The South Dakota Republican Party is announcing tonight that Bart Sample has been selected to replace center Tom Pischke on the fall ballot, after Pischke was arrested & charged with election fraud related offenses:
Sample had placed third in June in the House primary, and now faces Republican Bryan Breitling who is running as an independent in the November election.
Gov. Rhoden Formally Announces Tony Venhuizen as Running Mate
Pierre, SD – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden formally filed the paperwork to officially make Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen his running mate in the 2026 general election.
“Tony and I have been a team since day one – his status as my running mate has never been in question. We’ve accomplished a tremendous amount in our first 18 months in office, and Tony gets much of the credit for many of our biggest accomplishments,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “Now that we’ve officially secured the nomination, the time is appropriate to jump through the hoops so that he can remain South Dakota’s Lieutenant Governor.”
Lt. Governor Venhuizen has been serving as South Dakota’s 40th Lieutenant Governor since he was appointed by Governor Rhoden and unanimously confirmed by both chambers of the South Dakota Legislature in late January 2025.
“It is an honor to officially join Governor Rhoden’s ticket,” said Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen. “We have a great team, and I am excited to continue to work for conservative, responsible government on behalf of the people of South Dakota.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Governor Rhoden’s historic runoff victory, which officially made him the Republican nominee for Governor.
Lt. Governor Venhuizen has led several key efforts for the Rhoden Venhuizen Administration, including serving as Chairman of the prison task force, the GRIT task force, and the Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force. Before being confirmed as Lieutenant Governor, he served as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for District 13, and in that capacity he also served as Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Venhuizen has previously served on the South Dakota Board of Regents and as Chief of Staff to both Governor Dennis Daugaard and Governor Kristi Noem.
Venhuizen and his wife, Sara, have been married for more than 20 years and have three school-age children: Henry, Elizabeth, and Madeleine. Sara is an electrical engineer and a distinguished alumna of South Dakota State University. The family attends Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Sioux Falls.
The general election is November 3, 2026. Learn more about the Rhoden-Venhuizen Administration’s results to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free at RhodenResults.com.
Lance Russell’s new best friend might be South Dakota Democrat Party Chair Shane Merrill. Or Julian Beaudion, depending on how you look at it. Because a lot just happened with the State Democrat Party.
South Dakota Democrats have withdrawn their threatened re-convention where they were said to be planning to nominate an opponent to Russell, the Republican nominee for the office of Attorney General. And as of this afternoon, with Democrats hitting the stop button on their planned re-convention, the path for Russell to be the next AG seems to be a wide open highway for the long time Fall River/Oglala County State’s Attorney.
It might have hinged on whether they could find a Democrat who wanted the office. But with Beaudion withdrawing his candidacy for US Senate, did Democrats take a pause because there were those who may have wanted to replace the fresh Julian vacancy on the ballot as well? That question came up in my mind, as there are plenty of Democrats who think Bengs leans more Libertarian than Democrat.
I had also heard that there were those gearing up for a lawsuit should they be allowed to re-convention.
With this momentary drama over, the ambiguity in state law that Democrats thought gave them a loophole to try again should now give legislators pause to seek clarity in the state laws surrounding convention.
Or they could do away with the convention nomination process altogether. That might work as well.
Either way, there should be no more ambiguity with who is running in 2026. So, it’s go time.
Governor Rhoden Announces Appointments to South Dakota Defense Institute Board
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced the appointment of the remaining six voting members of the inaugural South Dakota Defense Institute (SDDI) Board of Directors. The additional members were appointed by the organization’s initial three-person Board of Directors.
“The South Dakota Defense Institute will help us keep South Dakota – and America – strong, safe, and free,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “This board brings together outstanding leaders who will help build on our strengths, creating new opportunities for South Dakota businesses, and position South Dakota for continued growth in the defense sector.”
Governor Rhoden previously established the South Dakota Defense Institute, which serves as a centralized hub for defense collaboration, connecting industry, government, and education to strengthen South Dakota’s contributions to the United States Defense Industrial Base. The nonprofit organization works to coordinate with federal partners, identify new opportunities, and develop programs that support South Dakota businesses, workforce development, and research.
