We want to share some good news with you from the campaign trail.
First, a Rasmussen poll was recently released that shows the governor's race is wide open.
From American News
Posted Sunday, March 07, 2010
The plan that the Legislature's Republican leaders unveiled for state government's 2011 budget is a first step in the right direction of getting back on financial track in South Dakota. It avoids tax increases, forces efficiency and preserves for another year the rainy-day accounts
In those three ways it is a more prudent approach than the recommendations that Republican Gov. Mike Rounds laid out in December.
By Shauna Marlette
Posted Monday, March 8, 2010
“We have one week left in the Legislature and I take my responsibilities very seriously as Senate majority leader,” said Dave Knudson, who is one of four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Governor that attended the event. “My focus is making sure we do the best possible job for the state of South Dakota. Once I am able to switch gears, it will be about getting my strengths out the public.”
From The Daily Republic
By Bob Mercer
“It isn’t easy to propose these cuts. In fact, it is extremely difficult. But we are facing a major budget crisis in this state and we have to act now. We will not do business like they do in Washington, D.C.,” Knudson said.
From Rapid City Journal
By Tim Velder
Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010
...“We’re cutting government,” Turbiville said. “When we do it for the first time, people aren’t going to agree with us. The reserve funds were supposed to be rainy-day funds. Next year it isn’t going to be rain; it’s going to be a hurricane.”...
From Capital Journal
By Tim Montgomery
Posted March 4th , 2010
Republican leaders in the House and Senate unveiled a broad list of proposed cuts to state government Thursday, proposing to eliminate next year’s structural deficit by reducing spending by more than $43 million
For Immediate Release: March 5, 2010
Contact: Jim Hagen, (605) 275-8885 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
“We will not put off our budget problems for another day. We will deal with them now.”
From Rapid City Journal
By Kevin Woster
Posted Friday March 5th, 2010
Knudson said the economic weather will be much worse next year if something isn't done now.
"I kind of like the rainy day analogy, and there's no question it's raining outside," he said. "The problem is we've got a hurricane heading toward us next year, with a deficit of $100 million to $120 million."
From KSFY
By The Associated Press
Posted March 4th, 2010
Republican legislative leaders have proposed nearly $50 million in spending cuts and other measures aimed at balancing South Dakota's state budget.
From Keloland News
By Ben Dunsmoor
Posted March 4, 2010
PIERRE, SD - More than $43 million in cuts to state government have been proposed by Republican lawmakers.
With one week left in the South Dakota legislative session the Republicans released a list of cuts Thursday that will help fill the multi-million budget gap.
From Capital Journal
By Tim Montgomery
Posted March 4th, 2010
Faehn and Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson just gave several additional details about their cuts...
From Rapid City Journal
By Journal Staff
Posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Dave is leading the charge to save the Black Hills Playhouse!
From Rapid City Journal
By Associated Press
Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dave Knudson is the prime sponsor of this legislation
From Argus Leader
By Jonathan Ellis
Posted March 2nd 2010
Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson said last week that lawmakers are still engaged in a "search for ideas."
"At this point I think people are still looking for ideas,"
he said. "At some point those will get winnowed down."
From Pure Pierre Politics
By Bob Mercer
Posted 3/1/2010
President Obama’s administration, namely the Environmental Protection Agency, hasn’t decided yet...
From Politics Daily
By Bruce Drake
Posted Friday February 26, 2010
The race to succeed South Dakota's term-limited Republican governor, Mike Rounds, has no really clear favorite at this point with about one-fifth of voters in any of three match-ups undecided, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Feb. 23.
From The Daily Republic
Posted Friday February 26, 2010
Results of a poll about the South Dakota gubernatorial candidates show the race to be “wide open,” according to the firm that conducted the poll.
The poll, released Friday by Rasmussen Reports, shows Republican Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, of Garretson, garnering the most support. But even he failed to reach the 50 percent threshold.
“Roughly one-in-five South Dakota voters remain undecided no matter who is running at this point,” said the analysis of the poll from Rasmussen Reports.
By Bob Mercer
Posted February 24, 2010
...No member of the Senate opposed legislation Tuesday that would expand and strengthen South Dakota's open-records and open-meetings laws...
From Rapid City Journal
By Associated Press
Posted February 24, 2010
I am leading the charge to pass this legislation...
Dear Friend,
Now, more than ever, I need your help to become your new governor. Would you be willing to send your very best gift today to help me continue to share my message of fiscal conservatism, economic prosperity, and more and better jobs with every South Dakotan?
From KSFY
..."South Dakota needs to position itself to be the first place business look to grow as the economy improves. We need to focus on being the first to rebound."...
From Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council
By Chet Brokaw
Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, the main sponsor of the proposed state constitutional amendment, said the measure is needed to ensure the right to secret ballots in both political and union elections.
From Hog House Blog
By Denise Ross
..."Jobs are really the over-riding issue in the 2010 campaign. The whole reason we have revenue problems is because people are out of work. … It would be my first priority to go out and drive South Dakota’s economic development. … I think the times call for a strong leader."...
