Thank you’s from the Governor Kristi Noem Campaign
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) June 8, 2022
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) June 8, 2022
From Twitter:
— Dusty Johnson for Congress (@DustyJohnson) June 8, 2022
Kind of an interesting primary last night. Some people I was cheering for won. Some people didn’t.
I think the number of people dividing up the vote in some of these races affected things. I think the quality of candidates mattered as much if not more than anything. I don’t know that the massive amounts of money pouring in from out of state did anything other than burn bridges for the next legislative session.
Speaking of the cash dumped in by Convention of States.. They targeted five candidates. Michael Rohl, Lee Schoenbeck, Tim Reed, Mary Duvall, and David Johnson. The only one of them who lost was Mary in the narrow contest between her and former Pierre City Commissioner Jim Mehlhaff. The rest just shellacked the poor to mediocre competition.
In other words, if you put money behind a known candidate, you might be able to fight it to darn near even. But if your candidate is not up to par, so shall be your results.
Other interesting observations from last night? When faced with a lot of choices, people didn’t seem interested in wholesale change, but were more aiming down the middle, and there were a lot of close races.
In District 3 House, Carl Perry won, but in the competition for second place, there were less than 65 votes between Brandei Schaefbauer (2nd place) and Richard Rylance (3rd place). Same thing in Brookings. Mellissa Heermann 1280, Roger Degroot 1245, and Doug Post 1184. 61 votes between 2nd and 3rd. District 12 House – 13 votes between second and third. District 20 has 120 votes between 2 and 3. District 29 32 votes between 2 and 3.
In what might be the heartbreak of the evening, Julie Frye-Mueller, was almost taken out in a race separating that trainwreck from her opponent Tim Goodwin on a vote of 2848-2802, only 46 votes, within recount range. We’ll have to wait for the canvas to see if anything drastic changes. But, we handily kept Bryan Breitling in the Senate, and picked up Steve Kolbeck.
I don’t know that anyone can say there was a conservative surge or backlash, as much as there was a re-jumbling in the spirit of re-districting. Arch-conservative Fred Deutsch returned, but came in alongside Kristi Noem ally Stephanie Sauder. John Mills returned, but came in a distant second to former Cabinet official Tim Reisch.
When it comes down to it, I think it’s based mainly on the quality of the candidates, and the quality of the campaign they ran.
From reports, I think door to door campaigning is back, and candidates better make sure they’re doing it if they want to be competitive.
I’ll be picking these apart all day.. stay tuned.
Word is that Dusty’s race has been called by NBC with the incumbent returning to hold the banner high in the Fall for the GOP.
Congratulations Dusty!
This might be one of the earliest I have ever heard a governor’s primary race being called, but word is the New York Times has already called it for Kristi Noem.
Hang tight. Announcement coming in a few minutes.

Only 20 more minutes until the start of tonight’s big victory party for Dusty and Kristi. Keep an eye on this website, as I will try to give you updates as they come.
(As Steve Haugaard teams up with Democrats against pipelines…)
NAVIGATOR CO2, POET SIGN LETTER OF INTENT TO CAPTURE, TRANSPORT, AND STORE FIVE (5) MILLION TONS OF CO2 ANNUALLY
Navigator to provide CCUS services for POET’s facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota
DALLAS, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC (“Navigator”) announced today that they have signed a Letter of Intent to provide carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) services to POET, the world’s largest producer of biofuel and a global leader in sustainable bioproducts, on Navigator’s Heartland Greenway system.
The agreement outlines Navigator’s integrated CCUS services for approximately five (5) million metric tons of POET’s biogenic CO2 annually and establishes a collaborative path for the development of a central carbon offset marketplace and carbon use logistics platform. The system will phase in 18 of POET’s bioprocessing facilities across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and is on schedule for operational in-service in 2025.
“We recognize that now is the time to take bold action to preserve our planet for future generations,” said Jeff Broin, POET Founder and CEO. “POET has been a leader in low-carbon biofuels and CO2 capture for commercial use for decades, and this project is another significant step in utilizing bioprocessing to accelerate our path to net-zero. We choose our partners carefully, and we believe Navigator has the expertise to deliver long-term value to rural America by further positioning agricultural commodities as a viable source of low-carbon liquid fuels to power our future.”
Both parties will leverage their respective expertise – relying on the unique breadth and scale of Navigator’s infrastructure development, construction, and operations and POET’s market-leading position in CO2 distribution, marketing, and logistics management. The joint efforts will create the largest combined distribution network for high-quality, biogenic CO2.
“This agreement is a testament to two industries coming together and using their resources to pave innovative pathways toward carbon neutrality and a more sustainable future. The breadth, scale, and technical acumen of each party’s platform is unmatched,” said Matt Vining, Chief Executive Officer of Navigator. “POET is an industry pioneer that has built a company on the pillars of safety, integrity, innovation, and being a good neighbor in the communities they call home, all of which align entirely with the culture and track record of Navigator. We look forward to this partnership with POET as we continue to fulfill our mission to provide sustainable carbon solutions to our communities, consumers, and customers.”
