The South Dakota Republican Party has a mailer hitting households in Sioux Falls today wishing Republican Mayoral Candidate Paul TenHaken good luck in the May 1 runoff election (against liberal Democrat Jolene Loetscher):
The information is flowing faster than I can keep up with!
The Paul TenHaken for Sioux Falls Mayor Campaign has a new TV Commerical posted this morning. Which you can watch here:
Kingsbury County States Attorney Endorses Ravnsborg for Attorney General
DeSmet, SD: Kingsbury County States Attorney Gregg Gass endorses Attorney General Candidate Jason Ravnsborg.
“Jason has earned my endorsement with his ideas to make improvements to SB 70 and SB 73 as well as his understanding of the issues of Kingsbury County.” Gass said “Jason is someone I know I can work with and call upon for advice and assistance in the future”.
Gass resides in DeSmet, South Dakota. He has been the Kingsbury States Attorney since 2009. Gass is a partner in Gass Law P.C. which has offices in Brookings, DeSmet and Arlington, South Dakota.
“Jason understands that the position of Attorney General is one that takes effort each and every day. Jason is the best candidate for Attorney General that I believe has the endurance, work ethic, leadership and legal experience to handle all of the responsibilities of the office.” Gass said. “Jason has my full endorsement and will have my vote at the State Convention and in the General Election”.
If you want to learn more about Jason and his campaign check out his website at www.jasonforsouthdakota.com
-30-
The Paul TenHaken for Sioux Falls Mayor Campaign is making a big campaign push this weekend, and can use volunteers to grab a broom (or dial some phones) and help in the election effort.
Date: Saturday, April 28th
Time: From 10 AM to 4 PM
Location: top by for calls, walk lists, sign waving, and more!
Volunteers can just show up unannounced, to put in a couple of hours to help Paul win in his election this coming Tuesday.
Be there!
From Dakota Posts and Facebook:
Wow! Check this out:
.@BriAlNews pushes Loetscher to speak to what she’d do to apply city hall standards to private sector.
She says she’s a fan.
TenHaken says he’s not a fan of mandating stuff on private sector.— argusleader (@argusleader) April 25, 2018
From the Argus Leader today, among a flurry of Mayoral news blips, one of the hotter fights is among the campaigns for Governor.
An article at the Argus Leader had the Jackley campaign taking aim against the Noem campaign on Noem having comments cited in the Supreme Court internet tax case, and the Noem campaign coming back at the Jackley camp criticism:
Rep. Kristi Noem undermined South Dakota’s effort to overturn a U.S. Supreme Court case that bars states from taxing out-of-state internet purchases, potentially hurting the state’s chances at a favorable ruling, a spokesman for Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday.
and…
During oral arguments in last week’s hearing, George S. Isaacson, a lawyer representing Wayfair and other internet companies that opposed South Dakota, quoted a press release that Noem’s office issued earlier this year when the court agreed to hear the case. In that release, Noem said that a victory for South Dakota could force small businesses in South Dakota to comply with 1,000 different tax structures nationwide – an argument online retailers have made for why they shouldn’t be forced to collect taxes in other states.
“That’s from a high official representing the state of South Dakota,” Isaacson said during the hearing.
Joe Schartz, a spokesman for Jackley’s campaign for governor, said it was “shocking” to hear Noem’s words used against the state. Noem and Jackley face each other in the June 5 GOP primary for governor.
and…
Justin Brasell, Noem’s campaign manager, said Tuesday that Noem supported the case, but the press release referenced by the Jackley campaign called on Congress to enact changes that would simplify tax systems and make it easier for out-of-state businesses to remit taxes to states where they don’t have a physical presence. Noem is the sponsor of a bill that would do that.
“It’s not that she opposed the court case,” Brasell said. “It’s so that Congress would act.”
Brasell said Noem approaches the issue as a small business owner “and someone with common sense, not as a lawyer.”
From my mailbox, from Ohio polling firm Clout Research:
POLL: SOUTH DAKOTA GOPERS FAVOR NOEM FOR GOVERNOR
APRIL 25, 2018 – A new survey of likely GOP Primary voters statewide in South Dakota shows that in the race for Governor, Congresswoman Kristi Noem is on track to win her party’s nomination on June 5th.
An initial ballot reveals the Congresswoman outperforms Marty Jackley with a four-point lead on the ballot (41%/37%) with 22% still undecided. But when likely voters who are “soft supporters”, or “leaners”, were added to the ballot test, Ms. Noem’s margin grew substantially to a 12-point advantage, leading Mr. Jackley, 49% to 37%. It is notable that 32% say they are firm in their support for Noem, compared to only 27% who are firm for Jackley.
