Todd Wilkinson Announces Campaign for District 8 State Senate

De Smet, S.D. — Todd Wilkinson, a fourth-generation South Dakotan, cattleman, attorney, and community leader, has announced his campaign for the South Dakota Legislature.

Todd is a longtime advocate for South Dakota’s farm families and is focused on strengthening rural communities and protecting South Dakota’s way of life.

For nearly four decades, Todd has operated the Wilkinson Law Firm in De Smet, representing families, small businesses, and local governments across Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, and Brookings Counties. His work focuses on agriculture, business, and estate law, and helping South Dakotans protect their land, grow their operations, and pass on what they’ve built to the next generation.

In addition to his private practice, Todd served as Kingsbury County State’s Attorney for two decades, where he built a reputation for fairness, integrity, and common-sense decision-making in local government.

Alongside his son Nick, he also operates Wilkinson Livestock, a family cow-calf and cattle- feeding business. Through years in both the pasture and the courtroom, Todd has developed a deep understanding of the challenges facing South Dakota producers, from rising input costs and taxes to federal regulations that don’t make sense on the prairie.

In 2023, Todd became the first South Dakotan to serve as President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). In that role, he led national efforts to protect private property rights, push back on burdensome federal rules, and strengthen trade and market opportunities for producers. He has testified before Congress and worked closely with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to advocate for South Dakota agriculture and rural communities.

Todd’s commitment to service runs deep. He has served with the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, De Smet Development Council, Governor’s Snowmobile Advisory Board, and the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation. He also serves as president of the church board at American Lutheran Church in De Smet. He has long represented municipalities across the region, including De Smet, Lake Preston, Arlington, Howard, Bancroft, and Oldham.

“Four generations of my family have called this area home,” Todd said. “My late wife Jean and I have raised our three kids here, and now we have ten grandkids growing up right here in South Dakota. I want them and every young family to have the same opportunities we’ve had: to make a living, to raise their families, and to be part of strong local communities. That’s what this campaign is about: keeping government practical, protecting our way of life, and making sure the future of South Dakota stays rooted in the values that built it.”

Wilkinson’s campaign will focus on supporting agriculture, strengthening rural communities, and keeping government accountable and grounded in local control.

Proven. Practical. South Dakota.

For more information, visit ToddWilkinsonForSD.com

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Two Minnehaha County GOP Central Committee members including SD Canvassing founding member & election goofball Cindy Meyer were unceremoniously ejected from the Minnehaha County Commission for various reasons today, according to the Dakota Scout:

Commission Chairman Dean Karsky asked a sheriff’s deputy to escort Gary Meyer out after Meyer refused to yield the microphone when his five minutes of public comment expired. His wife, Cindy, followed him after taking the microphone and saying, “What a s*** show.”

and..

The two frequently attend county meetings and are among a group of activists who argue the county should scrap vote tabulating machines in favor of hand counting ballots for election results. It’s not uncommon for Gary Meyer to verbally clash with the commission.

Read the entire story here.

Basically, it appears that Gary wanted to take away a day of Christmas vacation from county employees and ran over time, and his potty-mouthed wife Cindy started cursing at the commission.

Classy.

Update!  There is video!  (if you’re searching, start about 1 hour and 2 minutes in)

So, there’s a campaign video out for Gary Hudiburgh for District 4 House, one of the candidates who will be running against Rep. Dylan Jordan.

Hudiburgh, who is boasting an endorsement from a labor union, and is a 2024 graduate of the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute is apparently running in the Republican primary, despite those resume items which are more typically found in a Democrat’s curriculum vitae.

Oookay..

I almost need a venn diagram to chart the airplane weirdness circulating around State Rep. Dylan Jordan, after having a new image pop up in my feed.

In case you forgot his pledge this last April to” support legislation that authorizes military action” against aircraft that have jet contrails… (Which is all of them, because it’s hot water vapor hitting cold skies, i.e., exhaust)..

Fast forward to a week ago, where Jordan is again coming out against modern aviation:

…Because they’re related to planes?  (and he quoted American Idol? really??)

I’m kind of thinking that Rep. Jordan should stop talking about aviation.  Because that’s not the first time Jordan’s interest in  planes has caused him headaches.  On facebook, there’s a post where he talks about his admiration for former State Rep. Fred Deutsch…

Who within a few months after this post was among the first to directly call out Rep. Jordan’s desire to shoot down planes “outrageously wrong” as well as “kooky,” “wrong and dangerous.”

