Someone is slow on the uptake.

A group fronted by Rep Liz May & Eric Leggett is joining Stace Nelson in trying to nominate Dan Kaiser for Lt Governor, despite Dan Kaiser having distanced himself from the concept about a week ago:

For Immediate Release:
For more information contact:
Representative Liz May, Chairwoman Senate, House, Executive (SHE), Political Action Committee
605-441-7669 (cell)
Email: EMay4District27@Hotmail.com
Senate, House, Executive (SHE), Political Action Committee, Current, and Former Republican Legislators Endorse conservative Representative Dan Kaiser to be Republican Lieutenant Governor nominee

Kyle, SD (June 19, 2019) – Current conservative legislators join former conservative icons, in advance of the Republican state convention, in endorsing conservative Representative Dan Kaiser (R-Aberdeen) to be the Republican Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor.

On Saturday, Republican delegates will cast official votes to determine who is on the November general election ballot as the Republican Party candidate for Public Utilities Commission, School & Public Lands Commissioner, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Lieutenant Governor.

“The Republican Party has been and continues to be stigmatized from the EB-5 and GEAR Up scandals that continue to erode the trust of the public. We must get back to the principles of our Party and nominate a Lieutenant Governor based on a proven record as a public servant on core Republican principals and not allegiance to the political process. Historically in the past, many Republican Lieutenant Governor nominees came from the delegates at the convention and not by gubernatorial nominees. We need a Lieutenant Governor nominee who’s a loyal public servant for the people of South Dakota and has a proven record of following core Republican principals. We need a Lieutenant Governor who will work alongside the Governor nominee to safeguard South Dakota and the Party from political posturing and restore the trust back in government. Conservative Representative Dan Kaiser towers above any person being considered for the gubernatorial nominee, with that key criteria.” Said Rep Liz May. “We support Congresswoman Noem’s campaign vowing to clean up the corruption and bring fiscal responsibility back to state government. The way to do that is electing a Lieutenant Governor at the convention based on a proven record and not political allegiances. By supporting a nominee with a proven conservative track record of fighting crime, fiscal responsibility and the experience necessary with the legislative branch, Representative Dan Kaiser has the only record to restore the publics trust back in state government.”

Joining Rep. Liz May (R-Kyle) in her support and endorsement of Representative Dan Kaiser are some of South Dakotas most conservative current and past legislators: Rep. Sam Marty (R-Prairie City), Rep. Steve Livermont (R-Martin), Rep. Tim Goodwin (R-Rapid City), Rep. Drew Dennert (R-Aberdeen), Rep. Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids), Rep. Lynne Hix-DiSanto (R-Rapid City), Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City), Rep. “Chip” Campbell (R-Rapid City), Senator Phil Jensen (R-Rapid City), Senator Stace Nelson (R-Fulton), Senator Emeritus Betty Olson (R-Prairie City), Senator Emeritus Gordon Howie (R-Rapid City), and Representative Emeritus Don Kopp (R-Rapid City).

Senator Emeritus Gordon Howie? Is that the part where it’s supposed to dawn on us that this is an attempt at humor?

The e-mail blast also includes the following postcard that was designed, but not sent (at least yet):

You’d think they’d take the hint, and wait for Candidate-elect Kristi Noem to announce who she wants to campaign with as her running mate?  Nope. Of course they’re running against the nominee for Governor.

Let’s see how that works for Stace, Liz & crew.

Rounds Statement on Family Separation at Border

Agrees to cosponsor legislation to provide strong border security while keeping families intact during adjudication process 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement regarding the separation of families at the border:

“Nobody wants to see families separated. Attempting to illegally enter the country is a crime that jeopardizes our national security. But we believe we can protect our borders while also showing compassion for the children who are in this situation through no fault of their own. The best course of action to stop family separation at the border is for Congress to act. There are already a number of commonsense solutions being considered that can both protect our borders and keep families intact, including the Cruz proposal which I have agreed to cosponsor.” 

Rounds agreed to cosponsor the Protect Kids and Parents Act, a proposal by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), which will:

• Double the number of federal immigration judges, from roughly 375 to 750.
• Authorize new temporary shelters, with accommodations to keep families together.
• Mandate that illegal immigrant families must be kept together, absent aggravated criminal conduct or threat of harm to the children.
• Provide for expedited processing and review of asylum cases, so that—within 14 days—those who meet the legal standards will be granted asylum, and those who do not will be immediately returned to their home countries.

###

I just snapped this screen grab this AM.

It has been about 2 weeks since the primary election, and I’ve been staring at the Secretary of State’s outdated 2018 candidate list ever since. I think we’re also past the official canvassing of results for a week as well.  Yes, there might be a flip of the coin left to do in maybe one race, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an update of the official list of “who is running” lagging out there for weeks like this before.

Considering this is what is offered as the official 2018 candidate list, you’d think we’d see an update by now.

