On October 20, Bluestem reported Mark Robinson's shadow in South Dakota District 1: campaign mailer rips Manhart for extremism, presence at Dakota First Action fundraiser.
Democratic candidate Marm Sumption's campaign had sent the mailer. A few days later, a similar mailer from the Sumption campaign slamming Republican candidate Christopher Reder for the same thing.
But it's not just Democrats who are sending voters postcards bashing South House District 1 Republican candidates Logan Manhart and Christopher Reder for their connection to the Dakota First Action fundraiser featuring Mark Armstrong. The image at the top of this post (slightly cut off, but that's the photo I was sent) was sent by Deb Peter's PAC'n Heat 2.0.
Here's the back of the card (again, my apologies for the clipped right hand edge).
Peters served as a Republican in the South Dakota House, then Senate from 2005 through 2019, according to Wikipedia.
And this isn't the first time PAC'n Heat 2.0 or an earlier iteration of the political fund has contacted voters in South Dakota's First District.
In my July 21, 2022 post SD District 1 Republicans select Joe Donnell to fill ballot slot created by Manhart withdrawal, I noted that PAC'n Heat had mailed an earlier card when Donnell primaried incumbent SD1 state senator Michael Rohl:
Perhaps the biggest irony in Donnell's second 2022 race is that his primary bid for the senate was targeted by PAC'n Heat, a political action committee Donnell described in a now deleted Facebook post as run by Sioux Falls liberals and anti-Native.
We agree with the second perception, in that Donnell's agreement with Bernie Sanders was related to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Reservation. Check out the second scan of the anti-Donnell postcard above.
The posts about the mailing no longer appear to be on Donnell's Facebook page, nor are the original Donnell posts PAC'n Heat used to smear him.
Who is behind PAC'n Heat? Deb Peters has registered two editions of the political action committee (here and here in the South Dakota's Secretary of State's database). . . .
Donnell, a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate citizen, won the house seat but chose to serve only one term.
My natural instinct is to follow the money used to send this mailer. According to its pre-general disclosure filing--embedded below, the PAC received $10,000 from Watertown's Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC and the same amount from Rapid Cities' Puffys, LLC, a medical cannabis firm (It was repped by former Yankton Democratic state rep Ryan Cwach in a recent Supreme Court hearing).
POET PAC, like Glacial Lakes Energy LLC, part of the ethanol industry, gave $5000. Both Republican candidates support a No vote on Referred Law 21 seen as opposing ethanol carbon pipelines and Initiated Measure 29, which would legalize recreational cannabis.
Perhaps most interesting, the Rohl for SD Senate committee chipped in $9000.
Bluestem certainly doesn't hope either candidate blames this latest attack on Democrats.
PAC'n Heat 2.0 Disclosure uploaded on Scribd by Sally Jo Sorensen
How much will this mail piece matter? On Friday, South Dakota Searchlight's Joshua Haiar reported in Campaign finance reports reveal high-stakes spending in key legislative races that SD1 could be a rare competitive district:
House District 1 (Brown, Day, Marshall, Roberts counties)
In District 1, which covers the northeast corner of the state, six candidates are vying for the district’s two House seats: two Republicans, two Democrats and two Libertarians.
Incumbent Republican Joe Donnell did not run for reelection, and Republican incumbent Tamara St. John lost to two other Republicans in the June primary.
One of those Republicans, Logan Manhart, of Aberdeen, has taken in $14,500 and spent over $16,000. Of that, $30 came from individuals giving $100 or less and nearly $10,000 came from people giving over $100, though several names listed are companies. Manhart received $500 from Odenbach’s Liberty Tree PAC.
Fellow Republican Christopher Reder, of Warner, took in about $8,000 and spent $8,000. Of that, $170 came from individuals giving $100 or less and $3,200 came from those giving over $100. He also received funds from Liberty Tree PAC, as well as the South Dakota Freedom Caucus PAC, another group advocating conservative positions.
Reder and Manhart both received about $1,400 from Dakota First Action, and both attended the event that featured Mark Robinson. The House GOP PAC, chaired by House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, who criticized the Robinson event, gave Reder and Manhart $1,500 each.
Democrat Steven McCleerey, of Sisseton, raised about $21,000 and spent $16,000. Of that, $2,000 came from individuals giving $100 or less. Another $11,100 came from people giving over over $100.
Fellow Democrat Mark Sumption, of Frederick, raised and spent $11,000. His biggest contribution was $1,500 from Bluestem Initiative, a political action committee chaired by state Rep. Erin Healy, D-Sioux Falls. That group gave a total of $15,500 to various candidates.
Libertarians Josh Dennert, of Aberdeen, and Tamara Lesnar, of Grenville, raised under $2,000 combined.
We'll see how much Mark Robinson fandom hurts the Republican candidates. Bluestem had earlier included photos of the men above my republishing of the Searchlight's Mark Robinson's inclusion via video in Sioux Falls fundraiser divides SD Republican Party.
Surely the latest mailing--and the funding behind it--is evidence of that.
Images: The PACT'n Heat 2.0 mailed. Supplied. If I receive it in the mail, I'll supply better quality images.
If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
I'm on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6
Comments