage of 2023’s Senate Bill 40, which proposed to put Constitutional Officers to a primary vote.  Going back to that Trump rally, it was one of the most successful and largest political rallies in modern state history with the sheer number of people attending.   Behind the scenes, under Wiik, the party has secured higher tiers of participation for the next election in cooperation with the National GOP.

I’ve always quipped that the problem with wanting to be the Chair of the Republican Party, is that you actually have to do the job. You have to do the work, herd the cats, raise the funds, and you have to get people elected.  It’s a thankless task, but Chairman Wiik has done a noteworthy job and delivered some big off-year victories despite the best efforts of an anti-Republican faction who seems determined to undo the work and create a headwind for the GOP.

 

6. SOS: Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

Secretary of State Monae Johnson started out the year with gaffes such as “When it comes to elections in the state, Johnson said some people think everything is fine, and some think elections are rigged. Johnson said she’s somewhere in the middle,” not exactly starting off on a good foot. And while she’s moderated her message, and significantly moved away from the election denial/trutherism that marred her tenure from the start, despite the repairs to her image on that front, there have been some issues that have kept the SOS at the top of newsfeeds.

As alluded to earlier in my top 10, one of the most significant issues facing the Secretary of State has been heavy, heavy turnover in the second floor office. Unfortunately, this has been self-inflicted, and has even led to her Deputy admitting that “the secretary of state’s staff lacks expertise in election technology.”  But the office hasn’t just lacked election technology expertise, as they suffered a major screw-up in the petition approval process in September when they approved a medical marijuana repeal petition with faulty language, despite petitioners not following LRC drafting advice that was posted on their own website. That error has legal ramifications for the state that really hasn’t been discussed since it occurred in September.

Unforced errors seems to be a theme here. The SOS dinged up their image even more they started meeting on a study they initiated on election integrity, and barred the public.  It went even further with KELOland news reporting that all three of the meetings they would be holding were to be considered “non-public.” The SOS released a final report, but the story that’s most prominent in the process is not the result, but the lack of access and barring the public from the discussions.

Getting back to the issue of Johnson trying to repair her image, As Dana Hess with South Dakota Searchlight wrote this month,

In the meantime, something happened to Johnson. According to the News Watch story, she broke off her association with Weible, the election integrity advocate. Once safely in office, perhaps Johnson realized that the road to reelection would be tougher if she kept up the drumbeat that South Dakota’s elections weren’t as safe as they could be.

In late November she released a brochure: “A Guide To Understanding Secure Elections.” The brochure talks about the security of using paper ballots and the lack of voting online, offers assurances that tabulation machines are not connected to the internet, touts safeguards in voter registration and voter ID requirements and seeks to recruit poll workers.

and..

Perhaps the ultimate irony isn’t that South Dakota voters chose an election denier to run their elections but that it looks like what they got was someone who’s acting quite a bit like a secretary of state.

Read that here.

Questions of turnover, competence, and election denial dogged the SOS over the last year and caused issues with her image among the public at large. But as Johnson attempted to repair her image, and move away from the election denial issue, she’s also drawn fire from the people who put her in office, and their allies.

As noted, damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

Stay tuned for Part 2, and the rest of the top 10 SDWC Political Stories of 2023

Gov. Noem Appoints Julie Dvorak to the 5^th Circuit Court 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that she will appoint Julie Dvorak to serve as a judge on South Dakota’s 5^th Circuit Court.

“It is the job of South Dakota’s courts to uphold the Constitution,” said Governor Noem, “I am confident that Julie will do so, and she will serve with honor and integrity in this new role. I look forward to seeing the good work she will do for the people of South Dakota.”

Julie Dvorak is a native of northeast South Dakota and graduated from Northern State University and the University of South Dakota School of Law. She has been in private practice at Siegel, Barnett & Schutz in Aberdeen since then.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected by Governor Noem to serve as a circuit court judge,” said Julie Dvorak. “I look forward to the opportunity to make a positive impact within the judicial system.”

Dvorak has been active in the South Dakota State Bar Association, serving as a Bar Commissioner, on the Strategic Planning Committee, on the Disciplinary Board, and as a member and chairperson of the CLE Committee.

A photo of Julie Dvorak can be found here.

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Just caught this on facebook:

This might be a long campaign for Rick Weible.

Gov. Noem’s Office of Economic Development to Make $1M Investment in SD Trade

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced a $1 million investment in South Dakota Trade to help businesses grow their overseas sales and support high-quality jobs in South Dakota.

