A couple more campaign announcements have popped up and come to my attention in the last few days.

• In District 3, State Representative Brandei Schaefbauer has sent out an announcement that she is planning on seeking re-election to the House in District 3 (As per Hub City Radio). They also conducted an interview with her following the announcement.
• Via Rumble (YouTube for people who think Youtube is a plot).. Penny BayBridge, who came in 4th in the 2022 District 13 House Primary with 9.6% and trailed the #3 candidate by 700 votes, is going to attempt to run again as per an announcement she made at a SD Canvassing Rally on 10/19 (about 2 Hours & 3 minutes in).  Maybe she can break 10% this time.
• And in a blast from the past, former State Representative Patricia (Stricherz) Shiery formed a committee yesterday to run for District 8 State Senate.  Shiery, under her former married name Stricherz served in the House from 2011 – 2012. And she was just a peach.  One former House speaker told me the story where she had demanded to know what the state spent heating the Capitol Lake. Since then, she has denied the tale, but that’s how the story was related to me.  (BTW, Capitol Lake is a naturally warm body of water heated by underground artesian wells. Taxpayers don’t pay to keep it warm.).  Since then, she ran unsuccessfully in District 30 in the 2018 Republican Senate Primary (coming in 3rd with 12.7%), before moving back to the Madison area.

Well. Never let it be said elections in South Dakota are boring.

Attorney General Jackley Joins Lawsuit Against Meta For Harming Youth Mental Health

 PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined Attorneys General from 41 other states in filing federal or state lawsuits against Meta alleging that the company knowingly designed and developed harmful features on Instagram and other social media platforms that purposefully addicted children and teens.

South Dakota is part of the federal complaint, which includes 32 other states, and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges that Meta knew of the harmful impacts that the platforms had on the mental health of young people and that the company misled the public about the harms associated with the use of its platforms.

“Social media use, including Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, has played a major role in the youth mental health issues occurring in America,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Such platforms have led or contributed to physical and emotional harm to children and devastating families. Meta needs to be held accountable for its actions.”

Attorneys Generals also joining the federal lawsuit are from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,  Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Eight other states filed similar lawsuits in their own state courts. Those states are District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.

The federal lawsuit can be read here: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/meta-multistate-complaint.pdf

From Twitter, one of the hardest left democrat state legislators in South Dakota isn’t leaving anything to the imagination regarding her position on Abortion, as she declares “abortion is healthcare.”

➡️Mifepristone is a safe and effective option for reproductive healthcare, offering women autonomy over their choices.

➡️Abortion is healthcare, and it’s crucial to support access for all who need it.

➡️It’s time to prioritize women’s health and rights. https://t.co/IkWpGwZBpA

— Rep. Kadyn Wittman (@kadyn_wittman) October 24, 2023

Not so sure everyone agrees.

I had a nice mention today in a number of InForum newspapers, including this version of the article from the Jamestown Sun, on hiring of Dave Roetman:

If North Dakota Republicans were hoping that recent turbulence from new populist, culture warrior leadership of the party would begin to ease, the new executive director that party chair Sandi Sanford has hired is not a good sign.

Dave Roetman, a former official with the South Dakota Republican Party, has been hired to replace former executive director Samantha Holly, who abruptly resigned in September.

and..

According to South Dakota War College, a longtime blog covering South Dakota politics from a right-of-center perspective, Roetman clashed with elected Republicans during his time with the SDGOP.

He also founded a political committee called Ripple Effect “to attack & challenge sitting Republican officeholders,” the blog reports.

That committee participated in a rally against Republican incumbents, as well as an anti-vaccine event.

Read the entire article by North Dakota long-time new media journalist Rob Port here.

Sounds like it might not be as warm a welcome as Dave might have wanted.

This one seems to have come out of left field, but Legislative Research Council Director Reed Holwegner is out after a meeting of the Legislature’s Executive Board today:

Reed Holwegner tendered his resignation as the director of the Legislative Research Council during a meeting of the Executive Board. During the meeting, the 15-member board made up of senators and representatives suspended the board’s rules and went into executive session to discuss the resignation.

and..

It’s unclear why Holwegner resigned. Executive sessions are not open under public meeting laws for purposes of discussing employee issues or consulting with legal counsel.

Read the entire story here.

This seems to have come out of the blue, but keep in mind this is the same LRC Director who acted like there was a “pestering” exception to open records requests during the Ravnsborg impeachment investigation.

So maybe it wasn’t quite out of the blue.

Update.. The Dakota Scout is suggesting the resignation arose because the director couldn’t keep employees there:

Legislative Research Council (LRC) Director Reed Holwegner has stepped down amid concerns about staff retention and office morale in the non-partisan office that provides year-round research, drafting, and support services for state lawmakers.

Read that here.

The Dakota Scout did a story after my post on The Minnehaha’s GOP ex-chair Dave Roetman taking a job as the Executive Director in North Dakota.

Apparently Roetman plans to continue his prior work of factionalizing the South Dakota Republican Party while he’s working up in the colder, unfriendlier Dakota:

An Iowa native, Roetman has been a key player in the South Dakota GOP in recent years, helping non-establishment Republicans gain a foothold within the party and the South Dakota Legislature. He was also paramount in South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s upset of former Secretary of State Steve Barnett, who failed to secure the party nomination for reelection in 2022, which sent shockwaves through the state party and served as a precursor to the ouster of former South Dakota GOP chairman Dan Lederman.

and..

Roetman told The Dakota Scout Monday morning that while he’s moving to North Dakota, he intends to maintain a home in Sioux Falls and will remain involved on the periphery of politics in the Mount Rushmore State.

“I will still keep a hand in South Dakota politics, but I expect this to be a two-year gig,” he said.