From Capitol Journal
By Tim Montgomery
Posted Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010
“If you are somebody who actively dislikes government — you think government is evil — there are better candidates than me for you,” said gubernatorial candidate Dave Knudson. “If you want limited government that will work — you want an effective and efficient government that will solve problems — I would submit that I am your candidate.”
From KNBN-News Center 1
By Krista Fogelsong
“I think we're in for a challenging two or three year period so the governor is going to have to really be focused on growing the economy and job creation.”
Take a moment to check out my official campaign widget below and be sure to share it with your friends.
Things have been busy for us on the campaign front and we thought we’d take this opportunity to bring you up-to-date on a few items.
From Rapid City Journal
ByAP Press
Posted Friday, February 12th, 2010
Senate Republican Leader and Gubernatorial candidate Dave Knudson proposed the bill and said the current department has too wide a range of responsibilities, and economic development is important enough to break off on its own.
From Capital Journal
By David Montgomery
Posted Friday, Feb 12, 2010
Sen. Dave Knudson's bill to reorganize the Department of Tourism and State Development passed its first hurdle today...
From The Knudson for Governor Office
The Knudson for Governor team would like to welcome A.J. Christianson as their newest member.
From Keloland
Posted February 10, 2010
PIERRE, SD - A South Dakota Senate committee has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to block a union organizing measure being considered by Congress.
From Keloland
Posted Febraury 9, 2010
A South Dakota Senate committee has approved a bill aimed at increasing state financial aid to school districts once the economy recovers.
From Pure Pierre Politics
By Bob Mercer
Posted February 9, 2010
Senate Republican leader Dave Knudson said this morning (Tuesday) that school-enrollment numbers are larger than previously expected and therefore state aid to K-12 schools will cost more for the 2011 state budget year that starts July 1, 2010.
From: News Channel 4
By: Associated Press
Posted: February 9, 2010
A South Dakota Senate committee has approved a bill aimed at increasing state financial aid to school districts once the economy recovers.
The main sponsor, Sen. Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, says the bill would more closely tie school aid with the overall health of South Dakota's budget.
From Rapid City Journal
By Kayla Gahagan
Posted: Wednesday, February 3rd 2010
Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson said Wednesday there has been a "strong feeling" that the lawsuit was a waste of taxpayer money.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Richard Rostrom for his help in getting Dave’s name on the Republican primary election ballot. Richard is 87 years young and has already returned a petition filled with names, and is working on more.
Dave Knudson has officially opened new headquarters for his gubernatorial campaign in Sioux Falls and tapped Jim Hagen as his campaign manager.
“I am honored to help Dave in his bid to be our new governor. I have seen, first-hand, what it takes to be an effective chief executive for this state and I can flat tell you that Dave Knudson is the right person for the job. He is a problem solver, and he isn’t afraid to tackle tough issues. He will provide the strong, conservative leadership – especially on budgetary matters – that our state so desperately needs now.”
Dave answers several questions at a recent candidate forum held in Pierre.
From Dakota War College
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Opposing the government takeover of health care as currently proposed by Congress and encouraging preservation of states’ rights regarding health care regulation.
From Huron Plainsman
Posted: Friday, Jan 29th, 2010
BY: ROGER KASA
“This session is about the budget,” Knudson said at the start of the discussion.
He said the Republicans want a zero deficit at the end of the session. “We will be faced with some painful cuts,” he said.
The Knudson for Governor campaign reported contributions of $527,614.07.
“We want to thank our many friends who have demonstrated by their financial support that they are ready for a change in Pierre. We are extremely grateful for their help."
From Keloland News
By Cherlene Richards
Published 01/31/2010
We're a third of the way into the South Dakota legislative session, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are drumming up proposals to tackle the multi-million dollar deficit...Some lawmakers propose cutting legislator salaries and expenses would help.
From Capital Journal
By David Montgomery
Published on Monday, Feb 01, 2010
PIERRE- Sen. Dave Knudson, R-Sioux Falls, introduced SB140, which would create independent departments of Tourism and Economic Development.
From Capital Journal
By David Montgomery
Published on Thursday, Jan 28, 2010
..."Economic development is probably the number one issue in terms of importance for South Dakota," Knudson said.
From Dakota War College
Posted by PP at the SDWC on January 28th 2010
...Sen. Knudson states, “the Iran divestment bill guarantees that South Dakota tax dollars will not support terrorism and a regime responsible for the deaths of American and South Dakota veterans.”
From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Published January 24, 2010
...Closer scrutiny of the timing of his remarks reveals that Daugaard is merely joining in a little game of "Me-Too-Ism."
The Legislature’s first week is always a combination of a number of ceremonial and formal occasions and a great deal of behind the scenes consensus building. On the formal side, the organization of the Legislature and the reappointment of its various officers and committees are part of the routine of the first day of session.
The House and Senate Republican legislators are committed to taking positive action on a number of important problems facing South Dakota.