“South Dakota feeds the world, and we are constantly looking for new opportunities to market our incredible work to consumers in other countries,” said Governor Noem. “Over 27,000 South Dakotans are employed by jobs directly supported by exports. We will continue to invest in our people and our workforce through the work of South Dakota Trade.”

SD Trade, a public-private partnership that opened its doors in April, has already assisted South Dakota companies in securing over $3 million in direct sales. They provided education to over 70 international trade practitioners and executed South Dakota’s first trade delegation in 10 years.

“Our inaugural year has been incredibly productive, thanks to our partnership with Governor Noem, GOED, and over 25 other organizations across the state,” said SD Trade President and CEO Luke J. Lindberg. “Companies involved in the delegation led by Lt. Governor Rhoden to Mexico have realized a return of over 65 times our investment in this mission. We plan on doing more trips in the future.”

Earlier this year, Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden went on a trade mission to Mexico with SD Trade. The early results from that trip have netted a 50-to-1 return on investment for South Dakota’s economy.

“In South Dakota, ag is our most important industry – but there is always room to grow,” said Lt. Governor Rhoden. “Mexico is our second largest trade partner, and SD Trade is helping that partnership expand. This investment will make continued growth a reality for South Dakota ag and every industry.”

This funding is through GOED’s Future Fund. It will expand the service offerings SD Trade is able to provide to companies in South Dakota and enable them to continue to grow South Dakota’s economy.

“Our partnership is building resiliency into South Dakota’s economy,” said GOED Commissioner Chris Schilken. “Foreign sales bring new money into our state and diversify our sources of revenue – it is a win-win for everyone involved.”

SD Trade team members work with all industries and company sizes. They also provide focused offerings for businesses anywhere on the international trade spectrum, from new-to-export companies to those with sophisticated trade teams. To learn more, or to talk to SD Trade, go to www.southdakotatrade.com.

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A new candidate has filed paperwork to run for District 4 House of Representatives.

Kent Roe of Hayti submitted paperwork this last week to form a campaign committee to those ends:

Kent Roe Sdcfdisclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

Keep your eyes peeled. If you’re noticing other new candidates out there, drop me a note!

Only 6 days until petition circulation begins for the 2024 election cycle. If you’re thinking of running, it’s time to get on the stick.

And if you’re on the bubble and can’t decide, drop me a note. Always happy to have a conversation.

Home for Christmas
By Sen. John Thune

The holiday season is a time of homecoming for many Americans. This year, more than a third of South Dakotans will travel for the holidays, many of them going home to be with family – a feeling unlike most others at Christmastime. It can be a trip down memory lane as we celebrate cherished traditions, reconnect with loved ones, and reminisce about the good (and maybe the not so good) times of holidays past. No matter how, where, or with whom you spend the holiday season, it’s a time to enjoy life’s greatest gifts and to celebrate God’s gift to the world: His son, Jesus.

Whether growing up in Murdo, raising my own family, or now with our home filled with my daughters, sons in-law, and grandkids, Christmas has always meant family. Christmas in Murdo was always a wonderful time of year. During the Christmas season, our family would go caroling at our neighbors’ houses. On Christmas Eve, we would pile into the car for the trip to grandma’s. The smell of lutefisk and lefse still takes me back to those holiday dinners. If there was snow, we would run over to Jackson Avenue with our sleds, enjoying every last bit of the days off from school.

We have since substituted clam chowder for the traditional Norwegian dishes we had when I was a kid, but Christmas Eve still has that same warm feeling. We attend our Christmas Eve church service and come home for chowder and to open gifts under the tree. The excitement on our daughters’ faces, and now our five grandchildren’s infectious joy, is something I look forward to and cherish each year.

Like a lot of families, we also have a tradition of reading The Christmas Story on Christmas Eve. Revisiting the story of Jesus’ birth is a reminder of the reason for the season, and it’s one of my favorite parts of our Christmas celebration. As I read the verses, I think about that first Christmas when God became man. An angel delivered the good news to the shepherds in the field, and the Magi followed a distant star to the manger. The Christmas Story is an incredible reminder of God’s love for us, and the good news that His son came to earth for us.

Christmas is more than just a place on our calendar; there’s a spirit about the holiday season that sets it apart and keeps us in eager anticipation the rest of the year. The sounds, smells, stories, and the feeling of home all come together to make it a truly joyful season. From my family to yours, may you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

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