Not making any assumptions, but if I had to pick a Lt. Governor, former Legislator/former SF City Councilwoman Christine Erickson would be on my short list as a “get.”
No surprise here, I heard her LOBBYIST job isn’t going so hot, so Christine is looking for an out. Lt. Gov is a full-time position. This would set Christine up for running for mayor, and since the governorship will end in two years, it would be easy to run for mayor. I guess there is worse people . . . 🙁
I was actually happy to see Thune get majority leader, I don’t think he will put up with Trump’s crap. I think you are going to see a ton of Republican lawmakers push back on the insanity, and now they control all 4 houses of government and soon the Federal Reserve.
Thune’s case reminds me of a line in “Please,” a poem by American poet Robert Creeley: “Poor. Old. Tired. Horse.” In kindness, what can we do but wish the depleted pol, peddler of shoddy policies, a peaceful senescence and put him out to pasture, where, blithely oblivious to the impending crises, he can continue feeding upon the common fodder.”
Speaking of old horses (or at least people who may or may not fall off of them on occasion) it seems the snow queen’s justification for sending National Guard troops to the Texas border was just a line of horse puckey;
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem described the U.S. border with Mexico as a “war zone” last year when she sent dozens of state National Guard troops there, saying they’d be on the front lines of stopping drug smugglers and human traffickers.
But records from the Guard show that in their two-month deployment, the South Dakota troops didn’t seize any drugs. On a handful of occasions, they suspected people of scouting for lapses in their patrols, but mission logs don’t contain any confirmed encounters with “transnational criminals.” And a presentation from the deployment noted that Mexican cartels were assessed to be a “moderate threat” but were “unlikely” to target U.S. forces.
But didn’t we already know that? It’s unbelievable to me that Noem can be this corrupt and dishonest and actually be leading in polls. Any sane electorate would have sent her and Thune packing years ago. Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets in SoDak.
It may be a running joke in the comments section of this blog, but lately I have been hearing from Democratic and Republican political insiders that the GOP money machine and other operatives are setting Mayor Paul to be the next senator from South Dakota.
I would assume that Dusty Johnson would run for Governor in 4 years and Paul would run for Rounds seat (assuming he decides not to run).
When I first heard this well over a year ago from a Democratic party rabble rouser, I just laughed, but it seems the chatter in both political parties is at a deafening level.
I think it all become much more clear today when I was sitting on Phillips Avenue watching the 4th of July parade and Mayor Paul came by with a big old truck emblazed with his campaign logo like he was running for something. He is. The US Senate.
Trump’s recent assessment of Thune had me laughing, because it is true. John has been Mitch’s lap dog for a long time, that’s how he got to majority whip. I call him ironic because when he ran against Daschle he claimed Tom’s position of Majority Leader made him forget he was representing South Dakota. How’s that working out for you John?
John has been in Washington for 21 years (Congress 1997-2003, Senate 2005-present). What has he accomplished? Well if you look at his voting record, you could argue that he has done good and bad depending on your political views. In my opinion I think the only thing progressives and conservatives can agree on Thune’s actions is he has been good to veterans. In the Senate he sponsored 740 bills. Most of his bills have to do with military, abortion and agriculture.
• Anti-environmental and agriculture regulations
• Anti-immigration
• Anti-employee and worker rights and safety regulations
• Massive tax cuts to the super rich
While it is probably easy to understand why a red state like South Dakota has continued to re-elect this conservative ass clown, the laws Thune has helped pass have actually kept our state in the stone age. I actually believe Kristi Noem when she says she won’t challenge Thune in a primary and is good friends with him, because they are political twins (I sometimes think they are the same person).
Can Thune be beat in 2022? Most would say NO. I would agree with that assumption in a Republican primary but not in a general. As I told someone once that I was helping to run for office, “Anyone is beatable, but you have to put in the work.” I think if the right candidate presents themselves they could beat Thunebag.
Before I get ahead of myself, I think the first step is the SD Democratic Party recruits someone this summer thru a full vetting and grooming process and announcing the candidacy next Fall. While I think the Democratic brand in South Dakota is extremely damaged, I don’t think a true independent could challenge Thune, they would need the backing of the National Democratic party. I also think you could find someone who is very moderate on the issues and could appeal to the conservatives. They also need to be willing to challenge Thune on all the issues, and be an incredible public speaker. Showing up as a candidate and making a good show of it is half the battle. If you roam around the cornfield and talk like a dolt, what’s the point? This is why recruitment is key to beating Thune. The campaign will be the easy part if you pick the right person.
Trump is right, it’s time for Thune to pack it up, but we need to replace him with a Democrat not another Republican lackey. I hope the Democratic Party in South Dakota gets moving on this . . . today!
l3wis 