And, it very likely played a part in spurring Fred on to action, to run for his old seat back to recapture it from someone who is “kooky.”

If Rep. Jordan isn’t careful, he’s going to continue to expand the field of candidates running against him!  Maybe he should quit talking about airplanes and the kooky tin-foil hat stuff?

Or not.

Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 35

“I realize that Democrats are facing tremendous pressure from the far-left wing of their party, which is apparently content to see working people suffer as long as Democrats make a good show of opposing President Trump.”

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.

SECRETARY OF STATE LISTS BALLOT QUESTION PETITIONS APPROVED FOR CIRCULATION

(Pierre, SD) – Secretary of State Monae L. Johnson approved three ballot question petitions for circulation prior to the submission deadline on November 3, 2025.

The ballot questions that have been approved for circulation are:

1. An Amendment to the South Dakota Constitution requiring legislative changes to initiative and referendum procedures to be approved by a vote of the people.
2. An Amendment to the South Dakota Constitution requiring legislative changes to voter-approved initiated measures, for seven years after approval, to pass by a three-fourths vote of the Legislature and be approved by a vote of the people.
3. An Amendment to the South Dakota Constitution to repeal real property taxes and replace them with a “retail transaction” tax.

The deadline for ballot question petitions to be submitted is currently May 5, 2026. The sponsors of the ballot questions listed above must submit at least 35,017 signatures for their proposed constitutional amendments to appear on the ballot on November 3, 2026.

More information for each ballot question is on the Secretary of State’s website at: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/general-information/2026/2026-ballot-questions.aspx.

As I was driving back from Spearfish this past Sunday (celebrating my 34th wedding anniversary), had to make an inevitable stop or two along the way. Which gave rise to something I remembered.

What was that proposal from Jon Hansen from a few years ago?

“I would like to introduce legislation to sell off some or all of our interstate rest areas to private individuals or companies. We currently have 25 rest areas that cost the state tens of thousands of dollars each year to maintain. If we were to sell these prime pieces of real estate, could in one painless action cut at least one-quarter of our budget deficit, along with cutting tens of thousands of ongoing expenses in future years.”

– Jon Hansen. Argus Leader 10/26/10. “

Do you think now that he’s stuck driving a camper back and forth to events, does Rep. Jon Hansen appreciate the Interstate rest stops more than he used to?

Or does he still want to “sell off some or all of our Interstate Rest Areas to private individuals or companies” as “prime pieces of real estate?“

Since we last posted our monthly advertising reminder, it appears that we’ve picked up 2 if not more statewide Republican candidates, plus others. If you’re not thinking about your advertising plan, you should be. 2026 is going to be the hottest election season in a generation.

In the first part of the year there will be a burst of announcements – some surprises and some not so well kept secrets. And where is everybody going to read about it? Here at dakotawarcollege.com.

The election will bring many opportunities for advertisers to get their message out to “those in the know” of South Dakota politics and and community opinion leaders as we count the days until the next legislative session!

You’d better also add those who regularly monitor the pulse of the process as readers – whether they love this website or hate it – there are a lot of eyes available to get your message in front of. Literally – thousands are clicking on this website daily for the latest in political news, gossip, and whatever else the state’s leaders are up to.

Advertisers – I have a limited number of spots open, and questions on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments may be directed to the webmaster by clicking here. Lots of open space available at the moment, such as spots on the left available, as well as spots #1 & 2 on the right, and spots on both sides lower on the page. Ads run in their position through the site, meaning they are not rotated.  Advertising is available on a first-come first-served basis, and discounts are provided for extended commitments.

Please don’t forget to check out our current advertisers including Monae Johnson for Secretary of State, US Senator John Thune, Dusty Johnson for Governor, Senator Mike Rounds, Emmett Reistroffer for House District 35, Dakota Campaign Store, and more advertisers who will be posting soon.

Drop me a note if you have questions, or if I can hook you up with ad space!

Senator Mike Rounds is out and running with his new campaign commercial which is airing during local news programming. You can check it out on his campaign website, or see it below:

From KELOland news, former Vice President Dick Cheney has passed away:

“Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old,” Cheney’s family said in a statement.

and..

The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”

Cheney served as vice president during former President George W. Bush’s administration from 2001 to 2009. He is considered one of the most influential vice presidents in modern U.S. history.

Read the entire story here.