For the first time since 2008, District 8 Republicans have a nice Chamber of Commerce candidate to vote for in the race for State House. Flandreau dentist Leslie Heinemann has declared his candidacy for a District 8 House seat. In his initial public statement, he offers no policy vision or indication of what he would do better than either of the incumbents, his Flandreau neighbor Rep. Mitch Fargen or Winfred's Rep. Patricia Stricherz. If I stretch, I might find a hint of blog fodder in this statement:
I look forward to meeting the voters of District 8 to listen to their ideas and concerns in the coming months leading up to the primary and general election in November [Leslie Heinemann, quoted in Chuck Clement, "Heinemann Announces Dist. 8 Candidacy," Madison Daily Leader, 2012.01.20].
Heinemann mentions the primary. Hmm... he's the only declared candidate so far. District 8 has just one Republican representative, the striving Rep. Stricherz. Does Heinemann know of another Republican candidate eager to displace Stricherz from her seat? Is the local Republican machine recruiting a second Republican more to its big-money liking? Heinemann certainly fits that bill: unlike Stricherz, he has cash to burn with campaign donations. According to OpenSecrets.org, Heinemann gave $1500 to the Republican Central Committee last year, and he and his wife gave Rep. Kristi Noem $1250 in 2010. Heinemann also pops up with a hundred bucks here, a hundred bucks there on District 8 Senator Russell Olson's campaign donor lists.
* * *
Heinemann isn't on the Secretary of State's official candidates list yet, but a handful of early circulators are. My current abode of District 31 already has a full slate of Republican candidates for Legislature: Spearfish tow-truck driver and Lawrence County Commission chair Bob Ewing wants to take Tom Nelson's seat in the Senate; Spearfish's Fred Romkema wants to go back to the House, and Lead lawyer Timothy R. Johns wants to join him. Term limits mean Rep. Chuck Turbiville can't run for House; no word yet on whether he'll wrestle with Ewing for Senate. Dems, where are you?
Statewide we find one Dem already on the candidates' list: Kathy Tyler from Big Stone City wants to serve in the District 4 House. Tyler is currently vice-president of the Milbank school board. I wonder how she feels about merit bonuses for her teachers....
Run, Heidelberger, run.
Bob Ewing and Tim Johns are RINOs. Deeply closeted District 31 Dems are yearning for an opportunity to send the progressive message to a GOP torn asunder by cascading ethical collapse.
Cory,
How did you find the list of candidates on the Secretary of State's website? I have been looking for that, but the list doesn't seem to be accessible under the "upcoming election" tab like it was when Chris Nelson was Secretary of State. Where is the link on the SOS website?
R, I apologize: I can't remember how I found it! Sec. Gant's e-minions have been moving stuff around on the website, and I think they've forgotten to restore a few links in the process.
Larry, currently divided between two districts, I could serve neither in Pierre as effectively as I'd like. But do keep pushing me. ;-)
There's a link for the current candidates at the very bottom of the secretary of state's homepage. There's no longer a link among the elections information.