According to SBPB, the Secretary of State is saying Senator Lance Russell, who just won his primary for State Senate and is also running for Attorney General, must choose one campaign by 5pm next Friday:
South Dakota codified law states that candidacy for more than one public office in a single election is prohibited.
Secretary of State Shantel Krebs says her office recommends the candidate submits a withdrawal from the senate seat nomination if that candidate intends to go forward with the nomination.
“That is state law that we do have a withdrawal process in place for any instance where there might be something that comes up extraordinarily unusual that that candidate cannot proceed to the general election,” Krebs says. “There’s statutes to follow for withdrawal.”
And…
Russell says if he feels he has a good shot at clinching the nomination in next week’s convention, he will withdraw from his Senate race.
“The local Republican Party, the precinct people from my district would be able to select my replacement,” Russell says. “If I feel like I have a good shot at being attorney general, then I would do that. If not, I will continue in the Senate.”
Russell needs to make the decision by next Friday.
Thanks for clarifying this, Shantel!!!
This race is heating up:
“Fitzgerald has publicly alleged that Ravnsborg has never tried a case before a jury as a prosecutor. Ravnsborg did not respond to phone and email messages from the Rapid City Journal seeking a response.”
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/democrat-leads-fundraising-in-unusual-sd-attorney-general-race/article_15c41fb8-4505-5175-8f16-ff1087fc3488.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
Russell and Fitzgerald offer delegates their best chances.
Drop out and endorse fitz. He seems to have a serious chance of winning. And then you and fitz can reform together. You would be a goo AG, but you make a good senator as well. Help reform through the senate and endorse fitz. If you do that we can elect and experienced trial attorney. Goodspeed Mr Russell
If Russell drops out Ravnsborg loses.
The worst scenario for Ravnsborg is against Fitzgerald.
Likewise the worst scenario for Russell is against Fitzgerald.
Ravnsborg and Russell need a head to head against each other.
How does Fitzgerald win as he is in third place and an endorsement from Russell is not a good thing. Remember Russell was fired, was censored, and is running for multiple offices as he is a carer politician who only cares about himself. Throw in the fact that Russell is backed by Stace and you have a hot mess there.
Remember lance has a fair amount of delegate support and they will switch to fitz mostly. Plus Jason has been silent for a few weeks about his experience in front of a jury. His support may be softening.
or Jason has been serving his country….something the others have never done
Charlie @ 8:35 what makes you think Lance’s support will switch to Fitz?
I realize that’s what Fitz’s supporters want to believe, but why?
because their cult leader Stace Nelson is telling them to!
Lance and Ravnsborg are the 2 outsiders against the establishment Fitzgerald, but Stace has this misbelief that Ravnsborg is somehow back by Rounds….if so where is all the money for Ravnsborg, where is all the big endorsements and support like Dusty got?
Ravnsborg has outworked EVERYONE and overcome a 1000 challenges and still practiced law and been int he military and carried tons of water for the party….
Ravnsborg and Russell should team up and they could boot every single candidate running
Has Lance ever denied the rumor about Stace being his head of DCI? That kills any chance of support for Lance for me.
They just laugh that Ravnsborg’s supporters keep spreading that rumor.
In a convention race you need to maintain somewhat good relationships with the other opposition. Ravnsborg’s supporters going after Fitz and Russell is a bad move.
It is much wiser to single out one opponent and make your case. It’s never good to be fighting too many battles on too many fronts.
Ever think it is not Ravnsborg supporters spreading it but Fitzgerald and the true establishment? Wake up!
Drop out and endorse Ravnsborg. We don’t need an establishment type as AG, we need new blood.
I agree Fitz is old news….he ran before in 2002 with like 100 trials he bragged about back then and got like 10% of the vote and then ran for Judge a few years later, lost even Lawrence and Butte counties and we think this low energy career politician is going to bring energy to the office….please! more of the same…NO!
So, when is the vote at state convention ? I’ve never heard. Is it Saturday ? Seems to me it would be more fair, especially to the people from his district, if you could wait until after the vote fro AG takes place, and then decide what to do.
