Joe is in! KCCR tweets that Joe Lowe of Rapid City has submitted just about 2,000 signatures to the Secretary of State to place himself on the ballot for the Democratic nomination for governor. The number I hear is 1,946.
Lowe's signature count is under half the 4,000-some that incumbent Governor Dennis Daugaard submitted yesterday, but it's still a healthy 60% cushion above the 1,221 signatures need to make a statewide ballot. And it's more signatures than the other announced Democratic candidate, Susan Wismer, has submitted.
Assuming no surprises in Secretary of State Jason Gant's certification process, Lowe will now enjoy four weeks as an official, on-the-ballot candidate to campaign and fundraise before Wismer clears her tax desk and turns to the campaign trail full-time.