Ugh. Too much on my plate, and too much spam in my e-mail box. I am only realizing a day later that I was sent the list of legislators who joined the South Dakota group for Jeb Bush. So, better late than never….
South Dakota State Legislators Join Draft Jeb Bush Group
Senate Majority Leader Joins Group Urging Jeb Bush to Seek Presidency
Sioux Falls, SD— March 26, 2015 — Today Steve Westra (R-SD) announced the addition of eight South Dakota state legislators to the South Dakotans for Jeb Bush volunteer group, including Senate Majority Leader Tim Rave (R-SD). The South Dakotans for Jeb Bush group was founded by Steve Westra, assistant South Dakota House majority leader, and has gathered hundreds of names of South Dakotans that are urging Jeb Bush to run for the presidency of the United States. The group was the first in the nation formed to urge Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, to run for the office of the President.
“We have shown that this draft Jeb Bush movement has broad state wide appeal,” said Westra. “We have respected state leaders from West River ranch country, the James River valley area, Sioux Falls, and all over East River.”
“Jeb Bush represents the best of South Dakota conservatism, and that is why this draft movement is attracting the support of many Republicans. We have farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, educators, and students that are united in their support of Jeb Bush,” said Westra. “Jeb Bush represents the majority of South Dakotan’s views on a limited government, a strong national defense, and protection of our Second Amendment rights.”
South Dakotans for Jeb Bush has set up a Facebook site at www.facebook.com/sdforjeb with over 500 names accumulated to date. The group will be sending Jeb Bush the names of South Dakotans that were early supporters of his campaign.
The complete list of legislators that have joined South Dakotans for Jeb Bush include:
1. Senator Tim Rave (R-SD), Senate Majority Leader, District 25, Baltic, SD
2. Representative Justin R. Cronin (R-SD), District 23, Gettysburg, SD
3. Senator Phyllis Heineman (R-SD), District 13, Sioux Falls, SD
4. Representative Alex Jensen (R-SD), District 12, Sioux Falls, SD
5. Representative Larry Zikmund (R-SD), District 14, Sioux Falls, SD
6. Representative Fred W. Romkema (R-SD), District 31, Spearfish, SD
7. Representative Dick Werner (R-SD), District 22, Huron, SD
8. Representative Burt E. Tulson (R-SD), District 2, Lake Norden, SD
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Jeb Bush represents the best of South Dakota conservatism? That is one of the dumbest statements I’ve heard all day and probably for a few days-mind you, I hear a lot of quotes from Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and BHO, so the competition is stiff.
Jeb Bush is NOT conservative, and to try to paint him as such is a disservice at least and dishonest at worst.
Look up his record as governor sometime. He was pretty conservative in most people’s view. He just doesn’t use all the conservative rhetoric that a lot of the blowhards do. I’ll take some who DOES conservative things over someone who simply SAYS them
It worked for Mike Rounds.
So many moderates supporting Bush.
you howie guys get back to us on which republican rick weiland would prefer.
i’d personally prefer kasich or rick perry, but bush is good. the rest of the field rings my alarm bell for a variety of reasons.
I can certainly get on board with you on Walker and possibly Kasich.
i didn’t mention walker. i can’t exactly put my finger on it, but he’s ringing my alarm a little.
Personally, I’m watching Paul, Walker and Bush and find them all closely aligned to me on my issues. In some areas I like Paul best (foreign), Walker (regulatory/federalism), and Bush (Pro-Life red and overall combination plus proven administrative competence).
The charge Bush is a moderate is one I disagree. In the last 20 years, there has not been a single person who directly fought the Pro-Life cause harder and more pointedly than him when he fought for Terri Schiavo’s life. If Pro-Life is a top issue for any Republican, Jeb Bush has earned top of the line consideration.
If you base the labeling of someone as moderate/not-moderate-but-conservative only on the abortion issue, you may have a point. I am very pro-life, but there are other pro-life candidates who are not such obvious establishment types that I would prefer them to Bush any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The country does not need someone like Jeb Bush in the White House. With the current person in the White House and the damage that has been done and the direction this country has been turned, we need a strong conservative, not someone like Jeb Bush.
Common Core and immigration are the ONLY areas he doesn’t follow Republican orthodoxy. On every other issue he was as conservative as they get when he was in office
The real key to success in ’16 is getting behind a Republican nominee early, and trying hard to get our fragmented party in unison. There will be a lot of us who, for one reason, or another, won’t like the eventual nominee. But now, more than ever, we need to mend our differences and get the republican elected. Otherwise, Hillary will win in a walk, and we’ll have eight more years (if the country lasts that long) of Obama-like policies!
That means the Howie, Pressler, and Nelson types don’t put their support behind a third-party candidate who has zero chance of winning, and will only take votes away from the Republican.
Also means “Bush–sounds good to me!” shouldn’t be a knee jerk reaction. There’s a lot of good people on the radar right now, personally Jeb Bush would be about 5th or 6th on my list. Candidates like McCain and Romney obviously did not inspire, you want to get behind someone similar early? Jeb Bush is this year’s Romney. What about considering John Kasich, Scott Walker, Mike Pence, Bobby Jindal ? I Like Ted Cruz, have a feeling he’s not quite ready for the big slot, plus I have a thing about Senators running for Pres. Have a personal like for Rick Perry, Marco Rubio should file for re-election now and forget about the WH.
