SHS will run for governor: Olson

South Dakota conservatives better figure this out quickly, or the ending is foregone conclusion. A divided conservative base calling real MAGA candidates RINOs while ensuring a Dusty governorship in 2026. If Stephanie Herseth doesn't clean his shrimpy phony clock in the general. Herseth will be their pick. And as long as we're talking, Marty Jackley is NOT running for Governor. He's likely running for Congress. All establishment apportionments subject to change of course, poll numbers depending. [Shad Olson]

Editor's note: in 2010 former US Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's reelection bid was sabotaged by a member of her own political party who threatened to run against her in the primary because she believed she was representing the majority of South Dakotans. 

Sam Hurst wrote a viral postmortem of her tenure: a sobering reminder of how Democrats lost the word war in the state. Hurst's Dakota Day piece about the defeat of the incumbent Sandlin to Kristi Noem defined the choice of the South Dakota Democratic Party to enable Dr. Kevin Weiland to mount a primary run against Sandlin instead of a general election run against the unopposed John Thune. 

It’s a struggle if not impossible to imagine either Stephanie or Max Sandlin living in a fetid pond like Pierre and if SHS has learned anything it’s that she’s over getting into any election where she could lose. In 2017 she told friends she was done with politics and was selected as the 24th president of Augustana University. In 2021 she chose not to seek a position on the federal bench.

Bobcat in the trail cam!

A big, wet snow that fell a few months ago broke all the supports for the wire that kept critters out and the coop has been empty of chickens for several days but DM wanted to know what got all the hens so she left the door open and had an interested party mount the trail cam across the yard. She bought pullets about a month ago and they are in the enclosed pen near the rump of that bobcat. The time on the camera says AM but it tripped last night.

Pope schedules eclipse of Trump's fragile ego

Born in Omaha, Blase Cupich was raised in a catholic household, attended a Benedictine elementary school, a diocese high school then graduated the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. When this interested party lived in Rapid City in 1998 he was made bishop by John Paul II and was consecrated in a ceremony at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. In 2004 when some in the cult wanted to ban Senator Tom Daschle from the Eucharist because of his defense of reproductive rights Cupich called it "cherry picking" and in 2008 he called racism a sin and was named Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016. 

In 2018 Cupich's predecessor in a Pennsylvania diocese was accused of covering up sex crimes after a grand jury found the church hid predator priests from prosecution. 

Today, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is pushing back on plans by the Trump Organization to raid churches and schools and will say Mass while the Draft Dodger in Chief holds a parade in his own honor the same day Pope Leo XIV appears via video stream.

Please join me on June 14 to celebrate Pope Leo XIV, a leader to the world and a native son to us. Witness firsthand a special video message that Pope Leo will offer to the young people of the world at Rate Field. https://t.co/bbXzHaBV3W

— Cardinal Cupich (@CardinalBCupich) May 30, 2025

Huether, Bengs running against South Dakota Democratic Party; Doeden, Hansen harmless

Rumor has it that former Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether is planning to run for governor as an unaffiliated candidate effectively ruining any Democrat's chance to win so go to his Faceberg page and convince him to run in the 2026 Democratic primary for the nomination instead. But honestly? It's really difficult to imagine any Democrat wanting to live in Pierre especially if it's in the Governor's Mansion near the swamp where even six-legged blood sucking mosquitos breed. 

Jon Hansen and Tubby Toby Doeden are completely harmless since the Earth hater gubernatorial primary is fixed for Howdy Doody Dusty Johnson so if Doeden or Hansen had any integrity whatsoever they'd run in the 2026 General Election as unaffiliated candidates. It's difficult to imagine interim Governor Larry Rhoden running in the upcoming very expensive primary especially for a party that's broken since he already looks exhausted and his Faceberg page currently has nearly no traffic.

Nobody is independent so Brian Bengs is running a vindictive race against the South Dakota Democratic Party because he's a jerk.

Trump driving economy into the shitter: WalletHub

Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO), gold's at $3,300 and WalletHub noticed.

Detailed Findings

Year-over-year, consumers felt less confident about their financial outlook in May 2025, with the value of the overall index registered being 27% lower than in May 2024. While this is the sharpest yearly decrease in consumer confidence recorded since December 2020, it’s worth noting that the magnitude of the decline is due partly to May 2024 having been the most optimistic month for consumers' financial outlook.

Decreasing financial optimism: In May 2025, consumers’ optimism about their finances recorded an increase (+4.2%) from the previous month. However, the level of optimism decreased by almost 10% over the past year.

Increasing stress: Consumers’ stress levels regarding money are higher (+1.8%) in May 2025 compared to the same period last year.

Decrease in optimism: In May 2025, consumers’ optimism about whether their finances will improve in the next six months is lower (-13.8%) than it was last year. This represents the most significant drop in financial outlook sentiment since December 2020.

Less new employment opportunities: The share of consumers who feel new employment opportunities are “abundant” is lower (-9.9%) in May 2025 compared to last year.

Weaker sense of job security: People’s confidence in having a job in the next six months is lower (-16.1%) in May 2025 compared to last year. This marks the steepest decline in job security sentiment since December 2020.

Real estate popularity drop: Home-buying interest among consumers decreased by nearly 30% in May 2025 compared to last year, marking the largest decrease recorded since December 2020.

Decreasing interest in auto purchases: The share of consumers who expect to buy a car in the next six months is over 32% lower in May 2025 compared to last year. This is the highest drop in auto purchase interest on record since December 2020.

Large purchases are not a priority: In May 2025, consumers’ likelihood of making a large purchase in the next six months is almost 22% lower than it was last year, the sharpest drop in consumers’ interest in large purchases since December 2020.

Decrease in debt-reduction confidence: The share of consumers who expect to have less debt after the next six months is lower (-3.6%) in May 2025 compared to last year.

Credit score insecurity: The share of consumers who expect their credit score to increase in the next six months is lower (-10.2%) in May 2025 compared to last year. At the same time, this represents the steepest decline in consumer confidence regarding their credit score outlook since December 2020.

The WalletHub Economic Index decreased by 27% between May 2024 and May 2025. This means consumers are less confident about their financial outlook this month than they were at the same time last year.