Democratic candidate Jamie Smith got his degree at Augustana College in the early 1990s, when the rivalry between Augustana and South Dakota State University was so intense it sparked a riot in Brookings. Yet Smith was perfectly willing to sit for an interview with South Dakota’s public blue-and-golders at the SDSU Collegian. Republican Governor Kristi Noem, who attended SDSU, received a degree from SDSU, and sent one of her daughters there, didn’t even respond to the SDSU Collegian‘s request for an interview. That Smith gladly makes time for an old rival university while Noem ignores the alma mater she uses as just another campaign prop neatly summarizes why Smith would be a better governor for all South Dakotans.
Smith tells the Collegian that open communication is the first step toward reconciliation with Native American tribes:
The first step is communication and being open, having a policy of open doors, meeting with leaders from all the tribes in the state and not being adversarial in that relationship. You need to stand alongside each other and find out how they can help us and how we can help them. They’re South Dakotans, and all South Dakotans deserve the opportunity to be successful. And we need to work alongside our Native friends to make sure that happens [Rep. Jamie Smith, in Gracie Terrall, “Democratic Candidate for Governor Discusses Abortion, Teacher Pay, and More,” SDSU Collegian, 2022.11.01].
Smith summarizes several other policy positions for SDSU readers and voters:
- Smith wants to amend our triggered abortion ban immediately to include exceptions for rape and incest, and he will “fully support” bills and the initiative to restore women’s reproductive rights in South Dakota.
- Smith will veto bills targeting gay couples and other bills he finds “hateful”.
- Smith says we need to provide safe and affordable childcare to help more people get into the workforce.
- Smith says low teacher pay, the “super-conservative” Hillsdale curriculum standards, and bills “brought to demean education” over the past several years all demonstrate an attitude of disrespect toward South Dakota teachers. He proposes raising teacher pay by budgeting and spending the full revenues available instead of running big surpluses and then shunting that money to one-time projects.
- Smith proposes more co-ops and value-added agriculture to create more economic opportunities to keep talent from leaving South Dakota.
Collegian readers won’t know what Kristi Noem stands for, because SDSU’s famous alumna won’t deign to speak with her alma mater’s newspaper.
It may be because some educators doubt the validity of her degree. https://northernbeacon.blogspot.com/2021/07/should-kristi-noems-college-degree-be.html
Face it. Her “degree” was a participation prize.
Plus, the governor clearly doesn’t “stand” for anything. She sucks.
Rep. Jamie, opposite of Monae Johnson, who has to talk less to be tolerated, compared also to Gov Noem who must not speak at all to be tolerated- Smith, the more and more he talks, the more and more likable he gets. I love him. He can’t go wrong, as far as I’m concerned. Please give him this chance to prove SD is not all racist, low IQ, hateful hicks. He has earned the job to help us.
She doesn’t like the polling numbers coming out of SDSU…
Jamie Smith, despite being outspent by something like 13 to one, has run an excellent campaign. By now, I think, any voter who is interested in the race, knows who he is and what he stands for. He would be a very interesting Governor. He would certainly have to work very hard to achieve any of his goals with a severe minority in the Legislature and Republicans interested only in furthering their divisive agenda. With Smith, we get a full time Governor. With Noem, we get more of the same, with additional absenteeism and distraction as 2024 draws near.
OH Predictive Insights was polling here on the race for governor. Thursday evening, I believe. Would they be polling for a candidate or group or might it be a more news related poll? Anyone know? There were no leading questions. Just approval of candidates, right track/wrong track for SD and vote choice for governor as well as demographics.
Extreme Mr. Smith is trying to grasp the understanding of the budgets that he should have got a few years ago. Plus he seems tied to Mr. Uncle Joe Biden very tightly and that concerns a lot of fellows around town. A whole lot.
Jamie Smith is a class act!