Joe Donnell who lost the State Senate primary race to Michael Rohl in June has been selected to replace Logan Manhart in the District 1 House race. Manhart, who withdrew from the District 1 State Representative race earlier this summer, left a vacancy which was filled by the County Republican Central Committees which comprised District 1.

While Donnell lost the June Senate primary on a vote of 71-29%, he won the vote among committee members on a reported vote of 17-12 against Larry Baumgarn.  Donnell’s win for assuming the race came after the support of a group of legislators all from outside his District, with the exception of Tamara St. John, including State Representative Sue Peterson, who is rumored to be running for a leadership position in the next iteration of the House Republican Caucus.

Interestingly, I’m told that Sue herself was up from Sioux Falls on location in Bristol last night actively going to tables encouraging the selection of Donnell over his opponent.

Which you’ll probably see more of between now and November as legislators quietly seek the favor of those who might be there after the dust settles for the caucus elections.

Stay tuned.

You have to wonder when the Citizens for Liberty will ever stop attacking Republicans. Because they’re back at it, once again:

Read it and weep Jamie Smith. Because Kristi Noem is the 7th most popular Governor in the Country today:

Who is America’s most popular governor? With 74% approval ratings, Wyoming Republican Mark Gordon and Vermont Republican Phil Scott top the list. https://t.co/ScFFj3iV86 pic.twitter.com/GHMUUtroQJ

— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) July 19, 2022

Remember Ellee Spawn who was going to challenge Dusty Johnson for the Democrats in 2020? At least she was going to challenge Dusty until her campaign became as radioactive as a Chernobyl reactor upon the disclosure of 3 DUI’s and active warrants for her arrest during her candidacy.

If you recall, last year, she decided she didn’t like the Democrat party so much anymore, and had been identifying with a group called the “National Progressive Party,” and was calling the 2 major parties “just 2 corporations.”

That gig must not have worked out, because as pointed out to me by a reader she’s back with the Democrats, and is calling herself a “campaign manager” as the campaign tells the world that Ellee is managing Minnesota DFL candidate Jill Abahsain’s effort to run for Congress in Minnesota Congressional District 7.

Well, good luck with that.  I’m sure Ellee has a lot to teach her about what not to do in running for Congress.

7/22 update: Is that video gone already?  Looks like they didn’t like the publicity. But, you can click on the below image to watch the linked video yourself. 

7/31 update…. the video settings that disallowed embedding seem to be changed back. At least for now.

Chad Mosteller Named Division of Criminal Investigation’s Interim Director

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo has named Chad Mosteller as the interim Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) effective immediately.

Mosteller has been serving as the DCI Assistant Director, Administrative Operations since December 2021. Mosteller worked as a college intern at DCI in the late 1990s and has been with DCI full-time since August 2002 serving in such positions as a special agent, supervisory agent, and Administrator of Law Enforcement Training.

“I have worked with Chad for almost 20 years and I have always appreciated his credibility and thoughtfulness,” Vargo said. “I also know that he will be a true sounding board for me, providing me the information I need to know, not necessarily the information I want to hear.”

Vargo, who was appointed as Attorney General by Governor Kristi Noem in late June, spent last week traveling statewide to meet with DCI agents. Vargo said Mosteller and DCI Assistant Director, Field Operations, Cam Corey have demonstrated strong leadership for the agency.

“My visits last week reaffirmed what I suspected, that the DCI remains the preeminent law enforcement agency in South Dakota,” Vargo said. “Chad and Cam have helped DCI maintain its high standards of professionalism, integrity, and diligence. They work well together, and I have no doubt that will continue.”

Mosteller will serve as interim DCI director through Vargo’s tenure as Attorney General, which ends Jan. 6, 2023. The newly elected Attorney General is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 7, 2023.

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Kristi for Governor Responds to SDPB’s Debate Gimmick

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign responded to South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s (SDPB) plan to “provide an empty chair in the space Kristi Noem would normally occupy.”

“With this gimmick, SDPB has validated all our concerns about their bias. They are more interested in embarrassing the Governor than in a serious debate,” said Ian Fury, Communications Director for Kristi for Governor. “I would remind SDPB that they are a taxpayer funded organization, and 49% of registered South Dakota voters are Republicans. Perhaps they should address concerns about their bias and learn their audience better. In the meantime, Governor Noem will continue to educate the people of South Dakota about their increasing leftward slant.”

Last week, SDPB’s national affiliate, National Public Radio (NPR), announced a new “disinformation reporting team,” which quickly drew criticism from many for NPR’s immediate dismissal of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in the midst of the 2020 election. “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions,” NPR’s Managing Editor for News, Terence Samuels, said at the time. The original New York Post story has since been proven accurate.

