Somebody spilled candidates all over the place

I had an e-mail this weekend from one of my legislative readers. And it was an e-mail with a demand:

Update us on who's running for what - and what the rumors are - in the legislative races

Sorry Senator. I regret to inform you that things have settled down quite a bit. Since my prior postings on who was circulating legislative petitions a week or so back, people have stopped crawling out of the woodwork. There just hasn't been much new intelligence. It's not for lack of my hunting.

I monitor the state's media very closely, so if there's an announcement made, I know about it. The problem is that nobody's announcing yet.

I was told that the call has gone out from the GOP that they want to know who is running and who isn't, but as I had mentioned in a prior post, nothing is for sure until the filing deadline passes.

Just to recap who I've noted out there running so far, with a couple of additions:

Former Congressional Candidate Larry Diedrich is rumored to be looking at recaptuing his old Senate Seat, setting up a contest between him and Senator Jim Peterson in District 4.

District 5 supposedly has Claire Konold making a run for the seat that Senator Lee Schoenbeck denied him with authority (67% to 33%) back in 2004 now that Lee is passing on another term of office.

District 6 is pretty busy, with Samantha Stormo Republican for the District 6 House Race, Jim Holbeck Republican for the District 6 House Race, Kristi Noem Republican for the District 6 House Race and assuming Paul Nelson is going to run for re-election. This 4 way primary is going to be a race to watch.

There's a rumor about District 7 that I don't have a lot of detail on at the moment, so I'll pass.

There's a Republican who is going to be announcing for the legislature in District 8 in the very short future, but I'm sworn to secrecy on that one for the moment. (Rats. Can't I give a hint?)

Todd Epp had posted on the 2006 race wiki that Dr. Phil Siestra, a Democratic Harrisburg Optometrist will be supposedly taking on Gene Abdallah for the District 10 Senate Seat.

Manny Steele Republican has petitions out for the District 12 House Race and Brian A. Roth Republican also has petitions out for the District 12 House Race. Add Hal Wick, and you have a primary.

Gregory R. Allis Republican has petitions out for the District 15 House Race.

District 18 has the rumor floating out there about Bernie Hunhoff considering a run for the Senate seat being vacated by Garry moore. This all came up in an article talking about how democrats might look to their past for candidates, with Bernie being mentioned.

District 20 has former Representative Dan Mathews rumored to be taking on Ed Olson in a primary (10/22 Mitchell Daily republic) - mainly because of Ed's participation in the Mainstream group. But then again, there was the threat from the other Olson, Mel, that he'd run himself if someone went after Ed on that basis.

Supposedly former Representative Kent Juhnke (Republican) has petitions out for the NEW District 21 House Race. There's also talk that Cooper Garnos has petitions out for that new Senate Seat against Julie Bartling, but I'd also heard that Cooper was considering School and Lands as well.

District 22 has lots of rumor swirling around it, but I wouldn't call it anything but unsubstantiated at the moment. Supposedly Pat Haley could take on Tom Hansen in the Senate, leaving an opening for Quintin Burg to make a return run for the House, but I heard this one long ago with no confirmation in the meantime. I wouldn't put much into it.

Ted Klaudt has announced in his legislative column that he's in for the District 28 Senate Race

Bob Drown Republican for the District 28B House Race is the first to have his petitions turned in.

Maurice LaRue, a Republican who formerly held the District 29 House seat is going to make an attempt to take one of them back after he got knocked out of office in the 2004 primary.

Rick Hanson is running as a Democrat for the District 30 House Race, but unless he comes up with a running mate, he might as well hang it up. This is despite rumors from the Southern Hills that Democrats supposedly have a silver bullet issue they think they can nail one of the Republican candidates with. (I'll elaborate why it takes two in a later post)

Karen Ballert Independent for the District 31 Senate Race thinks she can take out Senator Jerry Apa.

Per her fundraising letter, South Dakota GOP Vice Chair Elli Schwiesow is expected to take on incumbent Senator Stan Adelstein for the District 32 Republican Senate position on the Ballot.

Dennis Schmidt Republican for District 33 Senate Race has petitions out to challenge Senator J.P. Duniphan in a primary

Mark Kirkeby Republican for the District 35 House Race, Lyle Hendrickson Republican for the District 35 House Race, Stacy Wollman Republican for the District 35 House Race, and with Haverly in the mix as well, bring together another 4 way primary.

Then there is the piece de la resistance of all the races being run this year. The Bill Napoli/Alice McCoy Senate primary.

(Am I forgetting any? If so, please remind me)

And that's about all I have at the moment. Now down in Sioux falls, according to the morning's Argus Leader, they have no lack of candidates themselves. Except they all appear to be running for the office of mayor:

Councilor Darrin Smith said several weeks ago that he would run. Now four more councilors - Gerald Beninga, Vernon Brown, Bob Jamison and Kermit Staggers - say they are assessing it and might jump in as well.

So is Bruce Halverson, retiring president of Augustana College.

By the end of this week Smith, former state lawmaker Mitch Richter, current state Rep. Casey Murschel and Lora Hubbel, an alternative medicine nurse, all will have made formal announcements that they will seek the job.

Read it all here.

Rest assured that I'm going to continue to keep tabs on things as they develop, and if you, the reader has any hot tips to throw my way, please do so.