The primary electorate in South Dakota is very familiar with both Congresswoman Noem, and state Attorney General Marty Jackley. Both candidates are seen with largely favorable eyes by GOP voters, with 77% favorable toward Mr. Jackley, and 73% favorable toward Cong. Noem. Ms. Noem’s favs are slightly stronger, however, as nearly 47% said they had a “very favorable” opinion of the Congresswoman.
Despite Mr. Jackley’s positive image, the ballot strongly leans toward Cong. Noem, suggesting that it will take a great deal in the way of Jackley resources to overcome the deficit in the final stretches of the campaign.
One especially notable number is voter perception of the job performance of President Trump among South Dakota Republicans. The President has an extremely positive job performance rating of 75% overall, with 9% saying they give him “only fair” marks, and just under 15% saying he’s done a “poor” job thus far. Significantly, nearly 50% award the President with “excellent” marks for his first year and a half in office.
During what is sure to be the most intense period of paid media for this campaign, candidates who are seen by voters to be aligned with the President will have much to gain.
Among those voters who give President Trump “excellent” marks for his job performance thus far, 56% favor Ms. Noem in the race for governor. Mr. Jackley wins just 30% support among that group. She leads by a similar margin among those voters who give Trump the slightly lower job performance rating of “good”.
Among undecided voters in the race for governor, 74% give Trump positive marks on his leadership of the nation, another indication they may well fall in with Ms. Noem when they eventually decide whom to support in the race for governor.
One other point of interest is where voters are lining up on the Second Amendment, in the aftermath of the tragic Florida school shooting. Among “Strong Second Amendment” voters, Cong. Noem leads Jackley by a wide margin, 46% to 32%. Whereas Mr. Jackley has found a following among those who favor repeal of the Second Amendment, with 53% of that very small demographic group supporting his candidacy. Among leaners, the gap is more pronounced, with 18% of those who lean toward Ms. Noem identifying as strong Second Amendment voters, compared with only 6.7% of those same voters leaning toward Mr. Jackley.
It’s worth noting that fully 65% of those voters identifying as “undecided” also identify as “strong Second Amendment” voters. If past is prologue, these voters will likely fall into Ms. Noem’s camp by a double-digit advantage.
In conclusion, as the race for the GOP nomination for Governor in South Dakota enters the final stretch, it seems apparent that Congresswoman Noem is in the strongest position both on the ballot and among those voters who make up the core and backbone of the South Dakota GOP electorate. With the likelihood that spending in this race will increase substantially over the next several weeks, Mr. Jackley will have a lot to overcome to win over undecideds and primary voters whose profile seems to align much more closely with Ms. Noem.
The poll provides an accompanying topline report as well as a survey memorandum.
From the Argus Leader, it doesn’t look like anyone is believing anything the Loetscher campaign is shoveling lately.
Now, they’re doing a fact-check on whether her poop-scooping business is “bio-science” as she claims:
“If what matters most to you is growth, I’ve built companies, including a biotech company,” Loetscher said during a live televised debate on April 2.
and…
Those comments have turned some heads during her campaign, including those in the South Dakota bio-science industry.
“Usually I have a pulse on the bio-science industry, and I have no idea what her business is,” said Joni Johnson, executive director for the South Dakota Biotech Association, which represents about 60 businesses across the state. “She nor her business are members of South Dakota Biotech.”
and…
That business, called DooGooders, is contracted by property managers and homeowners to keep green spaces free of the fecal matter pets leave behind.
That alone, doesn’t make her a player in the bio-science field. However, answering the question of whether she’s involved in the industry got a little more nuanced after DooGooders began working with another company called Poo Prints, a Tennessee-based company that tests DNA in pet fecal samples for tracking and health purposes.
We touched on the topic last week (with gloves on, of course), and came to the same conclusion. That the claim “is nuanced” is a nice way of putting that the claim is largely a pile of poo.
And here Jo goes again. Just another embellishment from the Loetscher campaign. We’re getting pretty used to them by now.
Preliminary Investigation Results Released in Alleged Breach in Sioux Falls Mayoral Race
PIERRE, S.D. – The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation today released preliminary investigation results in the alleged breach of a Sioux Falls Mayoral candidate’s internet accounts and social media platforms.
Through the legal process, investigators found no evidence at this time that either a bank account or a website have been compromised. Investigators are still awaiting records from other social media entities.
This investigation is ongoing and is not focused on any specific person or business as a suspect. Investigations of this nature may take longer due to the process of receiving information from IT providers and review of the information received.
Any further updates will continue to be released through the Attorney General’s Office.
-30-