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South Dakota Ends Fiscal Year with $115 Million Surplus

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota closed the 2022 budget year on June 30 with a surplus of $115.5 million.  Total general fund revenue for fiscal year 2022 finished $72.3 million higher than adopted estimates, and the state general fund budget ended with expenses $43.2 million less than budgeted.

“South Dakota has the strongest economy in America and a strong financial position to match,” said Governor Noem. “We live within our means and operate government conservatively. Low regulation, low tax burden and business friendly policies are still the recipe for economic success.”

Actual general fund revenue for fiscal year 2022 was unexpectedly higher than recent adopted forecast estimates. In total, revenue finished above the adopted forecast by $72.3 million, or 3.3 percent. Sales and use tax, which is the state’s largest revenue source, finished $36.6 million above estimates and grew 12% over the prior fiscal year.  A combination of all other sources of general fund revenue finished the fiscal year $35.7 million above legislative estimates.

South Dakota’s personal income growth led the nation again in the first quarter of 2022. South Dakota has been a leader in this metric since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. People continue to move to South Dakota as our net inbound migration wasranked second in the nation, while South Dakota’s 2.3% unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation and lower than before the pandemic.

“We must remain cautious and conservative due to 40-year highs in inflation caused by the Biden Administration’s heavy spending and regulation,” said Governor Noem. “However, we are prepared to weather any economic storm thanks to our structurally balanced budget, fully funded pension, and strong reserves.”

By law, the fiscal 2022 surplus of $115.5 million was transferred to the state’s budget reserves. The state’s reserves now total $422.6 million or 20.5% of the fiscal year 2023 general fund budget.

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Americans for Prosperity-South Dakota Partnering with Local Gas Station to Lower Gas Costs, Highlighting the “True Cost of Washington” in Sioux Falls 

AFP Campaign Partnering with Local Gas Station to Offer Price of Biden’s First Day in office at $2.38/Gallon

Sioux Falls, South Dakota—Americans for Prosperity-South Dakota (AFP-SD) will hold an event on Tuesday, July 19^th in Sioux Falls to highlight the policies contributing to skyrocketing prices that are squeezing working class families across South Dakota and nationwide.

WHO:   Keith Moore, Americans for Prosperity South Dakota State Director

WHAT:   AFP-SD gas station takeover will lower the price of gas to $2.38 a gallon—the average price of unleaded gasoline when Biden first took office in January 2021. Gasoline discounts are given on a first come, first served basis.

WHEN & WHERE:  Tuesday, July 19^th at 1:30pm-3pm: Friendly’s Fuel Stop, 3700 N Potsdam Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104

More background on “The True Cost of Washington:”

AFP’s The True Cost of Washington campaign will educate Americans in nine states, including South Dakota, about the truth behind rising costs while offering real solutions to make everyday life more affordable. Thanks to skyrocketing inflation, Americans across the country can expect to spend an extra $5,200 to maintain the same standard of living as last year, and an extra $1,433 for gasoline.

A poll recently conducted by Public Opinion Strategies for AFP found that 75 percent of Americans reported that the increase in costs has impacted their consumer behavior over the past year. Most individuals surveyed agreed that government policies and regulations have caused price increases. 61 percent of those surveyed blamed President Biden for this increase.

AFP’s solutions to combat these rising prices garnered support, with 88 percent of respondents agreeing the government should make it easier to produce energy domestically, and 82 percent agreeing with getting government spending under control by tackling the federal debt and reducing federal budget deficits.

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Former State Senator Henry Carlson, Jr.

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Tuesday, July 19, in honor of former State Senator Henry Carlson, Jr. of Sioux Falls. He served in the State Senate from 1977-1978 and from 1983-1984.

Funeral services for Henry will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, July 19, at Calvary Episcopal Church in Sioux Falls.

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John Thune FEC Report 2022 July Quarterly by Pat Powers on Scribd

US Senator John Thune rolled through the June Primary with a massive head of steam, and continues his momentum with his post-primary report, noting that between 5/19/22 and 6/30/22, he raised over a million dollars against only 343k of expense, leaving him with cash on hand at the end of this abbreviated reporting period of $16,889,094.52.

Compared to his Democrat opponent, who at the end of the same reporting period noted contributions of $60,523.59 and spending more than he took in with $73,490.89 going out of his account, leaving him $31k in the bank (after a loan of $20,000).

Doesn’t seem like the Democrat is moving in anything resembling the right direction.