I just received this press release in my in-box. Interesting. I’m not familiar with the polling firm, but we can add them to the list of political prognosticators. – PP

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 6, 2018

Kristi Noem Leads by 11 in South Dakota Governor Race

Washington, D.C. – Hamlin County native Kristi Noem has opened up an 11-point lead in the Republican Primary for Governor over Attorney General Marty Jackley.  Noem leads with 44% compared to Jackley’s 33% as both candidates appear to be well liked by South Dakota Republican primary voters. With early voting beginning in just two weeks it appears Noem has a significant advantage headed into the June 5^th GOP Primary.

“Kristi Noem appears to be doing a great job of communicating her message to South Dakotans,” said Kyle Robertson, President of Rockbridge Strategy. “Marty Jackley’s only path to turning the race around before June 5^th may be through a negative ad campaign, but even that is a risky strategy as one would assume his image would take a hit.”

While Noem leads 44% – 33%, there are 23% of voters who remain undecided.  Among undecided voters, 68% have a favorable view of President Donald Trump.  That bodes well for Kristi Noem, as she is doing particularly well among pro-Trump voters, earning 51% to Jackley’s 27%, a 24-point advantage.  Both candidates should be pleased with their images at this point in the race.  Noem has a 68% favorable and 18% unfavorable rating while Jackley trails with a 59% favorable and 19% unfavorable.

“Noem’s lead may force Jackley into a decision on whether or not to go negative on the airwaves down the final stretch,” added Robertson. “Jackley’s team will have a tough decision to make.”

The poll was conducted using IVR technology by Advantage, Inc. on Wednesday, April 4^th and included a sample size of 500 likely GOP Primary voters with a 2.9% margin of error at a 95% confidence interval.  Advantage, Inc. is a widely respected voter contact firm with decades of experience in polling from local to national campaigns.  The survey’s questionnaire and crosstabs are available to the media upon request.

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Candiade for Sioux Falls City Council, Nick “Man-bun” Weiland, has a bizarre campaign ad in the Argus Leader today which should leave people scratching their heads if they’re paying attention:

Specifically,

Someone needs to explain to Nick that city councils have nothing to do with drug courts. As noted on the website for the Unified Judicial System:

Drug Courts are a specially designed criminal docket aimed at reducing criminal recidivism and substance abuse while increasing the likelihood of successful rehabilitation for adults with substance use disorders charged with drug related offenses.

Read that here.

Unified Judicial System… as in South Dakota’s Court System. Not City Council.

 

The Krebs for Congress campaign sent a postcard out this week that’s landing in mailboxes today:

Krebs is relying largely on a pro-Trump message, and talks about standing with President Trump “against the establishment,” mirroring much of Neal Tapio’s anti-establishment rhetoric that he’s using out on the stump.

Stay tuned.

I felt that burn all the way up in arctic Brookings. South Dakota GOP Chair Dan Lederman pointed out to the Associated Press that while Dems may have filled some seats this election, that’s only part of the job:

The South Dakota Democratic Party said Thursday that 110 Democratic candidates are running for 101 out of the 105 seats in the Legislature. Democratic Party Chair Ann Tornberg says it’s another sign of the momentum her party has in South Dakota and around the nation.

State GOP Chairman Dan Lederman says Republicans plan to run a vigorous campaign this season with 115 candidates running for 97 legislative seats. He said the party applauds South Dakota Democrats for their “biennial pantomime of pretending they’re a viable political party,” but that “quantity should not be equated with quality.”

Read it all here.

Since the press generally takes what they want from quotes, I did ask Lederman for the full statement, and he was happy to provide it:

The South Dakota Republican party applauds South Dakota Democrats for their biennial pantomime of pretending they’re a viable political party, at the same time they’re on life support from the National Democrat organization. As they have demonstrated time and again, talk is cheap, and filling seats with warm bodies might make for a nice press release, but quantity should not be equated with quality.

Democrats have a long precedent of using placeholders who have no intention of running – much less serving – in Pierre, and if the past several cycles are any indication, we’ll see at least a dozen of them drop out before the deadline to replace candidates in August.

Republicans have 115 Candidates running for 97 legislative seats, and the difference between the parties is that Republicans did not have to beg people to fill a slot. Our candidates came forward on their own, and most of the candidates from the GOP will be successful in their campaigns.

South Dakota Republicans take nothing for granted, and we’re already making plans to run a vigorous campaign effort this season, whether the people our candidates are running against now are the same ones in the fall.

Ouch. The party of ‘Bern’ is feeling the burn.  🙂

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fall River and Oglala Lakota States Attorney Jim Sword Endorses Ravnsborg for Attorney General

HOT SPRINGS, SD: Hot Springs attorney and Fall River and Oglala Lakota States Attorney Jim Sword has endorsed Attorney General Candidate Jason Ravnsborg.

“Jason is an experienced leader who understands that we need someone as Attorney General that can handle a wide variety of cases from prosecuting, to defending to civil cases in both state and federal court,” Sword said. “He also understands the position is larger than the courtroom and is one where you have to have the temperament and skills to work with legislators to build a coalition to assist States Attorneys and members of law enforcement in obtaining the resources they need to keep us all safe in a wide variety of areas.”