Read the entire story here.

Not sure if Joe Sneve fell off his motorcycle and bumped his head, because neither Monae Johnson winning at convention, nor party divisions had anything to do whatsoever with Dan Lederman deciding not to run again. (Nevermind he had one of the longest GOP chair tenures in recent decades).

But aside from that, the more interesting thing in the story is that Roetman announced his intent is to continue to stay involved in politics in SD. Which as of late was sowing the seeds of division within the GOP and trying to knock out incumbent officeholders.

So the Executive Director of the North Dakota Republican Party is promising to continue to try to knock out South Dakota Republican elected officials?

We’ll see how that turns out for him.

Does the North Dakota Republican Party actually do any vetting when they hire people?

Because I just saw an announcement that Ex-SDGOP Finance Dir and ousted Minnehaha County GOP Chair Dave Roetman has now been put in charge of the North Dakota Republican Party:

The South Dakota Federation of Republican Women Condemns Hamas Terrorist Attacks on Israel

 On October 19, 2023, the South Dakota Federation of Republican Women (SDFRW) Executive Committee adopted a resolution condemning recent I-lamas attacks and affirming support for Israel.

It reads:

WHEREAS, Governor Kristi Noem said, “These barbaric actions shock the conscience of the world. Beloved People of Israel, we share your anger at the viciousness of these attacks and the death, pain, and suffering they have caused;” and,

WHEREAS, Senator John Thune said, “I strongly condemn the senseless terrorist attacks on Israel by I-lamas, a known proxy for Iran. Israel is a beacon of democracy in the Middle East – one of America’s strongest allies. We stand with Israel and support its unequivocal right to defend itself and its people;” and,

WHEREAS,Senator Mike Rounds said, “Shocked and saddened to see the horrific attacks by Iranian-backed terrorist group I-lamas. The United States condemns this senseless violence and stands ready to assist our ally, Israel. At least fourteen Americans are dead and several more are missing or held hostage. We cannot stand by when these atrocities are happening. We need to support Israel now, and those who commit these horrible crimes must be stopped;” and,

WHEREAS, Representative Dusty Johnson said, “I-lamas’ acts of terror in Israel are wholly unconscionable. America stands with our ally;”

RESOLVED, The South Dakota Federation of Republican Women sisterhood stands firm in our condemnation of terrorism. Let us pray for the strength, wisdom, and bravery of the leaders of Israel and its allies, including the United States. Let us pray for the hostages, for the bereaved families, for the brave first responders, for the tireless doctors and nurses, and for the heroic armed forces who will strike swiftly, truly, and with justice.

Rounds Hosts Discussion on AI in Cancer Research

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) working group today hosted a panel discussion focused on the use of AI in cancer research. The panel, comprised of academic and industry experts, discussed how AI is transforming health care. In addition to Rounds, the AI working group is comprised of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

“…Today’s discussion on AI is about something that’s a bit more personal to me: the fight against cancer,” said Rounds in his opening statement. “As many of you know, I lost my wife to cancer one year, 11 months and 17 days ago. I firmly believe that AI has the potential to change every aspect of cancer care as we know it. Continued investments in this technology will help us to not only improve the lives of people with cancer, but to one day ultimately overcome this disease.”

 Read Rounds’ full remarks below, as prepared for delivery.

 ++

 Good morning. Thank you all for taking the time to join us here today.

I’d like to first thank the panelists who took time out of their busy schedules to come speak with us today.

I’d also like to thank my colleagues, Leader Schumer and Senators Young and Heinrich for working with me on this event.

We’ve had a lot of discussions in the Senate this year about artificial intelligence, and how it’s leading to significant changes across our society.

But today’s discussion on AI is about something that’s a bit more personal to me: the fight against cancer. 

As many of you know, I lost my wife to cancer one year, 11 months and 17 days ago.

I firmly believe that AI has the potential to change every aspect of cancer care as we know it.

Continued investments in this technology will help us to not only improve the lives of people with cancer, but to one day ultimately overcome this disease.

However, when it comes to AI and health care, the impacts of AI will go far beyond fighting cancer.

I look forward to having a robust discussion and exchange of ideas about what we can do to enable the use of AI in our health care system.

We also need to make certain that as we’re considering new regulation that we’re speeding up AI innovation in this space, not slowing it down.

Now, I’d like to welcome our guests—

• Dr. Ned Sharpless, with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine;
• Dr. Michael Howell, with Google;
• Dr. Eli Van Allen, with Harvard Medical School;
• Rick Stevens, with Argonne National Lab; and
• Lauren Silvis, with Tempus.

These experts are going to cover topics related to how artificial intelligence is transforming health care—from research and drug development, to the delivery of patient care and treatment—and I am very excited for them share their perspectives with the Senate.

Dr. Sharpless, over to you.

###

Rounds Delivers Opening Remarks at Banking Hearing, Presses Nominees on Protecting American Families and Businesses

 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today delivered opening remarks at a committee hearing on key nominations. Click HERE to listen to Rounds’ opening remarks.

“In the upper Midwest, producers rely on access to credit from their local credit unions and other financial institutions for the financing of their farming and ranching operations,” said Rounds in his opening remarks. “They feed the world.”

“We don’t need bureaucrats telling farmers, ranchers and the credit unions that support them how to run operations. Especially bureaucrats that believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows,” continued Rounds.

Rounds closed with, “Americans are frustrated, deeply frustrated by the actions of regulators that are hurting their businesses, families and interfering in their daily lives. It is our role in the Senate to scrutinize and evaluate each nominee who comes before this committee. The decisions you make in your respective roles, if confirmed, will have a bearing on the quality of life of American families.”