South Dakota Democrats seem to be a little late in the game, but they claim they’re working on people to run for office, and will be making an announcement soon:

Seiler said a gubernatorial candidate would be announced the first week of February. He said the person who has agreed to run against Gov. Kristi Noem has a high profile statewide.

Noem, a Republican, is seeking a second term

“People will know who it is,” he said. “We are excited for the prospects for this individual.”

Read that here.

“A high profile statewide.”  Well, that casts a pretty wide net. We’ll see if they’re catching something interesting, or just a carp.

Another noteworthy item from the article..

Seiler served a year on the Fort Pierre City Council when he was named to the seat in 2020. He was defeated in 2021 in a bid for a full term. Last fall, he announced he would step down as SDDP chair this spring.

Read that here.

Very interesting that Randy Seiler will be stepping down just as the campaign season starts, leaving the party to possibly flounder as the campaign season starts to gear up. Handwriting might be on the wall that the GOP’s wishes could all come true, as they set their goals on capturing all 105 of the state’s legislative seats.

It could be in their grasp.

State Representative Tim Goodwin has announced to local media that he is going to be running for District 30 State Senate:

Goodwin who said his first order of business is to help get Governor Kristi Noem re-elected, also said that his constituents were main advocates in convincing him to make the transition.

“I think I’m ready to go to the Senate based just on my outpouring of support in my district and the great people that want to come in behind me,” Rep. Goodwin said. “I feel very good about it.”

Read the story at KNBN News.

If nothing else changes, this sets Goodwin up to run against crackpot and pillow guy groupie, incumbent State Senator Julie Frye-Mueller.

Helene Duhamel announces re-election for South Dakota Senate

Helene Duhamel announces her intent to seek re-election to the South Dakota Senate in District 32 in Rapid City.

“It is my great honor to serve and represent my fellow citizens on the big issues that impact every one of us—water, wages, workforce housing. I ask for your continued trust and support in my role in the state senate.” Duhamel continues, “I promise to work hard, listen to all sides of an issue, and do my best for the great state of South Dakota.”

The fifth generation South Dakotan and long-time broadcaster was appointed to the seat in 2019 by Governor Kristi Noem. Duhamel was elected to a full term in 2020 and was selected by her peers to serve as a Republican Majority Whip. Duhamel balances her legislative responsibilities with a full time job at the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

Duhamel serves on senate state affairs and as vice chairman of senate judiciary. She also served on the redistricting committee and the summer study on marijuana. The pro-business republican champions smart growth in Western South Dakota, consistently receiving the highest scores from Elevate Rapid City.

The 59 year old is married with three children.

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Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was apparently in the lone star state this week, and got a shout out from former President Trump at a rally in Texas:

SD Attorney General got a shoutout from former President Trump tonight at his rally in Texas: pic.twitter.com/a057gpU6Gb

— Austin Goss (@AustinGossSD) January 30, 2022

Ben Kyte Seeks Election to Minnehaha County Auditor

Sioux Falls, SD – Ben Kyte, currently serving as Minnehaha County Auditor, announces his plans to seek election to the office in 2022. When Auditor Bob Litz announced his plans to retire in 2020, Kyte was unanimously selected by the Minnehaha County Commission to serve the remainder of the Litz’s term. Now, Kyte will seek election to a full term.

“I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to serve the county. My experience in the financial industry has been valuable in guiding the office during the change in tenure and in modernizing the systems and procedures to create more efficiency,” said Kyte.

Kyte is a veteran of the financial management industry, having worked at Citibank for 37 years, overseeing finance and analytical processes for the large institution.

Kyte has been an active member of the community and is a member of the City of Sioux Falls Investment Advisory Board, City of Sioux Falls Employee Retirement System Board of Trustees, board member of Active Generations, and the First Lutheran Church Foundation. Kyte has also served on the boards of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, South Dakota DevelopmentCorporation, Downtown Economic Development Incentive Fund, University of South Dakota Foundation, and Investment Committee. Kyte has also served as a volunteer tax preparer with Tax-Aide, an AARP-supported organization, for 10+ years and is a 1999 graduate of Leadership Sioux Falls.

Kyte and his wife, Chris, have lived in Sioux Falls for 38 years and enjoy spending time with their two children and five grandchildren.

More information about Kyte is available on the website: votebenkyte.com or on the campaign’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BenKyteAuditor

Here’s an interesting letter to the editor that’s in the Rapid City Journal today. The source is a bit off the wall, but Janet is throwing out a few tidbits showing that the fringe is freaking out about a couple of possible challenges:

Jason for South Dakota, the Campaign Committee for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has filed their campaign finance report this afternoon:

Ravnsborg Campaign Finance Report by Pat Powers on Scribd

The committee reports that in 2021, Ravnsborg stepped back from campaigning, and only raised $1025, spending $14,998, yet still leaving him with $54,844 cash on hand to campaign in 2022.

*Insert spit take here*

I about fell out of my chair this afternoon. After 44 days of seemingly being frozen in place, it appears that the Steve Haugaard for Governor campaign actually did something that could be construed to be campaign activity.