State Senator Dave Knudson, Republican candidate for governor, issued the following statement today on Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard’s decision to abandon his support for Governor Rounds’ 2011 budget proposal, and throw his support to Republican legislators’ budget cutting plan:
We want to thank Jim Means of Yankton for sending in the very first fully completed petition to help get Dave's name on the primary election ballot. Please keep in mind that only registered Republican voters can sign the petition.
By SETH TUPPER for The Mitchell Daily Republic
Dave Knudson has no doubt about the most important task facing the next governor of South Dakota.
“I think the next governor is going to have to be more deeply involved in economic development than any of the prior governors that we’ve seen,” he said during a recent conversation with The Daily Republic. “I know as governor, I would intend to wake up every morning wondering how I could fight for one additional job for South Dakota, whether it comes from an existing business or an out-ofstate business.”
By Kayla Gahagan, Rapid City Journal
An unlikely source this year will be nudging lawmakers to pass a law allowing charter schools in the state.
The State Department of Education –- historically opposed to charter schools legislation –- authored a two-part bill designed to boost the state’s chance at federal Race to the Top funds and give school districts the authority to open their own charter schools.
All legislative sessions tend to revolve around budgetary issues. However, the 2010 legislative session will focus on budget issues more than any of the seven prior sessions of which I have been a part.
In what is an unusual situation, four men who each want to be South Dakota's next governor can be found in the state Senate chamber this legislative session.
A great group of Dave Knudson supporters gathered this past Saturday afternoon at Empire Bowl. This diverse, fun seeking group had a great time bowling and getting to know each other better. It was nice to see such a great turnout as close to 50 people came out to support Dave.
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota Republican lawmakers pledged Friday to cut Gov. Mike Rounds' proposed budget by $36 million so next year's budget is balanced without using any of South Dakota's reserve funds.
We had a dedicated group of volunteers help us get our petition mailing out very quickly. These Knudson for Governor supporters are some of the most dedicated, fun and enthusiastic South Dakotans you will ever meet. Check out some photos of one group of volunteers hard at work on the mailing.
The printing of our petition mailing will be completed sooner than we first thought it would. We will have everything in place to begin working on the mailing at 3PM today (Thursday, January 14). If you can volunteer an hour or so of your time to help with this mailing....
I am writing today to ask for your help in placing my name on the ballot for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Dakota.
In order to secure my place on the June 8, 2010, Primary election ballot, I must gather 2,070 valid signatures of registered Republican voters in South Dakota. These signatures must be obtained and filed with the Secretary of State by March 31, 2010. We need your help to gather as many signatures as you can, and then to mail the petition back to us as soon as possible.
Happy New Year from my family to yours! I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday.
De and I sure enjoyed the time we were able to spend with our family. Our son, Mark, and his fiancée, Rohini, were able to fly from Seattle into Sioux Falls before the bad weather hit. Our oldest son, Michael, and our grandson, Carson, spent time with us as well. Feel free to visit our holiday photo album.
I am writing to ask you to consider making an end-of-the-year contribution to my campaign for governor of South Dakota. Traveling across this state, I have heard from thousands of South Dakotans who believe we are at a critical crossroads.
I spent a very busy two days on the road this past week with campaign events in Aberdeen and Watertown. My days were full of activity and I had a great time seeing old friends, making new friends, and garnering more support for my candidacy. It was great to have my wife De along for so many successful campaign stops.
Please show your support for Dave, and join our grassroots team on Twitter today by following @DaveKnudson.
Dave is leading the fight to guarantee our right to vote by secret ballot.
Dave spent two days on the road in Brown and Deuel Counties this week.
Watch our latest video about why Dave Knudson is the best choice for Governor of South Dakota.
Proposal to cut driver license services is "a slap in the face to thousands of rural South Dakotans."
Dave re-caps campaigning at the State Fair and walking the Wagner Labor Day parade.
Please become Dave's friend on Facebook to help build our grassroots team today.
We need your help today to spread the word about Dave's proven leadership on protecting our 2nd Amendment rights and standing up for South Dakota's rich sporting and hunting tradition.
Can you sign this petition opposing the expansion of gambling in South Dakota?
Over the weekend, the South Dakota Wildlife Federation selected Dave as its 2009 Legislator of the Year.
I want to thank U.S. Senator John Thune for his strong leadership in support of our 2nd Amendment rights and South Dakota's pro-gun heritage in the United States Senate this week.
Join Dave Knudson and Team Knudson tonight in Sioux Falls for a meet-and-greet at Bracco Restaurant.
Over the past week, South Dakota's new open government bill that Dave wrote became law, the American Legion of South Dakota named Dave Republican "Legislator of the Year," and Team Knudson walked in Mayor Munson's 4th of July Parade and Picnic in Sioux Falls.
Connect with Senate Majority Leader Dave Knudson across the Web.
P.O. Box 2170 | Sioux Falls, SD 57101 | Telephone (605) 275-8885