Statement from Rep. Dusty Johnson
Sioux Falls, S.D. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued the following statement:
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to represent South Dakota in Congress these past eight years,” said Johnson. “While I am disappointed in the outcome, I am committed to helping Republican candidates get elected in November.”
Johnson will serve out the remainder of the 119th Congress, which ends January 2, 2027.
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I don’t know that anybody has a good feel for it. But I think at least in the congressional race, Marty Jackley is going to win… by-a-lotta.. (reader joke).
Okay – who wins? Who gets turned out? The floor is yours.
On the edge of the primary election, Glacial Lakes Energy has sent out a letter to their shareholders encouraging their vote for specific candidates in the District 4 and 5 legislative primary elections.
And in particular, they had harsh words for one of South Dakota’s worst legislators, District 4’s State Representative Dylan Jordan:
“Some candidates publicly claim they support ethanol, yet their actions and comments tell a different story. Dylan Jordan, District 4 candidate for House of Representatives, has publicly stated more than once that he does not like ethanol and will not use it, while also saying he “won’t do anything to hurt it.” In an agriculture based state like South Dakota – where communities and families depend on ethanol – that should give voters pause.”
It could be worse. At least Dylan didn’t pledge to bring legislation to have the military attack them.
Thune to Democrats: Enforcing the Law Isn’t A Choice
“Democrats haven’t exactly demonstrated an eagerness to come to the floor and defend open borders – and I strongly suspect that’s because at some level they know that their position is completely indefensible.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Click here to watch the video.
Remember a week or so back when Norman Woods, the executive director of right wing group Family Voice, had an editorial in the Dakota Scout trying to justify that it’s ok for 16 year old girls to marry 40 year old men if the parents say so, because it’s the left-coast liberals trying to tell people it’s bad? Well.. apparently, his wife – former Doeden acolyte Carolyn Woods – is also writing editorials, and expressing her outrage claiming feminism is wreaking havoc on our culture.
But it’s not her article in the Federalist that should give you pause. It’s her facebook comment about her article:
Darned women! Who on earth decided to give women the right to vote? Those darned liberal feminists from 100 years ago!
Some rando on the internet claims we need to repeal the 19th Amendment.. And Carolyn Woods is “Here for it?”
Norman wants underage girls to be able to marry? Caroline wants to take away women’s right to vote?
Wow. It’s like a little Warren Jeffs encampment in the South Dakota political scene.
I don’t think I want either of these Hansen supporters having anything to do with any public policy. Whatsoever.
From Facebook, in the race for Governor, former Speaker of the House Steve Haugaard doesn’t have much nice to say about his former ally Jon Hansen, instead choosing to sing the praises of Toby Doeden this past weekend:
To each their own, I guess. But did anyone point out to Steve how much his guy makes from his liquor and gambling operations? Because I know Steve isn’t big on the giggle water and Toby is as per the Grassroots Conservative Republicans group:
Just askin’
As I’m told, Sleepy Senator Carl Perry at the Northern State University strategic planning meeting about a month ago.
It’s really time to get someone competent in the District 3 Senate seat.
Update…. Shhhh… don’t wake Carl…
Jackley to Host Election Night Watch Party in Rapid City
Rapid City: The Marty Jackley for Congress campaign announced today that Attorney General Marty Jackley will host a primary election night watch party at the Robbinsdale Entertainment Center in Rapid City on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Doors open at 5:30 PM and election results will start being reported shortly after 7:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. The event is open to the public and to members of the press.
Jackley will be joined by family, supporters, and community members from across South Dakota as primary returns come in.
“I want to spend election night with my supporters who have made this campaign possible,” said Jackley. “Whether you have volunteered, put up a yard sign,chipped in five dollars, or simply voted, this night is for you. Bring your family and friends and watch the results come in with us.”
The event is open to anyone interested in watching the primary results, regardless of which race they are following on the ballot.
Members of the media are invited to attend. Jackley will be available for one-on-one interviews throughout the evening. To RSVP for media credentials, contact info@martyjackley.com.
EVENT DETAILS
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Doors open: 5:30 PM MT Robbinsdale Entertainment Center 805 East Saint Patrick Street Rapid City, SD 57701
To RSVP, visit the campaign’s Facebook event page or email info@martyjackley.com.
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Here’s another web video hitting the internets, this one coming from over in Meade County. Where they are reminding people that “We can do better than John “California” Carley:
There was a column the other day where Norman Woods, a representative of a church-based PAC tried to claim that there was nothing wrong with marrying off 16 year old girls, and it’s nothing sinister…
When you cast your vote this spring, you can have confidence that your senator stood up to outside activists and told the East and West coast elites to keep their ideas on marriage to themselves. As Marco Rubio once said: “The greatest tool to lift children and families from poverty isn’t a government spending program. It’s called marriage.”
Read Norman’s justification for it here.
Welcome to the 1950’s, where those little girls knew their place, and there were no coastal elites trying to prevent child trafficking. Fortunately for us, we’re 70 or so years past that.
In a well needed counterpoint, Democrat Representative Kadyn Wittman points out that the effort to stop child marriage is a bipartisan effort involving both Republicans and Democrats, faith leaders and child marriage survivors who are asking for a stop to a practice that has no place in modern society:
During testimony, Norman Woods argued that many fathers would prefer their 16-year-old daughters marry an “established” older man. That statement reveals exactly why many South Dakotans were alarmed by opposition to this bill.
and..
The argument about the age of consent is equally misleading. We regulate different rights and responsibilities at different ages all the time. A teenager may legally drive before they can vote. They may work before they can sign contracts. They may consent to some medical decisions before they can serve on a jury. The existence of an age-of-consent law does not automatically mean the state should permit minors to enter into marriage.
Many of the same lawmakers who argue teenagers are too immature to make health care decisions, vote or enter contracts suddenly insist they are mature enough to enter a lifelong legal marriage contract. That inconsistency deserves scrutiny.
and..
South Dakotans can disagree respectfully about a lot of issues. But reducing legitimate concerns about child protection to conspiracy theories about “outside activists” is unserious and insulting to the many South Dakotans, Republicans, Democrats, independents, faith leaders, survivor advocates and parents alike who supported this reform because they genuinely believe children should not be married in our state.
Currently, a 16 year old in South Dakota is old enough to be married to a 40 year old man, but not old enough to hire an attorney to get out of it when she discovers that there may be something wrong with this arrangement.
There’s something wrong here. And it needs to be fixed.