Your “Pressler” types are gone, they’re now voting for the dem to show how ‘nuanced and open minded’ they are. Howie/Nelson types will either vote w party or sit it out.
“Marco Rubio should file for re-election now and forget about the WH.”
Good comment overall, Veldy, but Rubio is the most personally likable of the establishment-wing candidates. I think America needs him in the race.
Rubio will lose the nomination (probably get 2nd or 3rd) then get elected Governor in 2018 and run for POTUS in 2024
I have to agree with you in general. I would like to see someone who has experience as a governor. Bush is not my favorite, but in an election of Bush v. Clinton, Bush gets my vote. But any of the others you mention would get my vote well. I am hearing Jindal is having some problems, but some of that noise is coming from rags like the NYT. I like Cruz and Paul, but would rather see them simmer a little longer in the Senate or seek their state’s governorship before looking to go to the Majors.
“The real key to success in ’16 is getting behind a Republican nominee early, and trying hard to get our fragmented party in unison.”
Yeah, like when the Republican establishment pushed Romney and Huckabee out of the 2008 primary so the media could focus all of its coverage on the drawn-out battle between Hillary and Obama.
The real key to success in 2016 is resisting the urge to nominate an “electable” candidate who sucks.
“Otherwise, Hillary will win in a walk, and we’ll have eight more years (if the country lasts that long) of Obama-like policies!”
Yeah, this is why we had to unite behind Giuliani for 2008. Remember? He was the only one who could beat Hillary.
“That means the Howie, Pressler, and Nelson types don’t put their support behind a third-party candidate who has zero chance of winning, and will only take votes away from the Republican.”
No, trying to shut down the election without a substantive discussion of the issues is exactly what drives those “types” away.
giuliani never had a chance in 2008 because the party establishment lined up early behind mccain.
also, what?!? the media took out huckabee and romney? WRONG. in 2008 mccain, huckabee and romney illustrated the three legs of the conservative footstool – mccain the establishment, huckabee the social conservative and romney the fiscal conservative. the social and fiscal conservatives both hated mccain but would not break to one or the other alternative, so huckabee ran out of gas first, and romney exited second in the face of having lost so much distance in the delegate race. the obama-clinton race created ‘drama’ but i bet hillary would have given that up easily for a lock on the nomination. the difference in 2008 was the republican party’s ‘winner take all’ policy on primary delegates, that’s how mccain got so far ahead so fast.
look at mccain’s margin. look at romney, look at sharron angle vs reid. look at ‘w’ in 2000. the partisan margins are incredibly close and the independents pick the winner. to say the clarity of a clear conservative would clinch the win flies in the face of history. the clincher is whoever is perceived by the mass of voters to have the most ability and the most power, by which i mean power to bring forth the best future.
you have to decide, via the republican primary, who that person is. but please get the facts right.
re: huckabee v romney – i know romney officially left the race first, but huckabee was totally out of gas and stuck it out simply for a shot at the vp slot – which went to sarah palin. (probably why mccain ultimately lost independents)
“giuliani never had a chance in 2008 because the party establishment lined up early behind mccain.”
The establishment lined up behind McCain after the pro-life backlash against Giuliani.
“also, what?!? the media took out huckabee and romney? WRONG.”
Wrong indeed. That isn’t what I said.
“… so huckabee ran out of gas first …”
Even after your correction, that claim is still false. Huckabee’s rise and Romney’s fall were essentially the same event.
“the obama-clinton race created ‘drama’ but i bet hillary would have given that up easily for a lock on the nomination.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious. The one who benefited from the “drama” of the drawn-out primary battle was Obama.
“the difference in 2008 was the republican party’s ‘winner take all’ policy on primary delegates, that’s how mccain got so far ahead so fast.”
The difference in 2008 was that Fred Thompson stayed in the race for the sole purpose of kneecapping Huckabee in the South Carolina debate and thereby throwing the state to McCain.
“to say the clarity of a clear conservative would clinch the win flies in the face of history.”
What “history” do you mean, exactly? Reagan and Bush-43 are the only Republican nominees since Goldwater who’ve even tried to run “clear conservative” campaigns.
i love that jeb bush is so ready to do this, and presents such a formidable force. he’s the best candidate that we’ve had since before his father was president.
i have become an admirer of power and ability over the years. it’s really not better to fight to the last breath for your ‘perfect’ candidate if that candidate is guaranteed to lose the general election, or can’t otherwise gain the party’s nomination. note the fact and MOVE ON.
i see the appeal of the lesser candidates. they’re as numerous as our own differences on various issues. what i wouldn’t have given for duncan hunter to win the nomination in 2000, or tom tancredo. but they weren’t going to win it in any scenario you could play.
it’s easy for this or that candidate to spout the right words, and to pretend to have both power and ability, but it isn’t easy to actually acquire and wield both. bush does it easily. there are a few contenders with a better pamphlet of pithy conservative platitudes, but hardly anyone registers on the power and ability scale like bush does. that’s the bottom line for me.
there isn’t a thing these state supporters have said that links them to common core or shamnesty. i fully understand that they want to WIN in 2016.
correction: hunter and tancredo were part of the early campaigning in the 2008 cycle, and exited in the first wave. i regret the mention of 2000.
“i have become an admirer of power and ability over the years.”
I believe that. You sycophantic types are always drawn to anyone or thing whom you think will give you access to power. Pat Powers is South Dakota’s premiere example of this kind of political parasitism.