STRAIGHT OUTTA PIERRE | Lights, debate, confusion — and then the moon did something useful
Sharp, snappy and South Dakotan — an anonymous shot of insight with a twist of sarcasm
So the first Republican debates for governor are in the books.
The first one always feels a little like a preseason scrimmage. Everybody’s in uniform, but nobody’s quite in midseason form yet. The timing is off, the execution is a little sloppy, and you can tell some folks are still thinking instead of reacting. Fortunately, April brings a couple more chances to clean it up and see who’s actually ready when it counts.
But even with that in mind, a few things stood out.
There is clearly an appetite to run against Pierre. The only problem is they are Pierre. Or have been closely tied to it and now want voters to trust them to fix what their own team built over the last 45-plus years.
That does not mean there are not real issues. Property taxes are real. Affordability is real. Growth is putting pressure on communities in ways we have not seen before.
But it does make the campaign messaging feel a little like someone lighting a fire and then campaigning as the guy who can put it out.
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