Rapid City Journal highlights connections between Krebs and PAC attacking Dusty Johnson

Pat Powers

From the Rapid City Journal, Seth Tupper is pointing out that there seem to be maybe too close a relation between candidate for Congress & Secretary of State Shantel Krebs, and the super PAC currently engaged in attacking her opponent for the congressional seat, Dusty Johnson:

Connections between an out-of-state political action committee and U.S. House candidate Shantel Krebs have provoked questions of propriety.

Coordination between candidates and super PACs is prohibited, but the Krebs campaign is working with a national political consulting firm, Axiom Strategies, which has a chief operating officer who also appears to be the treasurer of a super PAC called Hold Washington Accountable. And the super PAC began running nearly $30,000 worth of ads this week against Krebs’ main opponent, Dusty Johnson, in South Dakota’s Republican U.S. House primary.

And…

Krebs campaign spokeswoman Kate Kuenzle denied any such coordination.

“As you know, campaigns cannot coordinate with outside groups,” she wrote in an email. “We have no affiliation with the group you mentioned.”

But there are connections between the Krebs campaign and the Hold Washington Accountable super PAC through Axiom Strategies.

and…

Yet on Wednesday, Hold Washington Accountable filed a notice that it spent $29,920 on a “media buy” to oppose Johnson. The expense was paid to “Ax Media,” which has an address in Kansas City that matches the address of the Kansas City office of Axiom Strategies.

The expense appears to have supported a television advertisement accusing Johnson of improper overuse of state-owned airplanes while he was chief of staff to Gov. Dennis Daugaard — a claim that Axiom Strategies pitched to media outlets, including the Rapid City Journal, last week. And the Krebs campaign has been making similar claims in its own campaign advertising.

Read the entire article here.

25 thoughts on “Rapid City Journal highlights connections between Krebs and PAC attacking Dusty Johnson”

  2. Her future political career is toast. Never ever thought her campaign would be run this way.

  3. I hope they look into Noem’s connection through Brasell to the PAC attacking Jackley.

  5. Ouch. Shantel’s has had the ambition to run for Congress for years. Probably ten years. Why then is she running such a terrible campaign? It’s not like Dusty has a lot more money or staff.

    As I watch it, it seems like a reason to vote for Dusty. Given similar time, resources, and money, Dusty has managed a far better campaign than Shantel has. Her campaign is a shambles.

    1. He has a lot of the governor’s people…then can answer a lot of questions…but I do agree she is not running a good campaign. I do look at how one runs a campaign as an indicator of how they will run their own office.

  6. The staff he has is organized and quality. That’s been a big benefit for him.

  7. I really liked Shantel when I met her, and thought at the time she’d run away with the race. I’ve never much cared for Dusty, but sure looks like he’ll be the guy. I just hope he doesn’t quit 6 days in.

      1. He may. I do not think he will be able to cope with the pressure and the constant criticism that goes with the job.

    2. He of course won’t quit after six days.

      But imagine YOU had just been elected to Congress and the President called you after six days and said, “I need you to be US Secretary of Agriculture.” In that case, you might decline. But, you also might consider it, and if you did, you would be in a great position to help SD and the entire country.

      That’s basically what Dusty did. And Dusty was replaced on the PUC by Chris Nelson, who by all accounts has been an excellent PUC member and who SD voters have overwhelmingly elected twice. It’s hard to see how SD was really hurt.

  8. This is likely something the FEC could review:

    “The expense was paid to “Ax Media,” which has an address in Kansas City that matches the address of the Kansas City office of Axiom Strategies.”

  9. So she’s lying and cheating in her effort to paint Johnson as a liar and cheater. The house of cards is falling.

    1. This does not look good for Shantel. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but at least the press is doing their job in investigating.

  13. Go Shantel….SD knows you and believes in you
    Poor gal has a sitting governor and a former SOS with s former wanna be SOS and out of state Dust’s Koch Brothers gunning for her. Some say Thune is on that bandwagon. So Kristi wants to be primo woman of power in South Dakota??? What a mess for the everyday voter seriouslu……

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