The SDDI Board of Directors previously had three appointed members of leadership, including:
The six new appointments to the SDDI Board of Directors are:
The board also approved amendments to the organization’s bylaws to include an additional ex-officio, non-voting member. The ex officio, non-voting members are:
You can learn more information about SDDI here.
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Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Round[s] Up: July 27-August 2, 2026
Welcome back to the Weekly Round[s] Up. Big news from the Senate this past week: we confirmed Jay Clayton to serve as the next Director of National Intelligence. I first met Jay in my role on the Banking committee when he was going through his confirmation to serve as SEC chairman. He is well-qualified for this position, and I look forward to working with him in this new role. We also took a procedural vote on our fifth “en bloc” batch of 74 nominees. With the passage of this batch, the Senate will have confirmed 95% of civilian nominations reported out of committee. More on this and the rest of my week in the Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota Groups I Visited With: This past week I sat down with the DC summer interns from Representative Dusty Johnson’s office and Senator John Thune’s office. I enjoyed hearing about all of their unique experiences this summer working on Capitol Hill. They all have bright futures ahead of them and I thank them for all of their hard work serving the people of South Dakota.
Over the weekend, I visited Sturgis for the Annual Raising of the Flags ceremony. We placed 800 American flags in Freedom Field at the Buffalo Chip to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country. This event was an opportunity to pause and reflect on the lives and sacrifice of the men and women who never made it home. I attended 31 funerals for South Dakota servicemembers while I was serving as governor. I’ll never forget how different the American flag looks when it’s draped over a fallen hero. I appreciate everyone coming together this past weekend to remember freedom isn’t free. A special thanks to Rod Woodruff and his team for putting this together.
Met with South Dakotans From: Aberdeen, Brookings, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Sturgis and Vermillion.
Other Meetings: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President; Wayne Allan, Chief Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Officer for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML); David Pemberton, CISA’s Region 8 Director; Bogdan Klich, Head of Mission in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland; Americans for Prosperity Leadership; Dr. Eric Green, Chief Medical Officer at Illumina; Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; and Hal Duncan, Nominee to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
On Wednesday morning, I joined my colleagues for our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast where Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois shared his testimony. I also stayed for the National Prayer Breakfast Cabinet Council meeting.
Later that day, I had the opportunity to speak to interns from across Capitol Hill as part of our summer lecture series. They asked many thoughtful questions about a wide range of topics from my time working in insurance, to legislation I am currently working on. Appreciate all they do. We can’t do our work without them!
I participated in two other speaking events this past week including one at the American Council for Capital Formation’s Policy Forum and the other at the Milken Institute Business Dialogue Event.
Hearings: I attended one hearing this past week with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, where I spoke with Scott Cameron, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Water and Science at the Department of the Interior about South Dakota water issues. Click here to watch.
Briefings: I attended a classified briefing hosted by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other military leaders from the Department of War.
Votes Taken: I voted 8 times this past week. As I mentioned, we confirmed Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence and voted to advance our fifth en bloc batch of 74 nominees.
I also voted in favor of the Supporting Early-childhood Educators’ Deductions (SEED) Act, which passed the Senate 84 to 12. This bipartisan piece of legislation extends a tax break to early childhood educators.
Additionally, I voted against a resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from Iran and against overturning a rule designed to make child care more affordable and accessible for low-income families.
Steps Taken: 53,972 steps or 26.08 miles
My Staff in South Dakota Visited: Aberdeen, Alexandria, Box Elder, Flandreau, Mission, Rosebud and Plankinton.
Video of the Week: Thursday, July 30th was National Intern Day! Our intern, Olivia from Milbank, South Dakota captured a day in her life while serving South Dakota as an intern on Capitol Hill. Click here to watch.
If you or someone you know is interested in an internship with my office, whether in South Dakota or Washington, D.C., please click here for more information.
I was down in Sioux Falls yesterday driving by 4×8 signs on the east side of town where Toby Doeden is still promising to save us. (Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of it. Traffic was moving kind of fast.)
