Early Presidential Primary stays dead in South Dakota

The Argus is reporting tonight that the State House of Representatives is not going to take up the early presidential primary in South Dakota after they voted to kill it once:
A Sioux Falls lawmaker’s bid to bring the early presidential primary back to South Dakota ended this afternoon when the House voted 40-29 not to reconsider the issue.

Republican Rep. Shantel Krebs tried to give her bill new life after it failed by a single vote on Wednesday. The bill received a 35-35 vote, but it requires 36 votes for any measure to pass the House.

She told House members this afternoon her proposal was worth a second look. They disagreed.
Read it all here.

I like Shantel, and think she's a fine legislator.... But I had to disagree with her on this one. We really only had one good experience with the early primary (back when I was a legislative intern in 1988). We did get the candidates and it was a good show. But then we got the complaints about turnout, cost, etcetera. And in the end, we're left with the questions - Was the vanity for our state really worth the benefit?

Don't get me wrong, I was a direct beneficiary. I got to shake Bob Dole's hand. I had a sack lunch with a group of 15-20 interns with George Bush - the vice president who would become president. I stood darn near next to Jack Kemp at an event. It was pretty darn cool for me being up at the legislature.

But what does it do for the person at the cafe in Miller? Or the Stockyards in Belle Fourche?

Did it bring economic development? Did it truly make people outside of South Dakota care about our state and the farm crisis? In the end, was the exposure for South Dakota worth it? I'm not sure. Cynical me says, "I don't know that it did."

Arguably, we got more attention when all the legislators went to Washington many years ago. If we're going to blow a half a million on something for the sake of getting attention, why not do that?

But, I will give it to her for trying. It's more than many legislators attempt to do.

Comments

Anonymous said…
When are you actually going to run for something, PP? Or is standing next to politicans good enough for you?
Anonymous said…
What is Shantel's huband Mitch going to do now that he's not a TV newsman anymore? Sell shoes at her store like Al Bundy?
Anonymous said…
I wonder if Shantell thought about the consequences that holding the early primary would have on delegate selection at the National Convention.

Without going into the rules, it is possible that by violating RNC rules South Dakota could lose delegate votes.

Florida is currently considering moving their primary to December and they are going to risk losing delegate votes the national convention in Minneapolis.

Further, I wonder if Shantell considered that Florida wanted to hold their primary at the same time as SD?

How would South Dakota compete with Florida.

This is a nice try to maintain relevance or grab headlines or do something.

She should have focused on how SD should fit into the national scheme of primaries and where SD would fit into without violating RNC rules.
Anonymous said…
Last year Shantel was pushing abstinence-only sex ed. Luckily cooler heads prevailed.

This year her top legislative priority is presidential politics?

How does she get elected? Has she ever heard how much health care costs? Has she ever thought about how to increase wages for average South Dakotans.

This seat needs a new legislator.
Anonymous said…
Shantel is one of the hardest working legislators that we have in SD. She is also a clear thinker.

It is easy for anonymous to attack. I wonder which election anonymous won?
Anonymous said…
Apparently Shantel has internet access in her shoe store.
Anonymous said…
I recently discovered a really cool website on making money on the internet.

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