In the Argus yesterday, Governor Noem took a hard shot at Haugaard for “misogyny for delaying anti-transgender sports bill,” and…

The Noem campaign specifically noted allegations levied against Haugaard during his time as House Speaker, including an instance when he attempted to restrict access to the House floor by a lobbyist who’d publicly disparaged House conservatives. Desilets statement also brought attention to media reports in 2019 that alleged Haugaard attempted to impose a dress code for female legislators.

Haugaard, however, vehemently denies the latter ever happened.

Read that here.

And in further response to the allegations, Team Haugaard woke from a month and a half of their apparent hibernation, and issued a press statement:

Steve Haugaard responds to the attack against his character that was issued today from Kristi Noem’s campaign team.

“There she goes again. Our gaslighter-in-chief, in a fit of textbook projection, is accusing me of holding up the girls’ sports bill currently being debated in the state legislature,” Haugaard said. “The truth is, as everyone knows, that she is the one who vetoed a better bill than this last year. She’s the one who left our daughters unprotected for the past year.”

“Last April, Tucker Carlson effectively ended Kristi Noem’s presidential aspirations when he called attention to the fact that she was not being truthful about the fact that she vetoed a bill that would have protected girls’ sports in South Dakota. She knows she made a huge mistake with that veto, when she caved to her corporate donors, siding with them against the people who voted for her. She’s desperate to fix that mistake.”

“Governor Noem has a history of having trouble telling the truth. In accusing me of having an ‘anti-women agenda,’ and blocking this bill, she is projecting, deflecting, and ultimately, lying. Moreover, she’s using the same tired rhetoric that Hillary Clinton used to smear Donald Trump.”

“We in the legislature are trying to make sure a good bill gets passed, just like it got passed last year. Hopefully, this time, she’ll actually sign it.”

Steve Haugaard is the state representative for House District 10 and former Speaker of the House. He is running to replace Kristi Noem as governor of the great state of South Dakota. More about Steve can be found at his website, www.stevehaugaard.com.

The Haugaard campaign posted the statement, trying to deflect impressions that some have regarding Haugaard’s tenure as speaker. Such as the time he went after Municipal League Lobbyist Yvonne Taylor, and the other time when it’s said he was requiring women to have sleeves, nylons, and skirts of a certain length.

Is this the start of regular campaign activity on the part of the Haugaard campaign? Will the campaign be emerging from its burrow on this day? Or will it go back into hibernation for 6 more weeks because it saw its shadow?

Stay tuned.

Republican Patrick Baumann to run for District 30 House of Representatives

Our State Motto, “Under God, the people rule”, is the foundation of our South Dakota heritage.  With that in mind, my wife and I traveled to Washington DC to pray for our nation on January 6, 2021.  We witnessed something that the major networks refuse to cover, a great awakening.  Standing shoulder to shoulder with an estimated million other concerned Americans, we joined in a resolve to take a stand for truth and freedom.  Today, this great awakening is spreading across our nation like a bright light for all to see.  Millions are now pushing back at the darkness that is creeping into our government.

Hello, I’m Pat Baumann and I’m honored to announce my Republican candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives, District 30.

I am not a career politician but, a Christian patriot who has been called to stand up for the freedoms guaranteed by our state and national constitutions.  South Dakotans have found themselves in a political climate that is chipping away at their personal, business and family rights.  We are seeing attempts by government to stop worship, restrict speech and limit assembly.  Unconstitutional laws are being proposed which would take over our state election processes, tell parents how to raise their children and determine which businesses should stand or fall.  I have been called to push back at any attempts of government overreach and to protect the rights of all South Dakotans, especially the unborn.

South Dakota is one of the leading states in our nation.  However, we must not be lulled into a false sense of security.  My wife, Ginger, and I have enjoyed the blessing of freedom all of our lives.  We stand firm to pass this blessing on to our wonderful family, our children, our grandchildren and beyond.  As Ronald Reagan so aptly put it, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We don’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it, and then hand it to them with the well fought lessons of how they, in their lifetime, must do the same.”

I’m a retired, third generation Custer County resident.  After spending all of my life living in South Dakota and Wyoming, I’ve come to hold our South Dakota heritage and our values very dear.  I pledge to District 30, and to all South Dakotans, to actively carry the bright light of freedom into our state legislature and to uphold our constitution.  I also pledge to act in the best interest of South Dakotans, who are “the people” that rule our great state, under God.

Please feel free to contact me at baumannsdhouse@gmail.com or visit baumannsdhouse.org

Financial support is much appreciated:  Visit winred.com – then click State House, South Dakota, Baumann for SD House.

Campaign finance forms are in for the Ripple Effect group that formed this last year to recruit candidates and was said to be trying to take over the GOP.  And God help us if they ever end up in charge, because unfortunately for them, they don’t seem to be ending 2021 very strongly:

Ripple Effect Disclosure by Pat Powers on Scribd

The group which has been attempting to recruit candidates raised a little from it’s founders Adam Broin and Dave Roetman. But after their anti-vax rally in Pierre during the special session, they find themselves coming into 2022 with about $600 in their pocket ($606.44 to be exact).

Not exactly the stuff of a political revolution.