A South DaCola foot soldier told me they got a poll call the other day (couldn’t remember the polling company). But the caller asked various questions about state issues then asked,
“Who would you vote for in the governor’s race if it was Daugaard VS. Huether?”
Not sure who paid for this poll, but I do think Huether is exploring the governor’s race. Like I have said in the past, he can transfer any of his mayoral campaign funds into a governor race fund.
Drop me a line if any of you have more info on this.
I wouldn’t vote for either one.
Sioux Falls politicians are an incompetent laughing stock – save a handful like Dr. Staggers and a couple others. South Dakota has a l o n g healthy respect and common sense to avoid Sioux Falls snake oil salesmen politicians until they PROVE themselves competent.
If that is what it takes to save Mr. Sanford’s ass from the hatchet of Elizabeth Warren’s Senate Banking Committee, by all means, Mr. Mayor, you should run for Governor of South Dakota.
I’m with you Joan. When Denny and Heidi-Scott were running against each other, I skipped that box.
I received the same pollster phone call the other night as well. I am of the hunch it was done with the acquiescence of the Johnson camp and not Huether himself. The reason I say this is because I was never asked to pick a candidate between a Sandlin/Rounds senate race, which is a potential outcome in 2014. I am of the impression the Johnson camp is trying to find out who is more popular between Sandlin and Huether for governor. Especially, when you note that one of the questions asked was about abortion. Sandlin is pro-choice, but Huether has the advantage of no public record on this issue, and this issue would be a pivotal issue in any SD gubernatorial
race. The Johnson camp want the governor’s office under their control, I surmise, so that they can have a lot of say
in who would replace Tim Johnson if he needed to resign or conveniently resigned, say in January of 2017 for health reasons, so that his son could become the “Senator by Default” or should we say the “Favorite Son” candidate … no pun intended. A course this speculation is with the assumption that Johnson is running again, and I think this polling says yes to that.
I meant January of 2019 or December of 2018 if a Democratic governor was not reelected, not January of 2017.
I have a solid case of Huether fatigue — there has to be someone better to run against Daugaard. I would vote for a wet paper bag over Daugaard — but Huether? Say it isn’t so.
I would vote for Huether for governor just to get him out of Sioux Falls.
CL – I don’t think Huether is behind the poll either, I just find it interesting that the question is being asked. Who knows what? I know in the past when Mike explored running for governor he used a lot of back channels to gather information.
I never watch propaganda channel 16 but it was on by mistake. Huether was with a 4th grade class. He was way over their heads trying to brainwash them. He stated the mayor’s office had bulletproof windows and his own bathroom. What an arrogant asshole. He should not run for governor because he’d need a pope mobile and stray bullets might hit state troopers who protect & defend the constitution.
Maybe someone is promoting SubPrime’s interest in the race to make Denny DooGood look better to the voters.
l3wis – Huether may be in the “thick” on this, but I still think Johnson is behind it. The Johnson camp has taken an heighten interest in SD gubernatorial politics in recent years as a tool to promote their peerage politics.
By the way, the pollster was Pubic Policy Polling (PPP) out of North Carolina.
Imagine a bunch of South Dakota politicians using an out of state polling place. Must not have to pay sales tax on it then.
This is curious.
My first reaction was that Daugaard and Rounds had teamed up for a poll but they wouldn’t use PPP and they would probably ask about Rounds vs SHS and Rounds vs Brendan. And maybe the dreaded Rounds vs Noem question.
This is most likely a Johnson poll. I’ve heard that a poll was done for Rounds months ago and showed him up double digits against TJohnson.
A Democratic firm polling the 2014 governors race with Huether and asking a question about Rounds vs Johnson? Boy that almost makes one think TJ is serious about running again.
I wouldn’t think Daugaard would be vulnerable to Huether or any Dem in ’14 but he hasn’t exactly run a voter friendly governorship since taking the reins from Rounds.
Daugaard is extremely vulnerable. His comments on KELO after the election suggesting voters were more or less lazy when it came to voting on the initiatives was utterly stupid. Has he not a political bone in him? Daugaard can be beat!
As far as Rounds v. Johnson, I still believe Round’s best day was the day he announced. If the Republicans pick Rounds for the Senate they will defy everything they have learned in the “Thune Era” about SD congressional politics. Rounds does not fit the successful mode of a modern SD Republican congressional candidate like Thune or Noem do. Rounds would take the SD GOP back into a time when they were inept in fielding marketable congressional candidates, and would destroy the youth and vigor which Thune and Noem offer to SD GOP partisans and future aspiring hopefuls (TARS).
We need better candidates. How about BabyGirl Huether for governor. Her speech for Midget Mayor proved she can run on without saying anything. A perfect politician. This state could once and for all prove they are as ignorant as people suspect.
The guy who owns the Dollar Loan Center would be a great Governor of South Dakota.
anom – probably better then what we have now.
Concerned Liberal,
Daugaard hasn’t done many things right when it comes to his public image (other than balancing the budget) but he’s still a strong candidate for reelection (especially in a state that has not elected a Dem for Governor since 1976.)
