We’ve moved past the summer, and into the beginnings of the fall before the election season begins in earnest. So, where does the GOP sit with statewide political races?
It’s time to revisit the tale of the tape – the semi-official chart of 2018 Republican Candidates!
Bob mercer completes his trio of interviews with candidates for Congress and has a story on Democrat Tim Bjorkman who spent time at the State fair promoting an agenda of weaker punishment for criminals, artificially raising wages, and spending a lot more money on public assistance:
Bjorkman noted that South Dakota’s prison population grew nearly 10 times larger since 1978 and 30 times faster than South Dakota’s overall population.
He said South Dakota has double the number of people in prison that North Dakota does. “We should be asking ourselves why that is,” he said.
and..
Raising South Dakota’s minimum to $11 per hour from the current $8.65 would restore the wage to where it stood 50 years ago, he said.
Bjorkman said he has “no confidence” South Dakota’s elected leaders would adapt Medicaid expansion. A majority of states have, including North Dakota.
For North Dakota, that’s $270 million more annually than South Dakota. He said South Dakota is doing “an enormous disservice” to its citizens. “It’s big time money,” he said.
Aren’t most of these state level issues? I’m not sure what running for Congress has to do with any of it, unless he’s promising to federalize prisons, mandate medicaid for all, and raise the federal minimum wage.
Moving on….
In another story, reporter Bob Mercer interviewed Dusty Johnson as to his reasons for running for South Dakota’s lone Congressional seat:
Why he’s running: “This is a job interview, right? It’s fun,” Johnson said. He recalled growing up in a working-class family of seven from Pierre and Fort Pierre. “Even at a young age I figured out good jobs can make a difference for a family,” he said. “The reality is what most people want is the opportunity to earn a living.”
Johnson said “even the Republicans” in Congress don’t understand all the ways Washington, D.C., makes it harder to create jobs. “I’m not sure they understand what I’m talking about,” he said.
and…
He said South Dakota needs someone who is ready when Congress is ready to accomplish something larger. “I’ve got the political courage that’s going to be required to make tough decisions,” he said.
Johnson said a mix of selflessness and selfishness is required. “A great majority of my motivation to be in public service is selflessness,” he said.
After receiving a whopping 20 votes out of 1761 ballots cast at the South Dakota’s GOP Straw poll, what’s a candidate to do to work their way up from her ranking near the bottom?
For GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Lora Hubbel, it’s to warn her followers about how Hurricanes are being weaponized, pointing out that it’s what they did in the Rapid City Flood of 1972:
Bob Mercer, who is a stringer provides stories (per correction in comments) for several daily papers, has an interview with Secretary of State Shantel Krebs in her pursuit of the Congressional Seat being vacated by Kristi Noem against former PUC Commissioner and Daugaard Chief of Staff Dusty Johnson:
Why she’s running: “When President Trump was elected, I was all in,” Krebs said.
She said South Dakota voters tell her they are frustrated and want “the mess cleaned up” in Washington, D.C.
“It’s not working,” Krebs said. “I want to help him deliver results.” She added: “That’s what my logo is: Get it done.”
How she’s organized her campaign: Krebs said it’s “a lot” of evenings and weekends. Her daytime focus is the office in Pierre. “I was elected to be secretary of state,” she said.
If someone on the office staff is out sick, Krebs said she or others on the staff answers the office phone. She said staff buys into her message: “We work for the taxpayer.”
Krebs states she is running because she answers the phone and “want(s) to help” President Trump “deliver results?”
Oooookay….. (It didn’t seem like she was promising to be helpful for President Trump just a couple of months ago.)
From my mailbox:
Meet John Fitzgerald, candidate for Attorney General, on Sept 16
The Brookings County Republicans will meet Saturday, September 16th, at 9:00 AM at the County Resource Center Board Room in the Swiftel Center.
Following a short business meeting, John Fitzgerald, Lawrence County State’s Attorney, will update us on his campaign for the office of South Dakota Attorney General.
John is a 1977 graduate of Black Hills State University and a 1979 graduate from the University of South Dakota Law School. He has been a practicing attorney in South Dakota since 1980.
John was the Butte County State’s Attorney from 1981‐1995 and a Deputy State’s Attorney in Lawrence County from 1990‐1995. In 1995 he became the Lawrence County State’s Attorney and has been serving Lawrence County ever since.
John Fitzgerald is one of three declared candidates for the office of Attorney General.
Coffee and cookies will be served.
South Dakota GOP announces results of straw poll held at South Dakota State Fair
This evening, South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman announced the results of the South Dakota GOP’s Straw Poll held at the South Dakota State Fair, and was quite happy with the energy and strong interest that the poll drew among South Dakota’s Republican voters.
“The South Dakota State Fair was a great opportunity for the Republican Party to showcase the multiple candidates we have for our state’s political offices, and you could tell by the waves of people who would crowd the booth for an opportunity to meet the candidates and choose the one they liked the best,” Lederman said. “Besides the candidates who manned the GOP State Fair building all weekend, Republican voters also had a chance to greet old friends not up for election in 2018 such as Senator Mike Rounds and Senator John Thune who both spent time at the fair.”
Lederman prefaced the poll results by noting “Understanding that this is not a truly random or scientific poll, I have to say that each campaign worked their tails off to get their supporters to the fair and to meet South Dakotans still in the process of making a choice who to vote for. And they did it while the competition was only a few feet away. It’s a testament to Republicans supporting each other in the spirit of competition.”
