Couldn’t resist getting a fanboy pic of myself with GOP National Chair Ronna McDaniel after the Thursday Republican dinner at Joy Ranch.

SDGOP hosts Largest ever convention in Watertown, Selects Rhoden, Jackley, Johnson, and other nominees in convention races

This past weekend, the South Dakota Republican Party held their 2022 State Convention which proved to be the largest ever political convention in modern state history and selected the party’s nominees to move forward towards the 2022 fall election.

Smashing the old record, the Republican Party had 687 delegates attending, which exceeded the old record in 2018 of 625 by over 60 attendees. “There’s nothing that shows a vibrant and healthy Republican party than the overwhelming interest people have in participating in the process,” State Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman noted.

Several contested races were decided at convention including the selection of Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden to return to the campaign trail as Governor Kristi Noem’s running mate for the November election. After Rhoden’s nomination speech was proudly given by Governor Kristi Noem herself, Rhoden dominated among the delegates, despite a last minute challenge from State Representative Steve Haugaard. Rhoden won on a vote of 56-44%, or 92,991 votes to 72,961, which is weighted by the number of votes that each county cast for Kristi Noem in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

For the office of Attorney General, former Attorney General Marty Jackley won the nomination over David Natvig on a vote of 52.7% (89,150) to 47.3% (80,084).   In the contested race for Secretary of State, newcomer Monae Johnson defeated incumbent Secretary of State Steve Barnett on a vote of 61% (103,046) to 39% (65,920).

In the open office of School and Public Lands, State Senator Brock Greenfield won his first-time nomination for the office without being contested.  State Auditor Rich Sattgast, State Treasurer Josh Haeder, and Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson all successfully ran for the nomination to run once again for their respective offices on unanimous and uncontested ballots.

Lederman said, “The unprecedented and record-setting  level of interest by delegates in attending and being active in the party’s election process should give Democrats pause at the absolute freight train’s worth of momentum that the GOP has coming out of this convention.  Republicans are here to win elections this fall, and Democrats had better get out of the way, because there’s a red wave coming!”

In case you were wondering how the county delegations voted at the election, the Republican Party has released the votes by county in yesterday’s convention nominating elections.

First up, Steve Haugaard versus Larry Rhoden for Lt. Governor:

David Natvig versus Marty Jackley for Attorney General:

and Monae Johnson versus Steve Barnett for Secretary of State:

This was the mic drop moment for the GOP Convention yesterday, when Governor Kristi Noem herself came and gave the nominating speech for Lt. Governor.

(Of course, Taffy Howard, in another example of the misery she must have inflicted on her legislative colleagues during her tenure in Pierre, complained about it to no avail.)

Monae Johnson and incumbent Secretary of State Steve Barnett are addressing the delegates in their final face-off before the nomination of one of them to office.

In a 52.7% to 47.3% vote, former Attorney General Marty Jackley will be the Republican nominee for Attorney General in 2022.

The visual display of the vote tallies for the Natvig/Jackley Attorney General race crashed after Meade county results were input.

So we are all at ease while they get the system up and running again.

Why do I think Julie Frye Mueller and Taffy Howard are calling the Pillow guy?

DCI Director David Natvig and former Attorney General Marty Jackley stood for consideration at the Republican state convention this afternoon, offering their best arguments as to why they should be chosen over their opponent.

Hang on.. the race will be announced shortly.

The Republican State convention has completed all of the uncontested races, selecting Chris Nelson for PUC, Brock Greenfield for School and Lands, Josh Haeder for Treasurer, and Rich Sattgast for State Auditor.

Now the convention moves to the first contested race – the Attorney General race – first.