Top Political Stories of 2018: #4 – Dusty Johnson wins primary, and never looks back

Pat Powers

#4 – Dusty Johnson wins primary, and never looks back

The 2018 Congressional race was opened up by Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s vacating the seat to run for Governor. Entering the contest on top of Noem’s announcement, Dusty Johnson quickly acceded his entry into the contest.

In the beginning of the contest, Secretary of State Shantel Krebs – whose candidacy was the stuff of rumor until early 2017- would give the appearance of being neck in neck with Dusty. But when campaign engines started running full bore in 2018, the Krebs effort fell apart.

Dusty Johnson’s campaign kept pace in terms of fundraising, and would only be beaten in terms of fundraising by slight amounts in some of the reports, but where it truly shined was organizationally. Team Johnson had an incredible grassroots team, cultivated over many years by Johnson. He managed to produce a team of campaign of operatives whose efforts and expertise were second to none in the 2018 elections.

While Johnson boasted an army, organizationally Krebs’ efforts were a tattered mess. She could pay consultants and could buy the ads and air time. But no one outside of her closest allies would work the campaign. Not only did Jason Williams, her most experienced political ally abandon ship and completely disassociate himself from her office, Krebs found herself having to pay people to circulate her petitions. And it didn’t get any better for her from there.

With Krebs attempting to claim the position of trying to be the “Trump-iest” in the race, State Senator Neal Tapio – who was Trump Coordinator for South Dakota in the previous election – joined the race with bombast, and cleaved the Trump demographic Krebs was actively courting completely in half.  Meanwhile, Johnson maintained his efforts at capturing the GOP at large as opposed to a segment.

While Krebs and Johnson competed for air time on a reasonably similar basis, Dusty Johnson’s ground game hit areas of the state hard with door to door traffic and with voter ID in preparation of the upcoming primary.

On primary election day, the results of Dusty’s grassroot efforts came together with a punishing 48% of the primary vote to Krebs’ 30%, and Tapio’s 22%.

Moving into the general election, Dusty faced Democrat and retired judge Tim Bjorkman. Johnson, who has always had the reputation of being an energetic and enthusiastic policy wonk was now facing Bjorkman, who had pledged not to take donations from special interests.  While Dusty’s campaign team had been tested by fire and ready to move into the fall, Bjorkman’s campaign office could seem like a revolving door.

Bjorkman’s campaign could never seem to get out of the culvert it found itself in. Out-raised, outmanned and outgunned, the outcome was never in doubt, and Johnson won the contest 60% to Bjorkman’s 36%.

21 thoughts on “Top Political Stories of 2018: #4 – Dusty Johnson wins primary, and never looks back”

  1. Johnson ran a much more positive primary and general. He knows who he is as a person and what he wants to say. Hard worker.

    Bjorkman never had a chance.

    Tapio. Never met him but he came off insane. Thankfully dusty didn’t need his support.

    Krebs is bitter and spends most of her time in the Capitol trashing Barnett and disrespecting governor office employees.

  2. Ms. Krebs is, by all accounts, a bitter young woman who ran a reasonable office of State Secretary but was financially incompetent. If I were Mr. Barnett I would be assessing all the damage when I moved into my new office before leaving the security deposit.

  3. Our next US Senator someday I predict….

    tough break going to the minority….but he will still do well

  4. Dusty’s real strength is in building (and inspiring) a group of talented people to go into battle with him.

  5. Dusty Johnson has not held a responsible or meaningful job outside of government. He plans to live off the people the rest of his career or become a lobbyist like Daschle. I had to hold my nose while voting for him because the alternative was much worse.

    This was an unnecessary political hackfest by Pat Powers bashing both Neil Tapio and Ms Krebs.

    Mr. Tapio was the only one standing up to import of refugees into South Dakota without our knowledge courtesy of LSS and the Obama administration. Without efforts like his Sioux Falls could become another St Cloud if left up to the likes of Senator Curd.

    It’s long past time to clean up the SD Republican Party.

      1. “2014” Don’t let the truth distract you Pat. “Adjunct”, is that a synonym for being paid in absentia? Paid by the people again…Like I said.

        Mr. Johnson came through that “revolving door” called the SDPUC. You know the PUC that added the energy fuel clause that now makes up one third of our Xcel bill most months. Research that one.

        Pat: You are the one with the unnecessary “rant” or political bashing of those in the primary over since last June. What was the purpose of it? What gain? Gloating? Bucking for a staff job? A “rant” for sure.

        We need more and better candidates. We need to be able to vet them. Not just those endorsed by the Republican party. We need those to step forward. Unfortunately they have to endure political hacksters with an axe to grind.

        BTW. I don’t respond to those who hide behind their keyboards with “Anonymous” or pseudonyms. There is a name for them, but then I’m not a Democrat.

        1. I’ll make sure I ask you in advance what months are allowed in doing a year in review piece next December.

          1. Pat,
            A year in review should be just that. Not one that just covers Dusty Johnson’s campaign and bashes opponents.

            Troy,
            I hit post before filling out form. Thanks for the comment..rich and snarky.

            1. One might also try reading the articles covering the remaining nine top political stories of the year.

    2. Stephen, So being the Vice President of Vantage Point Solutions in Mitchell is not a meaningful job?

      Do you know he was also an adjunct professor at Dakota Wesleyen?

  6. The very first poster on this thread said about Dusty: “He knows who he is as a person and what he wants to say. Hard worker.”

    Ask ANYONE who knew Dusty in Jr. High or High School and they will say the exact same thing. He was formed by his challenges and successes as a young person and this formation is fundamental. What you see with Dusty is what you get.

  8. The trouble with campaigning as a mindless supporter of Donald Trump is it doesn’t work even with the Republicans who like Trump. South Dakotans would prefer somebody who will support the POTUS when he is right and oppose him when he’s wrong,

    Future candidates for the US Senate and House of Representatives would do well to remember that.

  10. Anonymous person above said: “BTW. I don’t respond to those who hide behind their keyboards with “Anonymous” or pseudonyms. There is a name for them, but then I’m not a Democrat.”

    Rich.

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