With the addition of POET to the platform, Navigator’s Heartland Greenway system will provide CCUS services for more than 30 industrial processors across the agriculture and food production value chains, representing over ten (10) million tons of annual CO2 emissions, including the two (2) largest bioethanol producers in the United States, in addition to highly efficient single-site production facilities. Navigator’s unique platform will now mobilize efforts to deliver up to 15 million tons annually of CCUS services through new pipeline laterals and parallel development of multiple storage sites.
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As I’m sitting here still wishing I could shake this cold. Primary election day is finally upon us! After 7pm tonight, it’s actually over!
No more postcards, text messages, facebook ads, etcetera. At least until the Republican Convention.
So – what are your predictions tonight? Who are the winners and losers? In case you needed help on keeping track, there’s a list below.
| Race | Name | Party | District | BallotOrder |
| United States Senator | John R. Thune | REP | 1 | |
| United States Senator | Bruce Whalen | REP | 2 | |
| United States Senator | Mark Mowry | REP | 3 | |
| United States Representative | Dusty Johnson | REP | 1 | |
| United States Representative | Taffy Howard | REP | 2 | |
| Governor | Steven Haugaard | REP | 1 | |
| Governor | Kristi Noem | REP | 2 | |
| State Senator | Michael H. Rohl | REP | District 01 | 1 |
| State Senator | Joe Donnell | REP | District 01 | 2 |
| State Representative | Jake Schoenbeck | REP | District 02 | 1 |
| State Representative | John Sjaarda | REP | District 02 | 2 |
| State Representative | David Kull | REP | District 02 | 3 |
| State Representative | Jeffrey Lloyd Shawd | REP | District 02 | 4 |
| State Senator | Steve Kolbeck | REP | District 02 | 1 |
| State Senator | Spencer Wrightsman | REP | District 02 | 2 |
| State Representative | Kaleb W Weis | REP | District 03 | 1 |
| State Representative | Brandei Schaefbauer | REP | District 03 | 2 |
| State Representative | Richard Rylance | REP | District 03 | 3 |
| State Representative | Carl E. Perry | REP | District 03 | 4 |
| State Senator | Al Novstrup | REP | District 03 | 1 |
| State Senator | Rachel Dix | REP | District 03 | 2 |
| State Representative | Val Rausch | REP | District 04 | 1 |
| State Representative | Adam Grimm | REP | District 04 | 2 |
| State Representative | Fred Deutsch | REP | District 04 | 3 |
| State Representative | Stephanie Sauder | REP | District 04 | 4 |
| State Senator | Lee Schoenbeck | REP | District 05 | 1 |
| State Senator | Colin Alan Paulsen | REP | District 05 | 2 |
| State Representative | Matt Doyle | REP | District 07 | 1 |
| State Representative | Mellissa Heermann | REP | District 07 | 2 |
| State Representative | Doug Post | REP | District 07 | 3 |
| State Representative | Roger DeGroot | REP | District 07 | 4 |
| State Senator | Tim Reed | REP | District 07 | 1 |
| State Senator | Julie Erickson | REP | District 07 | 2 |
| State Representative | Lecia Summerer | REP | District 08 | 1 |
| State Representative | John Mills | REP | District 08 | 2 |
| State Representative | Tim Reisch | REP | District 08 | 3 |
| State Senator | Heather DeVries | REP | District 08 | 1 |
| State Senator | Casey Crabtree | REP | District 08 | 2 |
| State Representative | Kenneth Teunissen | REP | District 09 | 1 |
| State Representative | Bethany Soye | REP | District 09 | 2 |
| State Representative | Jesse Fonkert | REP | District 09 | 3 |
| State Senator | Mark Willadsen | REP | District 09 | 1 |
| State Senator | Brent Hoffman | REP | District 09 | 2 |
| State Representative | Brian K. Mulder | REP | District 11 | 1 |
| State Representative | Chris Karr | REP | District 11 | 2 |
| State Representative | Tyler Bonynge | REP | District 11 | 3 |
| State Representative | Roger Russell | REP | District 11 | 4 |
| State Representative | Greg Jamison | REP | District 12 | 1 |
| State Representative | Amber Arlint | REP | District 12 | 2 |
| State Representative | Kerry Loudenslager | REP | District 12 | 3 |
| State Representative | Gary Schuster | REP | District 12 | 4 |
| State Representative | Cole Heisey | REP | District 12 | 5 |
| State Representative | Sue Peterson | REP | District 13 | 1 |
| State Representative | Tony Venhuizen | REP | District 13 | 2 |
| State Representative | Penny BayBridge | REP | District 13 | 3 |