Sword lives in Hot Springs where he is a partner of Sword and Ahrendt Law Office, P.C. He prosecutes in Fall River and Oglala Lakota County and also represents individuals, businesses and government entities before state and federal courts. In addition Sword defends clients in Pennington, Custer, Bennett counties and throughout the Northern Black Hills. He is a former chairman of the Fall River County Child Protection Team and Board of Directors member of the Alcohol Recovery Center of the Black Hills.

“Jason has been battled tested both on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in service to our country and in the courtroom.” Sword stated.  “Having served in the United States Army as a Captain myself, I know they do not just make anyone a Battalion Commander, they select people that lead from the front selflessly, with strong moral character and work with a staff to oversee hundreds of people with many challenging situations happening at the same time.”

Sword went on to say “Jason is the only candidate that I see that has all of these skills, he will make an outstanding Attorney General and has my full endorsement and support.”

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SD Veteran Shares Powerful Testimony of Noem’s Integrity, Accomplishments in New Ad

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Kristi Noem today released a new television ad featuring Don Ackerman, a South Dakota Vietnam veteran. Noem and Ackerman worked closely in the fight to keep the Hot Springs VA open.

“For the veterans of this state, Kristi Noem is our girl,” says Ackerman in the ad. “She stood up for us when it came to the VA in Hot Springs. And that’s not just Hot Springs. It’s across the entire state. And she gained nothing – absolutely nothing. She got no money in her campaign. She didn’t have us marching down the street with signs for her. She did it because it was the right thing to do. That’s Kristi Noem, and that’s the person I want to be governor.”

South Dakota is home to 72,000 veterans. As the state’s lone U.S. Representative, Noem has fought to protect the Hot Springs VA from closure, bring greater accountability to the VA, strengthen veterans’ benefits, and expand the Black Hills National Cemetery.

Attorney General Jackley Touts Milestones Reached in 24/7 Sobriety Program 

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the State of South Dakota is continuing its ongoing success of the 24/7 Sobriety Program.

“The 24/7 Sobriety Program was based on a vision by then Attorney General Larry Long and has been made successful by the tireless work of our sheriffs running the county programs,” said Jackley. “The Program has proven to be a success, not only measured by the participants’ sobriety, but by the drop in conviction numbers. Total DUI felonies have dropped nearly 50% from FY 2007 until FY 2017.”

The Program has reached milestones in the testing area as well. The State has officially hit the 10 million mark on preliminary breath tests since its inception in 2005. In addition, the State has hit the 1 million mark in ignition interlock breath tests, which were introduced in 2012.

PBT STATISTICS SUMMARY

January 1, 2005 – February 1, 2018

• 48,014 Participants
• 10 Million Tests administered
• Passing Rate: 05%

U/A STATISTICS SUMMARY

July 1, 2007 – February 1, 2018

• 10,437 Participants
• 288,442 Tests administered
• Passing Rate: 86%

DRUG PATCH STATISTICS SUMMARY

July 1, 2011 – February 1, 2018

• 1,779 Participants
• 15,300 Tests administered
• Passing Rate: 75%

SCRAM BRACELET STATISTIC SUMMARY

October 10, 2006 – February 3, 2018

• 10,996 Participants
• 89 Million days monitored
• 1,855 Confirmed drinking events
• 6,590 Confirmed tampers
• Per test compliance: 6%
• Fully compliant participants: 74%

INGNITION INTERLOCK STATISTIC SUMMARY

October 1, 2012 – February 1, 2018

• 549 Participants
• 1,000,736 Tests administered
• 995,567 Tests passed
• Passing Rate: 48%

On April 1, 2018 long-time Turner County Sheriff Byron Nogelmeier took over the position of the 24/7 Program State Coordinator. This position was previously held by Art Mabry for 7 years before retirement.

Former District 23 Rep. Charlie Hoffman Endorses Jackley

EUREKA, SD: McPherson County cattle rancher and former District 23 Rep. Charlie Hoffman put his support behind Attorney General Marty Jackley’s campaign for governor in a new ad released today.

“Marty didn’t just ask the people of Eureka and District 23 to vote for him, he actually showed up during his Hometown South Dakota tour,” Hoffman said. “He stayed until every question had been answered, and that’s the kind of governor he’s going to be—the kind who answers the tough questions and respects the people who hired him to get the job done.”

Hoffman served for six years in the state House. He’s been ranching since 1981 when he took over the family ranch after his father passed away following a battle against pancreatic cancer.

“Charlie is a true friend and I’m grateful for his support,” Jackley said. “He knows the legislative process and is deeply connected to the opportunities and challenges in District 23, and we look forward to having his advice throughout this campaign.”

Watch Hoffman’s endorsement on youtube:

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Noem Opens Pierre Campaign Office

PIERRE, S.D. – Kristi Noem this week held a grand opening of her Pierre Campaign Office. The office will serve as a volunteer outreach center, where South Dakotans can find information about Noem’s vision for South Dakota as well as collect signs, bumper stickers, and other Team Noem materials. The office is located at 203 East Sioux Avenue in Pierre.

“I am so humbled by the Pierre community’s support,” said Noem. “I got to know many here while serving in the state legislature. They’ve seen me work on behalf of those I represent, so it means the world to me to have their support and trust. Thank you to everyone who came together this week to celebrate our campaign office’s grand opening.”

PHOTOS FROM GRAND OPENING