Dakota Town Hall

Back again, and after an election cycle that felt like it would never end, South Dakota finally has some answers. Governor Larry Rhoden’s Chief of Staff Mackenzie Decker joins the show to talk about what comes next for the administration, from cabinet reappointments and parole reform to the policy work already taking shape ahead of session. Plus, Elevate Rapid City President and CEO Jack Valentine...

Another election preview! First we sit with D34 Senate candidate Michael Calabrese and then we get into the state wide ballot and candidate options across the board with our coverage heavyweights: Nathan Sanderson from the SD Retailers, Patrick Lalley from Sioux Falls Live, and Seth 'Top Rope' Tupper from SD Searchlight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back again! This week on Dakota Town Hall, Whitney Rencountre II, CEO of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, joins the show for a fascinating look at what's happening on the mountain, why the project is moving faster than people think, and the bigger mission behind preserving Native American history and culture. We get into the massive scale of Crazy Horse, the future of its university and mu...

Back again! Former Sen. Erin Tobin, District 4 Sen. Stephanie Sauder, and Dakota War College’s Pat Powers jump into the fight over South Dakota’s data center future, from AI, local control, and looming legislative battles to whether moratorium politics will survive another session. Then the Watertown forum takes center stage after Neil Tapio bows out just hours before it starts, setting off a deba...

Back again! Senator Taffy Howard and Representative Eric Muckey join Jake and Murdoc for a full ballot-amendment brawl, starting with Amendment J and whether South Dakota needs to put an explicit citizenship requirement for voting into the state constitution. Then comes the rare moment of bipartisan harmony on Amendment K and the proposed unclaimed property trust fund, before things heat right bac...

Back again! South Dakota’s normally sleepy Secretary of State race just blew wide open. Democratic candidate Terrence Davis joins the show after sitting Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s headline-making endorsement sent shockwaves well beyond the state. Davis gets into the endorsement, his case for the office, the fight over hand-counting ballots, Heather Baxter’s approach to elections, and why t...

Back again! Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen and Dakota War College’s Pat Powers join Jake and Murdoc for a packed lap through South Dakota politics. Tony looks back on the Herseth family’s decades-long political legacy following the death of Lars Herseth, then the crew jumps into the legal drama surrounding former Sen. Tom Pischke, competing Republican fundraisers, Taylor Rehfeldt’s political network and...

Back again! Murdoc is flying solo with a heavyweight bench as Sen. Casey Crabtree, Tim Rave and South Dakota Searchlight’s Seth Tupper jump into the four constitutional amendments headed for South Dakota voters. Amendment I sparks the biggest fight, with Crabtree and Rave taking opposite sides on what happens to Medicaid expansion if the federal match drops below 90 percent. Plus, Amendment L’s 60...

Back again! This week on the show, SURF Executive Director Mike Headley and senior research scientist Dr. Marcus Horn take us nearly a mile underground for one of the strangest and most exciting science stories happening anywhere. We get into the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, the mysterious single event that has dark matter researchers scratching their heads, what comes next as scientists dig into more d...

Back again! With Murdoc off in Alaska, Ryan Budmayr jumps into the co-host chair alongside Jake for a packed conversation with Senators Tim Reed and Ernie Otten. We get into South Dakota’s EMS system and the warning that the current model is starting to “implode,” as rural communities lose volunteers, ambulance services pull back and lawmakers look toward regionalization. Plus, what that fight cou...

Back again! Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Ahlers hits the campaign trail and joins Jake and Murdoc to make his case for shaking up 50 years of one-party control in Pierre. Ahlers talks running mate Steve McCleerey, childcare assistance, affordability, young voters, his pitch for political balance and the attacks already coming his way. Plus, he fires back at the “Biden-endorsed” label, ta...

Back again! Rep. Nicole Uhre-Balk and Sen. Randy Deibert join Jake and Murdoc for a West River-heavy show, starting with Dan Ahlers’ lieutenant governor pick, Steve McCleerey, and what the Democratic ticket is trying to build heading into November. We get into the fallout from the GOP governor’s race, Deibert’s big question about Toby Doeden’s “Save South Dakota” pitch, the RINO wars inside the Re...

Back again! This week on the show, we trade the campaign trail for Main Street Sturgis as legendary moto journalist Marilyn Stemp joins us alongside Dakota Scout co-founder Joe Sneve to unpack the 86-year history of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We get into how a small motorcycle race grew into one of America's biggest events, the evolution from racing to concerts and camping, the Buffalo Chip's r...

Back again! Larry Rhoden’s decisive runoff victory is in the books, and we break down what the results say about the future of South Dakota Republican politics. Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen joins the show fresh off election night to talk turnout, the campaign, Toby Doeden’s concession, and why voters delivered such a resounding message. Plus, South Dakota Searchlight editor Seth Tupper weigh...

Back again! This week on the show, Sioux Falls Mayor Christine Erickson joins us fresh off one of the closest mayoral races in South Dakota history to talk about winning by just four votes, what election night really felt like, and how she's approaching the first 100 days of her administration. We get into her transition team, the city's budget, public safety, downtown redevelopment after Smithfie...

Back again! With less than two weeks until Republican voters decide South Dakota's next governor, Toby Doden joins Dakota Town Hall for an extended conversation on the runoff, laying out his case against Larry Rhoden and making the pitch that South Dakota needs a business-minded outsider in the Governor's Office. We get into affordability, property taxes, public safety, education, the Kelo poll, c...

Back again! Governor Larry Rhoden and Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen join the show as South Dakota’s never-ending gubernatorial runoff enters the final stretch. We get into the sharper contrast with Toby Doeden, Paul TenHaken’s endorsement, property tax relief, the next legislative session and what Venhuizen’s prison rehabilitation task force is finding. Plus, President Trump’s Mount Rushmore...

Back again! This week on the show, South Dakota's election season somehow finds another gear. We break down the unbelievable two vote Sioux Falls mayoral runoff, what happens if it ends in a tie, and what it all says about turnout, campaigns, and the razor thin margins that decide elections. Plus, Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun joins us to talk America 250, the city's Fourth of July plans, Preside...

Back again! This week on the show, the guys welcome Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Julian Beaudion for a wide-ranging conversation on his challenge to Senator Mike Rounds, the state of Democratic politics in South Dakota, education policy, Social Security, data centers, tribal consultation, and whether there’s an opening for a different kind of leadership in Washington. We get into voter frustra...

Back again! The election cycle refuses to die, and neither do the political fireworks. This week Matt Paulson and District 15 Rep. Eric Muckey join the show to break down the Sioux Falls mayoral runoff, city council battles, and the increasingly blurry line between "nonpartisan" elections and partisan reality. We get into turnout predictions, endorsement drama, dark money accusations, and why Siou...

Back again! The votes are in, the dust is settling, and South Dakota politics just delivered one of the biggest surprises in recent memory. Jake is joined by Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen, Nathan Sanderson, and SD News Watch’s Alexander Rifaat to break down Toby Doeden’s unexpected first place finish, Dusty Johnson’s exit, and the July 28 gubernatorial runoff that now pits Doeden against Gove...

Back again! With primary day just around the corner, the Dakota Town Hall crew gathers a heavyweight panel featuring Jonathan Ellis, Patrick Lally, Pat Powers, and Ryan Budmayr to break down the final sprint in South Dakota’s governor’s race. We get into Toby Doden’s headline-grabbing mailers, the fallout from candidates pushing back on unauthorized endorsements, Tamara Grove’s residency controver...

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) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 bigge...