| State Representative | Richard L. Thomason | REP | District 13 | 4 |
| State Representative | Taylor Rae Rehfeldt | REP | District 14 | 1 |
| State Representative | Tyler Tordsen | REP | District 14 | 2 |
| State Representative | Gina M Schiferl | REP | District 14 | 3 |
| State Representative | Kevin D. Jensen | REP | District 16 | 1 |
| State Representative | Karla J. Lems | REP | District 16 | 2 |
| State Representative | Richard Vasgaard | REP | District 16 | 3 |
| State Senator | Jim Bolin | REP | District 16 | 1 |
| State Senator | Nancy Rasmussen | REP | District 16 | 2 |
| State Representative | Caleb Finck | REP | District 19 | 1 |
| State Representative | Michael Boyle | REP | District 19 | 2 |
| State Representative | Jessica Bahmuller | REP | District 19 | 3 |
| State Representative | Roger Hofer | REP | District 19 | 4 |
| State Representative | Drew Peterson | REP | District 19 | 5 |
| State Representative | Ben Krohmer | REP | District 20 | 1 |
| State Representative | Jeff Bathke | REP | District 20 | 2 |
| State Representative | Lance Koth | REP | District 20 | 3 |
| State Representative | Scott Moore | REP | District 23 | 1 |
| State Representative | Brandon Black | REP | District 23 | 2 |
| State Representative | Gregory Brooks | REP | District 23 | 3 |
| State Representative | James D. Wangsness | REP | District 23 | 4 |
| State Senator | Bryan J. Breitling | REP | District 23 | 1 |
| State Senator | Spencer Gosch | REP | District 23 | 2 |
| State Representative | Mike Weisgram | REP | District 24 | 1 |
| State Representative | Jim Sheehan | REP | District 24 | 2 |
| State Representative | Will D. Mortenson | REP | District 24 | 3 |
| State Representative | Mary Weinheimer | REP | District 24 | 4 |
| State Senator | Mary Duvall | REP | District 24 | 1 |
| State Senator | Jim Mehlhaff | REP | District 24 | 2 |
| State Senator | Tom Pischke | REP | District 25 | 1 |
| State Senator | Lisa Rave | REP | District 25 | 2 |
| State Senator | Kevin R. Crisp | REP | District 25 | 3 |
| State Senator | Leslie “Doc” Heinemann | REP | District 25 | 4 |
| State Representative | Ron Frederick | REP | District 26A | 1 |
| State Representative | Joyce Glynn | REP | District 26A | 2 |
| State Representative | Neal Pinnow | REP | District 28B | 1 |
| State Representative | Thomas J. Brunner | REP | District 28B | 2 |
| State Representative | Kirk Chaffee | REP | District 29 | 1 |
| State Representative | Kathy Rice | REP | District 29 | 2 |
| State Representative | Gary L Cammack | REP | District 29 | 3 |
| State Senator | Dean Wink | REP | District 29 | 1 |
| State Senator | Beka Zerbst | REP | District 29 | 2 |
| State Senator | John Carley | REP | District 29 | 3 |
| State Representative | Patrick J. Baumann | REP | District 30 | 1 |
| State Representative | Dennis Krull | REP | District 30 | 2 |
| State Representative | Lisa Gennaro | REP | District 30 | 3 |
| State Representative | Gerold F Herrick | REP | District 30 | 4 |
| State Representative | Trish Ladner | REP | District 30 | 5 |
| State Senator | Julie Frye-Mueller | REP | District 30 | 1 |
| State Senator | Timothy R. Goodwin | REP | District 30 | 2 |
| State Representative | Mistie Caldwell | REP | District 31 | 1 |
| State Representative | Scott Odenbach | REP | District 31 | 2 |
| State Representative | Mary J. Fitzgerald | REP | District 31 | 3 |
| State Senator | Randy Deibert | REP | District 31 | 1 |
| State Senator | Ron Moeller | REP | District 31 | 2 |
| State Representative | Becky J. Drury | REP | District 32 | 1 |
| State Representative | Jamie M. Giedd | REP | District 32 | 2 |
| State Representative | Steve Duffy | REP | District 32 | 3 |
| State Representative | Curt Massie | REP | District 33 | 1 |
| State Representative | Phil Jensen | REP | District 33 | 2 |
| State Representative | Janette McIntyre | REP | District 33 | 3 |
| State Representative | Dean Aurand | REP | District 33 | 4 |
| State Senator | David Johnson | REP | District 33 | 1 |
| State Senator | Janet Jensen | REP | District 33 | 2 |
| State Representative | Mike Derby | REP | District 34 | 1 |
| State Representative | Jess Olson | REP | District 34 | 2 |
| State Representative | Jodie Frye | REP | District 34 | 3 |
| State Representative | Tony Randolph | REP | District 35 | 1 |
| State Representative | Elizabeth Regalado | REP | District 35 | 2 |
| State Representative | Larry G. Larson | REP | District 35 | 3 |
| State Representative | Tina L Mulally | REP | District 35 | 4 |