The results released tonight were as follows:
| For Congress | # Votes | Percentage |
| Dusty Johnson | 934 | 54.2% |
| Shantel Krebs | 788 | 45.8% |
| For Governor | ||
| Lora Hubbel | 20 | 1.1% |
| Marty Jackley | 1019 | 57.9% |
| Terry LaFleur | 6 | 0.3% |
| Kristi Noem | 716 | 40.7% |
1722 votes were cast in the straw poll for Congress, and 1761 were cast in the Gubernatorial Straw Poll.
Chairman Lederman made a point to compare the competition over the weekend, stating that “Republican energy was off the charts, and the Democrats a few doors down had an empty booth and ‘no mojo’ for most of the weekend. However, Republicans don’t rest on our laurels, and we’re gearing up for a spirited campaign in 2018.”
The GOP also drew for prizes. John Litzer of Tolstoy was the winner of the drawing for an autographed cowboy hat from Congresswoman Kristi Noem. Becky Berwald of Toronto, SD and Bobbie Ann Sullivan of Agar, SD both won a book by Kris Paronto, one of the soldiers immortalized in the true life “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” movie.
Wanda Gray of Sioux Falls won a flag donated by Marty Jackley, and Maria McKnights of Tea, SD won a bean bag game donated and signed by Congresswoman Kristi Noem.
LINCOLN COUNTY REPUBLICAN DENIM & DIAMONDS DINNER, FRI, SEPT 15 5:30 PM
Lincoln County Republicans will have their annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner on Friday, Sept 15 starting at 5:30pm at CJ Callaway’s. Lt Gov Matt Michels will be the Emcee.
South Dakota is one of the rare states that gives voters a chance to meet and get to know their elected officials & candidates on a personal level at various events.Tickets are $50 ea, but limited and available by contacting Betty Otten @ 605-368-5716 or online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lincoln-co-gop-lincoln-reagan-denim-diamonds-dinner-mc-matt-michels-tickets-36819607437.
Confirmed speakers include US Congressional candidates Shantel Krebs & Dusty Johnson; gubernatorial candidates Kristi Noem, Lora Hubbel, and Marty Jackley; Kristie Fiegen PUC; Constitutional Officer candidates Rich Sattgast, Josh Haeder, Steve Barnett, Ryan Brunner; and SD Attorney General candidates Charles McGuigan, Jason Ravnsborg, and John Fitzgerald.
Leave the suits, ties, and formal wear at home — jeans, cowboy boots, and a lot of bling are the preferred dress!
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The South Dakota Republican Party’s candidates and office holders have all converged on Huron this weekend for the South Dakota State Fair, and we’re continuing to bring you the highlights:
Congresswoman Kristi Noem is kissing babies and meeting voters at the Fair:
Attorney General Marty Jackley takes in the evening entertainment – Skynyrd! Free Bird!
Attorney General Candidate Jason Ravnsborg is banging it out from sun up to sundown at the GOP Booth!
Congressional Candidate Dusty Johnson is out working the fair booth hard both in person and in spirit!
Secretary of State Shantel Krebs is out working the crowds as well:
Stay tuned for more State Fair action!
Here to Serve You
By Sen. John Thune
An issue I frequently discuss with folks while I’m traveling the state is the wide range of services I can offer to South Dakotans through any of my Senate offices. It doesn’t matter if you contact my office in Sioux Falls or Rapid City, Aberdeen or Washington, D.C., my staff is the best of the best. They’re always ready, willing, and able to help you any way they can. Although my offices mainly assist South Dakotans with federal issues, if your concern relates to something that falls to the state or your local government, my staff will help point you in the right direction. Either way, we’re all here to serve you.
Spring break is always a popular time to visit Washington, D.C., and I see a lot of South Dakota families and students who travel there each year. As most folks may know, I can help you arrange tours of certain federal buildings while you’re in town, including the Capitol and White House. My office can help with other elements of your trip, too, like offering advice on where to stay or other places to visit around the city.
Wherever you might be, when it comes to problems you’re having with federal government agencies, I want to help you cut through the federal bureaucracy. My office can act as a liaison between you and the government to get questions answered and hopefully get your problem resolved. For example, if you’re a South Dakota veteran with medical needs and you’re having difficulties with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or if you’re a South Dakota senior and you’re having trouble receiving your Social Security benefits, we can certainly try to help.
Are you traveling abroad on short notice? I can help expedite the passport approval process if you need to renew one for you or a family member, apply for a new one, or have an existing passport corrected. Anyone who has gone through the standard passport process will tell you that it isn’t quick, but if your request is urgent, my office can try to work to reduce the wait time.
If a friend or family member is having a milestone event in his or her life, such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or retirement, I can help you recognize it. With several weeks’ notice, you can purchase a U.S. flag through my Senate website (at cost), and I can have it flown atop the Capitol on a particular date in honor of your event. After it’s flown, the flag and a certificate will be mailed to you or a recipient of your choice. With similar notice, I’m happy to mail a congratulatory letter directly to your loved one ahead of his or her big day.
We can also try to help veterans receive medals or awards that are long overdue, students who are interested in attending a service academy, or families who are pursuing international adoptions, among many other services.
For questions on these or other services, please feel free to call or visit any of my offices throughout South Dakota or in Washington, D.C. You’ll always be greeted by a friendly face or voice, and they will be glad to assist you. If it’s outside of regular business hours, don’t worry, my website is always open! Visit www.thune.senate.gov on your computer or mobile device for contact information and additional resources about my work in South Dakota and Washington.
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