Poll: Nesselhuf Edging Fargen for Dem Chair Nod

The latest Madville Times poll finds Mitch Fargen doesn't have a lock on every election he runs in. I asked you, eager readers, "Who's the best choice for SD Dems Party Chair?" Say you:

Ben Nesselhuf	55 (37%)
Mitch Fargen	51 (34%)
George S. McGovern	22 (14%)
someone else	24 (16%)

Votes: 152

152 votes—not bad for a blog poll on an internal election in a state Democratic party that is supposedly broken and licking its wounds. That's more votes than came in for a poll here on the Secretary of State's race that involved Nesselhuf (he won that poll, too, demonstrating the clear misalignment between my eager readership and the general electorate... must expand audience!).

Getting Democrats interested in this party chair race is exactly what Mitch Fargen wants. I heard him on Brookings radio the other day saying he jumped in the race specifically because he wants to generate some excitement by giving people a choice for the office (well, that, and lead Democrats to victory in 2012!). And that's a great idea. Get people excited about the party. Show them we don't have just one or two big-name political families and a thin bench of brave soldiers who get on the ballot because no one else is willing to take the beating of an uphill campaign. Give people something to talk about. And use the election process to help us find the best person for the job.

The interest Fargen and Nesselhuf are generating within the party in this party chair race point toward a strategy we Democrats should follow in 2012: field enough candidates for primaries in every race and every district, from U.S. House and State Legislature on down to county dogcatcher. Give people a reason to pay attention, show up, vote, and buy in to the Democratic brand.

Nesselhuf and Fargen run close in this poll. So does somebody else. A near-third of respondents favor recruiting George McGovern, cited by many as the best historical model of building the Democratic Party in South Dakota (and he is in the neighborhood this week!) or someone else. Pure speculation: I'm comfortable reading that strong "neither of the above" contingent as either a fair number of people open to suggestion... or maybe Nick Nemec clearing his cookies and prepping to challenge the young fellas. ;-)

Nesselhuf and Fargen are both proven, energetic campaigners and fundraisers. Nesselhuf has an edge with experience (more years in Legislature, a statewide campaign) and perhaps a larger personal/political network. Both men will spend the next couple weeks beating the bushes for votes, pitching their abilities and their vision for the party. Having that vigorous conversation right now and getting Dems statewide thinking seriously about the action they need to take to win in 2012 will serve the party much better than an uncontested appointment to the chair. Go get 'em fellas!

New Blog Poll: Who's Right for SD Democratic Chair?

Not even two weeks after Election Day, and I already miss voting. Let's do it again! The latest Madville Times poll asks who you think is the best choice for chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

We have two announced candidates stumping for the job: re-elected District 8 Representative Mitch Fargen and outgoing District 17 Senator Ben Nesselhuf. Who's better suited for patching the holes and setting the Democratic ship a-sail again, Mitch or Ben? Do we need to draft George McGovern to stop fighting hunger and reprise his 1950s party-building? (Crazier things have happened!) Or is there some other über-organizer/fundraiser/rabble-rouser who can lead the party to success in 2012? (I welcome discussion of the definition of success in this context.)

Click your pick here in the right-hand sidebar. Poll remains open until breakfast Tuesday. Then we'll talk about the results. And who knows? Some of the party leaders who get to vote at the party confab on December 4 might actually listen!

Tell your friends, and vote now!

Fargen, Nesselhuf Run for State Dem Chair

I told you Mitch Fargen was a pol to watch. He won every precinct in Lake County last week against a hard Republican tide. He won re-election to his District 8 State House seat. Now he wants to be chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. His press release:

November 11, 2010- Mitch Fargen, Democratic State Representative in District 8, has announced that he will run for the position of Chair with the South Dakota Democratic Party. Fargen is a Flandreau native and recently elected to a second term in the State Legislature. Over the past year he has been in charge of fundraising, training and recruiting for the Democratic candidates for the Democrat Caucuses.

Fargen said his reason for running is that, “This November’s election really shocked a lot of us in South Dakota and it got a lot of people thinking about what we need to do for the future of the Democrat Party and for the State of South Dakota. Because of this I have talked to many people across the state and I am focused on moving the party forward.” Fargen added, “We need to ensure our Legislators in Pierre have the support they need, we need to continue to build the party from the County and Legislative District levels, and we need to ensure we have the financial resources to compete. I have the track record and leadership to do just that.”

The election for State Chair and the other state officers are December 4 in Oacoma.

This announcement comes just a fwe hours after Ben Nesselhuf's announcement that he's seeking the chair as well. Now there's a great choice: both Fargen and Nesselhuf are proven leaders, good campaigners, and outstanding fundraisers. Emphasize that latter point: over the past year, the state GOP outraised us South Dakota Dems nearly 6 to 1. Job #1 for the new chair: raise money!

