John Thune Ascendant. 

In front of an excited crowd of supporters and well wishers…

A beaming United States Senator John Thune addressed the crowd with his thanks for a race well run, as he was surrounded on stage by his family.

What a great night to be a South Dakota Republican!

Thune Statement on Re-Election to U.S. Senate

Thune Statement on Re-Election to U.S. Senate
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on his re-election to the U.S. Senate:

“Serving the people of South Dakota in the U.S. Senate has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to continue fighting for them in Washington, D.C.,” said Thune. “The Republican-led Senate has accomplished a lot of important things over the last few years for the American people, and no matter which party holds the majority next January, there’s still a lot of hard work that lies ahead. As U.S. senator, I’ve always worked to put South Dakota’s interests first, and that commitment to our great state will never change.  

“No run for public office is won alone, which is why I want to thank Kimberley, Brittany, and Larissa for being my biggest supporters over the years. My family has grown quite a bit since my last election to the Senate. I’m blessed to have two strong, hard-working sons-in-law, a granddaughter, and another grandchild who’s on the way. It’s because of my family’s love and support that I’m continually inspired to serve.”

Thune was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 after defeating then-Minority Leader Tom Daschle and was re-elected in 2010, an election in which he ran unopposed.

During the 114th Congress, Thune serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over rail transportation, among other areas. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Senate Committee on Finance. Thune is also chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, making him the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate. 

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The Hill – GOP Keeps US House

From the Hill: 

Republicans are projected to keep their majority in the House, as expected.

ABC News and NBC News both made the projection after 8:30 p.m.

Only a handful of competitive seats had been determined when the projections were made, but Democrats faced tall odds at winning back the House given the GOP’s 30-seat majority.

And..

Democrats further struggled with candidate recruitment in many competitive districts that offered pickup opportunities in a presidential year, when voter turnout is higher.

Read it all here.

Notes from Election Central – “Time to do something about these ballot measures.”

As I’m waiting around fo polls to close, several politicos are talking about the issues with the ballot measures – and how many legislators in going door to door are hearing that there are too many of these out of state driven measures on the ballot – and it’s time that they do something about it.

People are talking about adjustments ranging from restrictions on out of state cash being infused into the races, to adjusting the vote threshold for Constitutional amendments.  

The one point stressed is that whatever is to be done, it has to be an open, palms up process that meets with voter approval. South Dakota has a strong tradition with the process of referral and initiatives, and whatever form reform takes, it has to recognize that, and prevent it’s abuse.

Ready to go at “SDWC Election Central,” on location at the District in Sioux Falls.

I’m on location at the District in Sioux Falls, with “SDWC Election Central” up and operating.


Polls have now closed in Eastern South Dakota, with another hour and fifteen minutes until results will be released. 

An Hour and fifteen minutes, you may ask? From the Secretary of State: 

Election Results Cannot Be Released until 8:15pm Central Time

Pierre, SD – Secretary of State Shantel Krebs stated, “Julie Pearson, Pennington County Auditor called the Secretary of State’s office and reported to us that there was a fire incident at one of the polling locations (a school) in Pennington County. Voting was delayed for 15 minutes while voters and election workers went outside.” 

The election workers took the ballot box containing all marked ballots along with the Voter Registration list with them as they exited the polling location.

Due to the fifteen minute delay caused by the fire incident the precinct will need to remain open an additional fifteen minutes. Closing at 7:15pm Mountain Time.  

Election results will not be able to be displayed on the Secretary of State’s website or released by County Auditors until 8:15 pm Central Time as state law requires. Live results will be displayed at 8:30pm Central Time.

SDCL 12-20-17. Returns not disclosed until all polls in state closed. No public disclosure of the returns of state and federal elections in any primary or general election is permitted until each precinct-polling place in the state is closed. This provision applies to each precinct-polling place within the state.

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So, just hang tight.