SD House Majority Leader Will Mortenson: “When you’re throwing a rally featuring a self-described Nazi, you’re not a Republican.”

The battle lines for the hearts and minds of the South Dakota Republican Party are being drawn for what kind of Republican people want to identify as. Either you believe that Nazi’s are bad like House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, or you throw in with Toby Doeden, the person who built a rally around someone who is said to have described himself as one.

Doeden, who had never voted in a Republican Primary until this last June is claiming that “current state Republican leaders aren’t conservatives,” in connection with last night’s rally featuring alleged “black nazi” and porn site commenter Mark Robinson. And If you read one news story today, make sure that this is it.

South Dakota House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, condemned the event and called those hosting it non-Republicans.

“I spoke out against Nazis when they came to the Capitol this summer,” Mortenson said in a statement, referencing a June march in Pierre by a neo-Nazi group, “and don’t like them any better when they are in Sioux Falls. When you’re throwing a rally featuring a self-described Nazi, you’re not a Republican. You belong to a different party. There’s no room for Nazi sympathy in our party or in our state.”

Doeden considered but ultimately decided against challenging U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, in the June primary election. Doeden said he organized Tuesday’s event to celebrate the “America First conservatives” who won their June legislative primary elections, and to rally support for their general election campaigns.

Current state Republican leaders “aren’t conservatives,” Doeden alleged.

“They’re liberals that register as Republicans because they can’t get elected as Democrats,” he said. “These people are hacks. They’re clowns. They’re disgusting. I started my PAC to eradicate hacks like that from serving in the Legislature – period.”

and..

About 150 people attended the Sioux Falls event, including some Republican state lawmakers and legislative candidates.

GO Read that here.

Universally condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike, the Doeden PAC event still appeared to have several people there who should know better, but seem to be held in thrall by Doeden’s checkbook and are attempting to suck up. In fact, SD Searchlight captured a bevy of them on a video posted to the story.

I’m immediately picking out State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, as well as D1 House Candidates Chris Reder and Logan Manhart in the foreground. It also looks as if Al Novstrup and Carl Perry may be at that table as well.

Is this what some who run under the SDGOP have come to? To cheer on and rally for the worst elements of the far right?

Keep in mind, they are not there to support the candidates and the goals of the Republican Party. They are there to benefit Toby Doeden’s PAC. A Political Action Committee led by a man – whose views might not have appeared on a porn website chatboard like Robinson’s are said to come from – but one whose views seem to mirror Mark Robinson’s:

 While he was publicly considering a challenge to Johnson, reporters called attention to some of Doeden’s social media posts. He encouraged the shooting of immigrants in gangs, used a profane insult to describe President Joe Biden, and labeled statistics about hatred of Jewish Americans as “fake.”

Also read that in the story.

If we can take solace in anything, it would be that there is hope that people’s better angels will ultimately reject this kind of trash rhetoric. As demonstrated by hte fact that Robinson continues to plummet in the polls, as reported yesterday.

A new Washington Post poll now has Stein ahead 54 percent to Robinson’s 38 percent, while a poll from East Carolina University has Stein at 50 percent to Robinson’s 33 percent.

Read that here.

Update

Add Dylan Jordan (d4 candidate) and free-dumb caucus leader Aaron Aylward to the guest list of the event, as Jordan clucks with pride attending the event supporting the attack of Republicans.