A Stace Nelson created group (yes, the one that actually had someone adding boy parts on their logo to make it more manly) sent out a press release last night announcing that they and others including Gordon Howie, & Shawn Tornow have endorsed Lance Russell for Attorney General in the vote being held on Saturday at the Republican Convention:

In one of its first official caucus acts, a majority of the members of the Conservative Republican Caucus approved the caucus endorsing conservative caucus member Senator Lance Russell (R-Hot Springs) to be the Republican nominee for South Dakota Attorney General.

Caucus members Rep. Liz May (R-Kyle), Rep. Sam Marty (R-Prairie City), Rep. Steve Livermont (R-Martin), Rep. Tim Goodwin (R-Rapid City), Rep. Drew Dennert (R-Aberdeen), Rep. Dan Kaiser (R-Aberdeen), Rep. Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids), Rep. Lynne Hix-DiSanto (R-Rapid City), Rep. Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City), Rep. “Chip” Campbell (R-Rapid City), Senator Phil Jensen (R-Rapid City), and Senator Stace Nelson (R-Fulton) supported the caucus position by adding their personal public endorsements.

Joining the caucus members with their own personal endorsements of Senator Russell are Assistant Majority Leader Senator Ryan Maher (R-Isabel), Senate President Pro-Tem Senator Brock Greenfield (R-Clark); and, former legislators Senator Betty Olson (R-Prairie City), Senator Gordon Howie (R-Rapid City),  Rep. Don Kopp (R-Rapid City), Rep. Shawn Tornow (R-Sioux Falls), Rep. Glenn Freeman (R-Midland), Rep. Gary Jerke (R-Tripp), Rep. Patricia Stricherz (R-Winfred), and  Rep. Jamie Boomgarden (R-Chancellor).

“Senator Lance Russell has led the battle on corruption in SD going back to his days as a Fall River County States Attorney when he was politically reprimanded for his efforts prosecuting connected people involved in fraud.  Undeterred, Senator Russell continued his efforts in the Legislature by supporting get tough on crime measures and aggressively pushing for answers and accountability in the EB-5 and GEAR Up state government corruption scandals. Lance Russell has the best total record the last ten years on conservative Republican issues such as supporting the 2nd Amendment, defending the unborn, and defending the rights of South Dakotans in the Legislature.”  Stated Chair Representative Liz May (Kyle-SD).  “Senator Lance Russell is the only person who has bona fides of fighting state government corruption, who has extensive criminal prosecutorial experience, and he is the only candidate who has the extensive Legislative experience needed to affect changes in our criminal statutes to address the exploding crime rate in SD.  Senator Russell’s efforts as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on the State Tribal Relations Committee, and prosecutor dealing with tribal issues, makes him the most qualified to deal with Native American issues.  Lance Russell is the best candidate, in either party, to restore South Dakotans confidence in our state government.  We encourage the delegates to join us in supporting Senator Lance Russell to be our SD Attorney General. “

I did notice that in the footer for the release that the Nelson led group is apparently claiming a mailing address that shares office space with the Tornow Law Office in Sioux Falls.

And there you go.

It’s confirmed that Rapid City Businessman Chris Johnson has won the selection to replace Sean McPherson on the ballot. From the Rapid City Journal:

This is unconfirmed, but I just heard word that District 32 Republican Chris Johnson has been selected over Ed Randazzo tonight for the District 32 GOP House Candidate seat.

Stay tuned for more.

South Dakota Federation of Republican Women are calling on all Republicans to help & DONATE at the State GOP Convention to support Veterans through the Fort Meade Shop for Veterans.

It’s a great cause and an easy way you can support South Dakota’s Military Vets!

This past weekend saw South Dakota Democrats bringing forth a group of people to run for their constitutional offices. An you have to wonder what they were thinking:

Lieutenant Governor – Michelle Lavallee. From Sioux Falls. Former Chair of the Paul TenHaken campaign. Has some money, but not many have ever heard of her.

Secretary of State – Alexandra Fredrick. From Okreek, late addition to ballot, married to PUC Candidate.

Attorney General – Randy Seiler. From Fort Pierre, Interim US Atty. Nice guy, but not well known.

Auditor – Tom Cool. From Sioux Falls, manages noon Dem Forum. Lost election for State Senate 4 times in a row (2010, 2012 ,2014, 2016).

Treasurer – Aaron Matson.  Sioux Falls. An ELCA pastor with Master’s Degree in Divinity & a doctoral degree in political science. Who works as a Dem party staffer.

Commissioner of School and Public Lands – Woody Hauser. From Beresford. Local real estate agent.

Public Utilities Commissioner – Wayne Fredrick, Okreek. And nobody knows him either.

You have to question if they tried to tap their B squad for the fall political races, as most of these people haven’t campaigned for anything before. No current lawmakers. No past officeholders. The closest thing they have is Tom Cool, who will soon complete a hand’s count worth of political losses with 2018.

Outside of Seiler, who was the only candidate announced prior to the convention, the rest of the bunch were scraped up, shaken from the trees, or found in the couch cushions of the Dem’s biennial political gathering.

I will give it to them that they’re managed to talk people into running for all the seats.

But you also have to recognize that anyone they have with any experience is looking at the electoral map… and saying “nope.”

From Facebook: