Dakota Town Hall

The election is on June 2nd, if you haven't been near a mailbox. (Apologies for not having the full slate. If 90 percent of success is showing up, I'm just happy there's someone standing up for the other 10. -doc)

Back again! This week on the show the primary chaos somehow gets even louder as the governor’s race heats up, attack ads flood every screen in South Dakota, and the Dakota Town Hall gubernatorial extravaganza starts taking shape. We get into the most expensive primary in state history, the war over “Rhinos,” AI-generated campaign ads, property tax politics, and why voter fatigue might be the biggest wildcard on the ballot. Plus, the crew breaks down the bizarre rise of buzzword politics, the anti-data center backlash, and whether South Dakota Republicans have completely lost the plot.We also welcome first-time candidate Kathleen Brodvig, along with Kaden Whitman, Tyler Torson, and longtime legislative heavyweight Jean Hunhoff for a brutally honest conversation about healthcare, appropriations, legislative chaos, and what it’s like watching Pierre from the sidelines before jumping back into the fight. And of course, the gang absolutely cannot ignore the wildest endorsement of campaign season after Josephine Garcia announces she’s officially endorsed by God himself. Plus: burger rankings, campaign war stories, Dusty attack ads, Freedom Caucus insanity, and Murdoc accidentally inventing the greatest PAC name in South Dakota political history.@DakotaTownHall@Jakeshoenbeck@MurdocJ

Back again! This week on the show, the campaign trail is heating up and the candidate forums are stacking up faster than yard signs in a South Dakota windstorm. We get into the governor’s race chaos, the “Rhino Revenge Tour,” Toby Doeden vs. John Hansen intrigue, and the growing wave of AI-generated political attacks flooding social media. Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen joins the show to talk debates, life as a running mate already tied to the ballot, and what it’s like balancing official duties with campaign season pressure. Plus, Senator Michael Rohl delivers one of the most brutally honest breakdowns yet of the GOP governor primary field and the behind-the-scenes tensions driving it.We also plug into the Sioux Falls mayor race, the bizarre hammer-wielding city council invocation making the rounds online, and the return of familiar faces in the Attorney General contest. District 10 candidate John Pullman talks campaign fundamentals, knocking every corner of one of the state’s most competitive districts, and why retail politics still matters in the AI era. And of course, we close with the official launch of Task Force HIPPO: the Hippo Infrastructure Plan for Profit and Opportunity, because apparently the dream of bringing Pablo Escobar’s hippos to South Dakota is now entering the policy phase. Just another normal week in South Dakota politics.@DakotaTownHall@Jakeshoenbeck@MurdocJ

Back again! This week on the show the Dakota Town Hall crew heads northeast and northwest with Senate candidates Katie Washnock and Ryan Maher, plus ballot champion Nathan Sanderson. We get into collapsing voter turnout, the Republican civil war tearing through Brown County, and why campaigns are suddenly fighting over data centers, power grids, and property taxes all at once. Plus, a deep dive into what’s actually headed for the statewide ballot, why Pierre can’t stop tinkering with the constitution, and whether South Dakota voters are about to get hit with another round of ballot measure chaos.Then things get weird. The crew swaps stories about forum meltdowns, “rhino” scorecards, duct tape parenting controversies, and the rumor mill surrounding forged precinct paperwork in Minnehaha County. There’s also a classic Dakota Town Hall detour into Irish revolutionaries, reservation bar stories, and the best burgers in South Dakota before the gang closes with some unfiltered thoughts on the Rhoden vs. Dusty primary fight and why nobody in this state seems to actually vote anymore. Same chaos, new week.@DakotaTownHall@Jakeshoenbeck@MurdocJ

Back again! Fresh off the Sioux Falls gubernatorial debate, we break down what actually mattered and what was pure campaign theater. Patrick Lalley joins the show to pull back the curtain on the production, the strategy, and the moments that will actually move voters. We get into Dusty’s polish, Hansen’s messaging, Rhoden’s presence, and whether Toby Doeden’s playbook is already locked in. Plus, the bigger question: are these debates about persuasion anymore, or just fuel for the next round of campaign clips?Then we dive straight into the property tax fight that just won’t die, including a new referendum push that could reshape the conversation, or prove it’s all just a tax shell game. Candidates Ned Horsted and Nicole Mitzel jump in on affordability, public safety, and what voters are actually saying at the doors. And of course, we hit campaign tactics, AG drama, and yes… an unexpected international hippo negotiation that might be the most realistic policy proposal of the week.@DakotaTownHall @Jakeshoenbeck @MurdocJ

Back again! This week on the show, Jake and Murdoc dive straight into the poll everyone in South Dakota is talking about. Dan Ahlers joins fresh off locking up the Democratic nomination for governor and makes his case on property taxes, affordable housing, healthcare, and why he thinks 50 years of one-party rule has run its course. Plus, Alex Rifaat from South Dakota News Watch breaks down the newest GOP governor numbers, why Dusty Johnson keeps climbing, how John Hansen suddenly surged into second, and what it means for Larry Rhoden, Toby Doeden, and the rest of the field.We also get into Bill Meirose and his challenge against John Carley in District 29, with a heavy focus on Meade County property taxes, school closures, limestone mining fights, and the never-ending zoning wars out west. And of course, we hit the fallout from the Kristi Noem polling, early voting delays across the state, gubernatorial attack ads getting sharper, Kaleb Weiss apparently owning an emu, and yes… Murdoc is still trying to bring hippos to South Dakota. Because of course he is.@DakotaTownHall@Jakeshoenbeck@MurdocJ