Tuesday was the deadline for South Dakota candidates to withdraw from the general election. According to the Secretary of State’s online candidate list, a total of twelve Democrats and three Republicans withdrew with Legislative races.
Eight Democrats withdrew from House races, and four withdrew from Senate races. One Democratic Senate candidate died. So far, Democrats have replaced four of those House race vacancies and two of the Senate race vacancies.
Republicans had just two withdrawals from House races and one from a Senate race. One Republican House candidate died. Republicans have filled all four of those vacancies (one illegally, but no one expects Republicans to follow laws).
By my count, Democrats thus have 96 Legislative candidates—32 vying for Senate, 64 for House. Republicans have 97 Legislative candidates—33 for Senate, 64 for House.
Even if Democrats don’t find replacements for their seven remaining vacancies (deadline is next week Tuesday 5 p.m., same as for submitting our nominations from Dem Con 2.0!), the 95 on the ballot right now are the most Legislative candidates South Dakota Democrats have fielded since 2008 and the second most in this century.
Seven “independents” remain on the November Legislative ballot, although two of them, Mary Perpich in District 7 and Peter Klebanoff in District 25, are really Democrats, and I’m counting them as Dems in my figures above. Five Libertarians are on the Legislative ballot.
Have the Libertarians said who they’d caucus with if they won? Or will they not caucus with anyone? I mean, it’s not likely all 5 will win and have their own caucus. How many Libertarians have won elected statewide office in SD in the 21st century? Just curious.
A fair question, Debbo, but not one that I’ve heard the Libertarians answer. I doubt they’d commit to caucusing with anybody. The GOP holds an exclusive caucus and would likely not allow Libertarians, indies, or anyone else in. Dems caucus is always open to the public.
Thanks Cory.
On electoral success, Libertarians have never won a seat in Congress. The Libertarian Party lists 174 Libertarians currently holding elected office. Most are local offices; four are state legislators (one in NE, three in NH). My quick scan didn’t spot any statewide officials.
I would support the Constitution party before I supported the Libertarian party.
Meanwhile some republicants act as if moraless, selfish, and a law unto themselves.
Finally a voter challenged these apparent self-serving shenanigans from the back alleys of Hot Springs.
Meanwhile Krebs appears as she’s firmly in the “go-along-to-get-along-camp” – unwilling to make a principled decision, but rather punting to the courts.
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/voter-challenges-russell-s-bid-to-replace-himself-on-ballot/article_96b98a07-fd38-5125-b610-8b05b9693bfa.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
Hooray for that Hot Springs voter, John! But are Heather Boche and Jim Sword fighting for the law or just grinding an axe on Russell?
Jason, I’d suggest the Libertarians are more committed to true liberty and better capable of mustering a coherent philosophical basis for their positions than the CP. Not by much in South Dakota, where their only contenders for Governor on their first pass this year were grouchy malcontents Novotny and Abernathey, but by enough that I feel serious policymakers could work with Libertarians in ways that would not be possible with the SD CP.