Interestingly, South Dakota Democrats expressed some unhappiness just before the election with their current leadership, as embodied by Chairwoman Ann Tornberg, Director Sam Parkinson, and others who we’re not sure exactly what they were being paid for.
Such as here…
Turning to the South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP): While I hate being the bearer of bad news, someone has to report it. The SDDP held a State Central Committee meeting in Rapid City on September 22nd in conjunction with its annual Buffalo Round-Up Dinner and they failed to make a quorum. They needed 14 counties for a quorum but only 12 attended the meeting. Notably, except for Charles Mix, no representative from a County with a dominate Native American population attended the meeting.
And here…
One thing is certain. If a democrat wins, it will not be because of anything the South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) did. Despite promises and a $50,000.00 grant from the National Democratic Party, it failed to increase Democratic voter registration in South Dakota or build an organization that can Get-Out-the-Vote. If Democratic candidates win, they will have done it on their own.
Win or lose, Democrats need to clean house at the SDDP and rebuild the party into a relevant organization. Democrats in an urban county need to be equal to a Democrat in Harding, or Hyde, or Haakon counties. Currently the SDDP governs itself on the basis of one county, one vote. It needs to change immediately and govern itself on the basis of one person, one vote. Only then will it be able frame policies that appeal to both urban and rural voters. In short, the SDDP needs to become democratic.
Read that here at Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls.
As a Republican, I would wholeheartedly endorse Ann Tornberg being reelected to another 4-year term of office as chair of the SDDP. With continued clean sweeps, and maintaining the number of Republican legislators at near impossible numbers election after election, she’s been great for South Dakota Republicans!
Tornberg for Chair! Please give her 2 more years!
If I was a Dem I’d be disappointed but Sutton showed them the recipe.
Recruit great candidates
Personalize: Tell that candidates background and personal story.
Be SD Democrats not DC Dems.
It helps to be moderate, pro-life, pro gun.
Good candidates raise lots of money.
Kristi had to spend $7 million and needed Trump, Pence, Thune, Rounds, Jackley, Daugaard and 100k GOP voter advantage to pull this out of a loss.
Sutton and his dems have much to be proud of.
Thornberg needs to go. She does not know how to build infrastructure or recruit better candidates. If Dems want to build on this then they need to show they are serious by getting rid of her.
I disagree on Sutton. He played the part of a moderate when he is anything but. He supports the policies of Bernie Sanders, a socialist, and Hillary Clinton, a socialist. He took money from Planned (non) Parenthood, an abortion promoting, body-part selling group. He hid under a cowboy hat and tried to come across as an “aw-shucks” average joe. If not being honest about your goals and your world view is the recipe for success for the Democrats then the Republicans need to find out more about the real candidates early on and expose them to the light of truth.
I voted Kristi but I think Sutton is a long way from being Bernie or Hillary. He’s more liberal than I am but so is Dennis Daugaard and the current GOP administration. I think Billie is actually similar to Daugaard on many policies.
Pants on fire again anon. Question, if Billie Sutton is pro-choice, then why did the SDRTL pac fb page along with you Pat and other establishment Republicans take down my posts on Kristi and Billie’s voting record concerning abortion?
I didn’t take down your post, Tara, I don’t have that power. Billie would not have been a strong pro-life governor; you take money from the devil and you dance to his tune. Billie aligned himself with a national party that worships at the altar of abortion.
You did take down my posts, but I forgive you anyway. If Billie would have known back then what he knows now, he would be Governor.
I just want to thank Marty Jackley for being a class act. If he would have backed Sutton after the viscious primary or would have sat it out Sutton would probably have found 12,000 more votes.
Kristi won because she had a United GOP. Democrats needed to fracture us and they didn’t.
Very good point! I spoke with Attorney General Jackely yesterday (he and Kristi both attended the wonderful law enforcement appreciation dinner). I thanked Marty for being a GREAT leader, a superb litigator, and a true gentlemen. Genuine Class.
You wrote: “Kristi won because she had a United GOP.” True, and we should recognize that the SDGOP executive board did an awesome job, especially Dan Lederman and his team. Sweeping the statewide offices, despite the national current and a very vigorous democratic effort, is no mean feat.
Seems to me the key to a close election was run like your a republican, act like your a republican, tell everyone your conservative but just register as a democrat and quietly support that platform. In other words, lie.
Sure, that shows leadership and spine.
Well agreeing with voters is probably the best way to win an election.
It works everytime, just look at our politicians in Pierre and Washington.
The Dems always say they are moderate/conservative during the campaign but never govern that way. There hasn’t been an actual conservative Democrat in at least 20 years !
So are the Republicans conservative?
Not all are conservative. I never said they were.
Yes, It’s time for the Democrats to get a new leader. Billie Sutton might be the best hope they’ve got. The moderate, conservative and pro-life Democrats should make their move quickly. The future of the party belongs to them.
When the Democrats at the national level are promoting ultra-left socialist agenda it’s kind of difficult to go in a different direction at the state level. I think most conservatives and moderates have joined the Republican party or registered as Independent.
When do democrats have elections for the chair position?
Will the SDDP obituary be printed in tomorrows state newspapers? Curious when the funeral will be? Irish wake?
Heathens don’t have funerals. They just incinerate the bodies, spread the ashes in a body of water, and go take a nap.
So are the Republicans conservative?
So Troy, are you say the 0ver 161,500 South Dakotans that voted for Billie Sutton are Heathens?
Tara, don’t you have a barrel of something to pour in a lake someplace?
I do, but the Mayor is not interested in cleaning the Lake. He would rather chase the grant money and do more studies.
Put Kelsea Sutton in charge. She can screw up the Dems statewide even more so. Kinda like she screw up the Gregory County commission.
Frerichs should take the party over.
Seriously. Democrats need to pull together. Sutton has a big future.
If there is an open seat and you were Barnett, Ravnsborg or the GOP’s next person up would you want to run against Sutton? I doubt it.
He took a 4 term congresswoman to the brink and she was fortunate that Marty isn’t a sore loser or she would have been toast regardless of whether or not Trump came.
12,000 votes. Go find them.
Democrats need a plan for west river. They can’t die across the river in every election. Republicans need to work on squishy Sioux Falls.
Dems need better candidates down ballot and they need to figure out how to raise money for these races.
Seiler was good and he was rewarded with voted. But he was liberal and lacked resources.
The other Dems were placeholders.
They came within 30 votes of defeating the Senate Majority Leader. Figure out how to close races out.
Until the SDDP looks like, acts like, organizes like, and performs like (having only 15% of the Legislature is nothing) a political party, their candidates are p’ing in the wind.
BTW, not sure Billie is the saviour. He performed slightly less well in his home county than he did statewide. Beware the shiny stone or gold ring in the shallow water.
His wife helped him perform less well. Her idol is Gerda Lerner, look her up.
Trump got 11% in his hometown.
trump’s hometown is a glorified beehive, nothing more.
I thought he was homeless! The guy is living in public housing (on Pennsylvania Ave.).