While out in Rapid City, you can find this sign added on Larry Rhoden signs:
Where people are being thanked for their vote.
Probably the best message to have rolling from the summer primary into the start of the fall season.
Committee Selected to Search for Next Planning and Development Director
Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Mayor Christine Erickson has selected a six-member hiring committee to conduct the search for the City of Sioux Falls’ next planning and development services director. The committee will seek national, regional and local candidates to fill the position.
“The Planning and Development Services team is responsible for so many aspects that shape our economic vitality and quality of life in Sioux Falls,” Mayor Erickson said. “We need a strong team and leader who can help our community navigate growth while maintaining the services we provide today. I’m looking for a director who will lead with vision, integrity and innovation.”
Hiring committee members include:
The committee, with support from the city’s Human Resources team, will oversee application screening, initial interviews and finalist recommendations.
The Planning and Development Services department is responsible for several functions that guide how and where Sioux Falls grows, from zoning and building safety to housing, transit and arts initiatives. The department has 69 full- and part-time employees.
The department oversees:
Planning and Development Services also supports 14 city boards and commissions, including the Accessible Housing Advisory Board, Active Transportation Board, Arts Commission, Business Improvement District Board, Building Board of Appeals, City Naming Committee, Electrical Board of Appeals and Examiners, Board of Historic Preservation, Mechanical Board of Appeals and Examiners, Planning Commission, Plumbing Board of Appeals and Examiners, Property Maintenance Board of Appeals, Public Transit Advisory Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The previous planning and development services director retired in May. This hiring process is the first of three director-level searches underway due to retirements earlier this year. Director vacancies in Human Resources and Parks and Recreation will be addressed in the coming weeks.
For more information on the city’s Planning and Development Services department, visit siouxfalls.gov/planning-dev. To view the director job posting, visit siouxfalls.gov/careers.
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From KELOland comes a story worth your reading time about how the death of Chris Hesla, long-time wildlife advocate at the legislature is connected to the recent reprimand of a Pierre physician at St. Mary’s Hospital:
The widow of a Pierre man has come forward to say that she is the person who filed the complaint about questionable patient care which resulted in formal disciplinary action against medical doctor Nielsen Howard Burns.
The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners issued a public reprimand of Burns earlier this year.
The information about Burns’ reprimand — his second by the board — was part of a broader KELOLAND News report in July on actions the state board had taken in recent months against seven licensees.
and..
Colette Hesla reached out to KELOLAND News after the initial story. She said that she had brought the complaint against Burns after the death of her husband, Chris Swen Hesla, of Pierre.
Chris Hesla was a major figure in the outdoors community as the long-time executive director for the South Dakota Wildlife Federation. He had been taken by ambulance from their home to the Avera St. Mary’s Hospital emergency room in Pierre on August 11, 2022.
It was a sleepy Tuesday of news until late this afternoon when the Democrat dropped out of the US Senate race:
However, as recently as yesterday, some people including this reporter from the Washington Post were out there claiming that was not going to be the case:
Now, less than a day later, he was having to update his post – but was very specific to note that Beaudion was NOT supporting the remaining independent candidate Brian Bengs, who was running in third place in polls prior to today’s announcement.
We’ll see how this changes the context of the race with Bengs, the independent third place candidate running against Senator Mike Rounds, who has already been endorsed by President Trump.
Attorney General Jackley Announces State Appeals Federal Injunction in Mayday Health Lawsuit
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces he has appealed a U.S. Federal Court’s preliminary injunction that halted the enforcement of a new state law that prohibits the advertisement, dispensing, and distribution of abortion pills in South Dakota.
The U.S. District Court in Rapid City in July ruled in favor of Mayday Health which had requested the injunction. The law was scheduled to take effect July 1.
“South Dakota’s law prohibiting advertising for illegal abortion pills is designed to protect women’s health and innocent life,” said Attorney General Jackley. “As Attorney General, I stand with the Legislature, Governor, and our citizens in defending and protecting innocent life.”
Attorney General Jackley’s appeal was filed Monday with the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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