I beg to differ with people on the whole image is everything angle with the GOP. Rounds is a nice guy politician and if you were to look at how Rounds has brought up those who are his political allies it says the GOP would be better to go with Rounds than Thune. Thune is really about numero uno where Rounds has brought up the likes of Daugaard, Jackley, Dusty, Russ Olson, Shantel Krebs and a whole host of others.
It tells me that Mike Rounds is more interested in building a team of his supporters than just boosting himself.
If I was running the GOP I’d go with Rounds over Thune and Noem.
In fact I hope Noem challenges Rounds in a primary so we can be rid of her.
When knocking on doors prior to fall election, one conversation was over how Daugaard ticked off a group of regular buffalo round up folks by changing the date — not to the benefit of the people who annually make plans, but some other group? Not sure of the details, but the party I talked to was not impressed by his antic there.
WOW!,
1974.
Perhaps Rounds is a better Republican, but the problem with the Rounds candidacy for the Republicans is that it could very likely scare Johnson out of running, if your polling data is accurate, making Sandlin our next Senator with the Republicans misplaying an opportunity…. not that I want another Republican senator, but purely from a “strateegery” standpoint do I make this point. If the Republicans ran Noem instead of Rounds, I think Johnson would stay in the race, and Noem would win in a squeakier.
The senate race in 2014 reminds me a lot of the SD senate race in 1980, where McGovern was obviously vulnerable and there was talk of having Kneip run in his place, but when Abdnor eventually became the heir apparent Republican nominee, with Lowell Hansen and “Wild Bill” saying no to a run, there was faint hope the “McGovern Magic” could overcome the 2nd District Congressman, but even Abdnor won and so could Noem in 2014.
I believe the Johnson camp understands Noem’s unique political qualities, which Rounds does not possess. Other wise how do you explain their interest in running Varilek against Noem to hopefully stop her? Had Varilek won would he have not been in Brendan Johnson’s way? Unless you subscribe to my earlier mentioned scenario that the Johnson camp hopes for re-election, a Democratic Governor, and to eventually make B. Johnson an appointed Senator (?)
Concerned Liberal,
Very interesting conversation you have started here.
If I understand corectly you are stating that Noem is percieved to be much weaker than Rounds. There for Rounds is strong enough to scare Tim out of the race while Noem would give them a false hope of winning? I can kind of see that. – No one thinks Noem is as strong as Mike Rounds exept a few fringe backers she has.
If Rounds scares out Johnson that means SHS runs for US Senate? And SHS has the upper hand? I would agree that she does if there is a Rounds v Noem primary but not just because against Mike Rounds. It would be a close race but I’m not sure I see SHS getting over that 45-46% mark against him.
If it’s SHS v Noem then that would mean Noem took the hatchet to Rounds in the primary and is probably weak herself. SHS would defeat Noem by 5%.
Either way I see Rounds as the toughest GOP candidate in the field. He might not be “hot” like Noem but SD is getting tired of her lack of substance. Thune might be a good looking guy but most people who talk to Thune feel he is on top of the issues and able to articulate his position. That doesn’t mean we always agree but Noem reads off a talking point sheet and repeats a slogan much more than Thune. Rounds understands the issues and can make smart responses that don’t have to be in lock step with a political party.
My belief has always been that the entire purpose of the Johnson and Varilek scheme in 2012 was to keep Noem from having an easy election and reaching the 70 and high 60% range that SHS, Thune and Johnson all had going into their reelection campaigns. I think they accomplished that. Noem might have won by quite a stretch but her support is probably soft for 4-8% of that number. Also the D’s didn’t turn out the reservations and Varilek wasn’t a candidate suited for SD like Brendan Johnson is.
Brendan will run for Congress in ’14 if he wants to win.
WOW,
The Johnson camp might have “weaken” Noem, but if Rounds is the stronger opponent would they have not been better served to have kept Noem as a more popular opponent and as a more credible alternative to Rounds for Republican voters – thus, hoping that their opponent in 2014 would maybe be Noem instead of Rounds? Unless the Johnson camp never thought Rounds would actually run? But also, does not weakening Noem only encourage a Rounds candidacy? Unless they truly fear Noem(?)
Also, would not a more popular Noem make it more likely that she would run for the senate in 2014, thus giving B. Johnson an opening for the House race in 2014? (This a course assumes that Tim and Brendan would not be on the same ballot, which I do not think they would ever do nor should do, which means Tim does not run.) But who would ever phantom that the Johnson camp would devise a strategy to make it less possible for BJ to run for the House and more probable TJ could win re-election. Unless, the Johnson camp had no intentions of running BJ for the House, but they think they can beat Rounds easier than Noem, … and with the help of a Democratic governor they could make BJ a senator someday(?)
I believe the Johnson camp fears Noem because she takes the campaign to a image level, which Rounds cannot do. Rounds mirrors Tim Johnson, but Noem can use the cowgirl image to her advantage especially with the help of potential Obama fatigue in 2014.