By the numbers: for this year's District 8 House race, covering a four-county area, Fargen raised about $22,500 (as of Oct. 21). He was able to donate about half of that to the statewide Majority Project. For the statewide Secratary of State's race, Nesselhuf's pre-general report receipts were about $150,000. (Update 22:20 CST: My friend Mr. Price reminds us Nesselhuf's total haul was over $200K, a Dem record for statewide constitutinoal office.) He had enough to reimburse the state party $10,500 for in-kind services. He also got $34,000 from the Majority Project, which he headed in 2008.

Who needs D-1 football: we've got a great SDSU-USD rivalry right here in the political arena! Let's get ready to rumble!



Update 20:33 CST: Current SDDP chair Cheryl Chapman says so long and thanks for the fish: in an e-mail to party members this evening, Chapman says she will not seek election to a full term as state party chair. (Chapman took over to serve the remainder of Jack Billion's term when he stepped aside in 2009.) Chapman praises exec Erin McCarrick and staff Cathy Avery and Kevin Killer. She also sees good grassroots base-building already taking place for 2012.

Nesselhuf Tops SOS Poll; Constitution Party Cracks 4%!

The latest Madville Times poll shows a strong standing for Demorat Ben Nesselhuf, at least among all you Web literati. I asked "Which candidate will get your vote for South Dakota Secretary of State?" Here's what 141 of you said:

Lori Stacey	6 (4%)
Jason Gant	36 (26%)
Ben Nesselhuf	99 (70%)

Votes: 141
Conducted 2010.09.20–22.

A last-minute push from the Constitution Party camp pushed Lori Stacey just over the 4% mark, an amazing showing for otherwise hapless purveyors of conspiracy theories, unsupportable libel lawsuit threats, and ineffective legal arguments. The latest from the Stacey bunker: this broadside branding South Dakota Right to Life as deceivers for endorsing Republican Jason Gant.

Stacey says nothing about Gant's demonstrable deceit concerning his no-show at last week's scheduled forum with Ben Nesselhuf on Thursday at Western Dakota Tech.

What might the numbers of the candidates in double digits tell us?

1. Nesselhuf voters find great comfort in reading the Madville Times. :-)
2. My eager readers prefer Nesselhuf's focus on issues specific to South Dakota, including his intelligent and outside-the-box attention to economic development, over Gant's GOP playbook campaign of fear-mongering over voter fraud that happens elsewhere but is hardly an issue in South Dakota.

More polls to come! Stay tuned!

Vote Now: Madville Times Polls Secretary of State Race

The candidates for South Dakota Secretary of State are in the news: let's poll! The latest Madville Times poll asks you, eager readers, whom you want running your statewide elections, supervising corporate filings, and coming up with cool Web apps for voter enlightenment. Your choices:

• Constitution Party candidate Lori Stacey (though note: if Stacey's supporters are anything like her, they'll cast their votes, then retract them and deny they ever voted)
• Republican candidate Jason Gant, who skipped a debate scheduled for last week Thursday and then, according to Mr. Dahle at Badlands Blue, tweeted what may rise to the level of scandalous misrepresentation about his absence.
• Democratic candidate Ben Nesselhuf, about whom I can't really say anything silly, because Nesselhuf hasn't done anything silly on the campaign trail.

Poll is open in the right sidebar until breakfast time Wednesday morning. Tell your friends, and vote now!

Gant Dodges Rapid City Debate with Nesselhuf

Kevin Woster mentioned Thursday morning that Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Ben Nesselhuf was carbo-loading (and protein-loading, and syrup-loading!) for his high-noon debate with GOP SoS candidate Jason Gant at Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City as part of the school's Constitution Day activities.

But then, much to Nesselhuf's and Woster's surprise, Gant was a no-show. Son of a gun, Gant, who I hear was in Rapid City Wednesday night for a fundraiser, rescheduled to appear at WDT with fellow GOPer and Lt. Gov. candidate Matt Michels. Hmmm... either Gant didn't get enough pancakes Thursday a.m., or he wanted to avoid another roughing-up like Nesselhuf dished him at the Corn Palace last month.

No big whoop for Nesselhuf: he made the most of his trip to Rapid, enjoying 50 full minutes to talk about the Constitution with an engaged and interested audience of fellow citizens.

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Bonus Campaign Issue: Maybe Gant was off catching dogs. Read Gant's blog, and you might think the biggest reasons to vote for him is some guy in New Mexico who registered his dog to vote. New Mexico.

Apparently we can count on Gant to stanch the tide of four-leggeds sneaking into the voting booths. But Jason, some animals are more equal than others.
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Update 2010.09.19 20:45 CDT: Badlands Blue posts a screenshot of Jason Gant's Twitter spin on the missed debate and a shot of Western Dakota Tech's flyer for its Constitution Day events which pretty clearly shows Nesselhuf and Gant scheduled for a "Candidates Town Hall" on Thursday, September 16.