Mr. Ehrisman notes with skepticism suggestions that former Click Rain CEO Paul Ten Haken will enter the race for Sioux Falls mayor as a moderate, non-partisan kind of guy. Ten Haken’s campaign contributions clearly lean Republican.
FEC records show the following contributions from Ten Haken to South Dakota Republicans:
- 2010: Kristi Noem, $56.
- 2014: Mike Rounds, $1,132.
- 2016: Kristi Noem, $600.
- 2017: Dusty Johnson, $500.
Rep. Noem returns the favor with this testimonial on Ten Haken’s website:
Ten Haken’s Internet marketing firm has worked frequently with Republican candidates (Noem, Rounds, Soholt…) and even with the SDGOP’s spin blog. In 2014, Click Rain received $99,365 from the Rounds, Thune, and Noem campaigns plus Thune’s Heartland Values PAC, Kentucky Republican Congressman Andy Barr, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In 2012 Click Rain made $34,580 off Noem, Barr, and Thune. In 2011, Click Rain was named part of a D.C. tech firm’s “Republican Dream Team” for web design for Republican politicos.
Stay tuned for Ten Haken’s political announcement today, then see if the South Dakota Republican establishment attempts to intervene on his behalf in the Sioux Falls mayoral race à la Dan Lederman’s counterproductive efforts for Steve Thorson in Watertown or if they stick with their guy Rep. Greg Jamison.