With fewer than thirty days until the election, Congressional challenger Liz May finds herself challenged. Challenged by the demands of a campaign in which her participation has been almost exclusively via facebook meme.
May has managed to get a few 4×8 signs to travel east of the Missouri River, which is an accomplishment that the candidate has not been able to achieve, aside from an early and somewhat rambling speech at the Hughes County Lincoln Day Dinner.
While candidates in this years’ primary election have been equally hobbled by the restrictions necessitated by the COVID19 pandemic, most have found creative ways around it, and provide regular content, and actually campaign.
US Senator Mike Rounds has had signs up for some time, has an active campaign presence, and has been a regular presence in state and national media. His challenger Scyller Borglum has been active on social media, and had a statewide mailing. Congressman Dusty Johnson, again, is a regular presence in the media, has signs up around the state, he’s mailed, he’s has had regular media appearances, and even given the limitations of the pandemic is active.
Liz May? Well… A couple of surrogates have managed to smuggle a couple of inanimate pieces of plastic emblazoned with her logo past the Missouri River barrier which seems to have stymied the candidate, (although she’s looking for $5 if you want a yard sign.) OH! Liz made it to her freezer in this video. And she’s posted a number of facebook memes that you can see nearly anywhere else on Facebook without a plea for cash or a demand that we “#culltheherd” with more emoticons than a 12 year old girl on twitter.
Is this as awful as I’m making this sound?? Well, yes. It is.
If it sounds as if Liz has given up at this point.. well, she might be competitive in her county. But beyond those borders, I question if she’s going to come close to the dead cat bounce figure of 18-20% (the number of people that would vote for a dead cat against a popular incumbent just to be contrarian).
If you look across the spectrum, I can point to several state legislative candidates who are running more aggressive campaigns. And they managed to make it past their refrigerated cooler.
Liz May for Congress in the 2020 GOP primary? It’s more like Liz May Not.
Hubbel got 18% against Gov Daugaard in 2014 GOP primary election
Chad Huber (L) got 18% against AG Jackley (R) in 2014 General election
So I would agree 18% is the standard for the over under
I haven’t seen any TV ads or much online advertising yet and so that benefits the incumbent with less than a month to go and people being encouraged to vote absentee.
I believe that there was an opening with Dusty’s votes against the President on the wall funding but Liz only seems to want to talk about cattle ranchers and it looks like Sen Rounds and AG Ravnsborg are leading on that issue. I would have thought she would have made a press release praising them and the President for calling for a DOJ investigation, but she seems to have missed that opportunity for free press also.
She just doesn’t have the resources or the team to make this a race.
I predict 77-23 for Johnson
Sounds about right.
I think Liz and Scyller will get the Aggie support.
The more interesting question is who will lose by less – Scyller or Liz? And is that a reflection on their strengths or the incumbents weakness?
Why won’t the incumbents agree to some debates?
This is a tough climate with the virus situation, so I can see why she couldn’t make much of a splash. I haven’t seen a lot out there about her, but I didn’t see myself being persuaded to vote for her.
On the plus side, with the situation, we haven’t had to see very much of old-man Biden and his blathering “speeches” and “folksy”, “lunch-bucket” manner. Would I rather not have the virus and be subjected to his idiocy on a daily basis? Of course.
You haven’t seen much of Liz because she has been in lock-down. If you try leaving the rez, you will be arrested. Maybe they should have a lock-down in DC. Any word about Lame Stream media televising debates?
more like Liz Dismay… horrible. Though I’m also having buyers remorse with Rep. Dusty Johnson…
He hasn’t done anything that amazing and doesn’t have that many solo ventures to look to. All of his press releases on legislative victories talk about broad bills congress has passed… nothing he’s championed for the most part.
Liz will outperform Skyller. Dusty failed to gain a majority and his #NeverTrump establishment softness has done little to muster any gravitas on the America First front. A protest vote exists, insufficient but stronger than Borglum.
I haven’t seen any signs for Dusty or Mike in Watertown nor any for Liz or Scyller. Actually haven’t seen highway signs for any of them either, but then haven’t been looking. Liz will do much better than Scyller is my wild unsubstantiated guess.
We want to see some debates.