What is not fair is Russell running for two offices and potentially costing his opponents in both races because he was hedging his bet as a career politician.
No wonder Russell was fired and censored for shady things. He is not what the stat of South Dakota needs in office anywhere.
The votes are on Saturday…so if Russell has until 5:00pm Friday to act, we should know if we need to go or not…not getting up in the middle of the night if he isn’t on the list
Right, me too, may make a difference if I go to Convention or not. Apparently, if he was allowed to run for both offices, it must be legal. He won the Senate primary in a landslide even though his constituents knew he was also running for AG. I am still undecided as to whom I would vote for at Convention, but since Russell has been allowed to run for both, why not let him decide what to do after the Saturday vote ? If he wins AG, he will obviously withdraw from the Senate. If he loses, he can stay in the Senate race……But, If he stays in it and is forced to withdraw from the Senate race on Friday night, then loses on Saturday, it becomes a farce and he has nothing.
I think that is the point, he has to choose. Put some skin in the game. don’t be a career politician.
If you’re a delegate you should have already received the schedule from your County Chair, which is also posted publicly on the South Dakota GOP website & Facebook page.
Hey there Charlie what exactly does a “goo” AG do? And how does an AG “reform” an office whose only job is to enforce the rule of codified law? Is “goodspeed” pretty fast?
(I know this all happened on accident!). LOL
I appreciate how unflappable Russell is. The calmness and intelligence and confidence in his comments make me appreciate his candidacy for AG.
Come on Stace, we know this is you posting your support for Russell.
Remind me. How many office is Lance running for? 4 or 5? More? Interesting strategy throwing everything against the wall and see what sticks.
You obviously don’t know Russell. He is as strategic as they come and a good looking devil too.
grudz you forgot your name….
Russell is unethical and looking for power, not a good strategic more of a crook sounding to me.
So why do I want to go to a convention spend my time, my money and effort if my guy is going to drop out?
I don’t I think I’ll pass
Your obviously not a Russell supporter. We travel. We show up.
Ravnsborg’s probably don’t travel well.
Russell supporters travel and worst case scenario we vote for a good and qualified AG.
What would stop the county committee from choosing Russell to replace Russell? If he withdrew Friday night to roll the dice for AG and loses Saturday couldn’t he return home and ask to be selected to fill the vacancy?
nothing….
Pay special attention to the last line of SDCL 12-6-55. I think most people will read (as I do) this to mean that “all withdrawals are final”. But, I’m also not a judge, by whom a challenge would likely be decided.
12-6-55. Withdrawal by nominee–Time and place of filing. Any person nominated to any elective office may cause his name to be withdrawn from nomination by request in writing, subscribed and sworn to by him before any officer qualified to administer oaths and take acknowledgments. The request shall be filed with the officer with whom the nominating petition was filed pursuant to § 12-6-4, not later than the first Tuesday in August at 5:00 p.m. before the ensuing election. No name so withdrawn shall be printed upon the ballots to be used at such election.
http://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=12-6-55
I think that he could still have his name put back on after it was withdrawn as that would be a new nomination.
I’m not a lawyer, but I think Gideon is correct on what the INTENT of 12-6-55 is meant to be.
“No name so withdrawn shall be printed upon the ballots to be used at such election.” certainly appears to mean the “ballots to be used” in the general election.
I wonder if the SOS could clarify that, before a decision needs to be made.
Or, possibly the AG’s office.
Why not skip all this and just endorse the best AG for South Dakota Randy Seiler? 🙂
there are times when this endless wrangling makes seiler look not bad at all.
So Fitzgerald is attacking BOTH Jason and Lance and then wants the support of their followers to switch? This seems to be a poor strategy to me.
I looked at Fitz for a while, but he has run such a poor campaign and offering no reason to vote FOR him. he comes across as it is all about him, not about the people or the office…say what you want about the other 2 but at least they are talking that way.
Fair point. Fitzgerald is running to much on the its my term pick me .
Fitzgerald had his chance 15 years ago…he has not improved with age.