As South Dakota Republicans head into the June 2, 2026 gubernatorial primary, glossy mailers hitting voters have ignited fierce accusations of deliberate deception (on multiple fronts!). One mailer from “South Dakota First Action” (catchy name, eh?!) features Senate Majority Leader John Thune shaking hands with President Trump and urges: “Call Senator John Thune and thank him for being a true patriot!” alongside a 2025 Trump quote praising Thune.
The mailer screenshot was sent to Scott Presler by a South Dakota voter. I don’t completely agree with Presler’s angles with election integrity efforts, but he was the one who brought this to light via X…so here that is…
Two things about THAT…
First, Nobody at this point thinks John Thune is a patriot. NOBODY. Pretty much the entire country hates the guy and wonders if South Dakota is awake enough to give him the big cowboy BOOT out of government. Everybody should see this for what it is…total deception and gaslighting. The SAVE Act is legislation the huge majority of Americans want PASSED…YESTERDAY!
Second, was this an attempt to derail the campaign of Toby Doeden who is running for Governor (and leading in the polls) by trying to tie him (via Dakota First Action name affiliation) as being in support of John Thune NOT passing The Save America Act? The OUTSIDER candidate poses a huge threat to the South Dakota power structure…
It would be the second attempt this election cycle, with the first coming from House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach’s “Rushmore Republican” efforts where they posted a chopped up NO CONTEXT video of Toby Doeden allegedly praising John Thune, despite him not passing the SAVE ACT.
The full context video is HERE … it has NOTHING to do with the SAVE ACT and was posted WELL before Senator John Thune FAILED the entire country by not getting this vital piece of legislation passed. That my friends is what can be called “Deceptive, deceptive, deceptive.”
Seems this latest stunt may be a classic “name game” to TRY and confuse voters and undermine grassroots outsider momentum for candidates like Toby Doeden by the BIG GOVERNMENT MACHINE and their LACKEYS….erm LAWYERS.
Ironically, the “grassroots Team Hansen” side claims this as well with mailers recently sent via Dakota First Action (the conservative South Dakota citizen PAC that they used to support and which is at focus in this latest event). They are upset that Doeden is featured with conservative Legislators who endorsed Hansen and are worried voters “will be confused and vote Doeden” or that it will somehow “hurt” those legislators by being pictured with Doeden. Those same legislators pictured on the ads are the ones conservative Doeden voters WILL MOST LIKELY VOTE FOR TOO, NO MATTER WHO THEY ENDORSED FOR GOVERNOR!
Do you see how crazy that is? Apparently Doeden supporters cannot support Legislators who endorsed someone else even though they are the best option for Doeden voters. They are in such an uproar, they issued a Cease & Desist.
Crazy times. Will anybody on Team Hansen be in an uproar about this “South Dakota First Action” PAC? Probably not…because they are OK with big government and lobbyist shady lawyers (the same lawyers tied to interference in election integrity bills…keep reading) negatively impacting Doeden’s campaign in any way possible.
IMO, the ESTABLISHMENT is scared to death of an outsider (at the top of the polls) gaining power and they will use every tactic in the book to prevent it from happening. The grassroots used to battle these types of issues together. Now? Honestly…Team Hansen is probably giddy as can be.
We can all paint the picture as we see it but one thing is certainly true in today’s political landscape…voters are engaged and paying attention…and these games are now quickly noticed.
Dakota First Action (Chaired by Drew Dennert and previously led by Doeden (he stepped down to run for Gov) and anti-establishment conservatives) - Openly blasts Thune, Rounds, and Johnson as “RINO neocons,” supports property rights battles (including CO2 pipeline opposition), and aligns with Trump-aligned “America First” priorities. It has consistently opposed Thune on issues like the stalled SAVE America Act (proof-of-citizenship voter registration).
South Dakota First Action: The group behind the pro-Thune mailer. Engaged citizens highlight its registration/mailing address as 1300 W. 57th Street, Suite 101, Sioux Falls…the exact headquarters of Redstone Law Firm LLP. Seems the entity is designed to impersonate and siphon support…looks like it worked…this is one of many misinformed posters linking Doeden’s PAC to the pro Thune ad. *Note: it is not yet published on the SDSOS website so POC and who is bank rolling them cannot yet be verified.
Matt McCaulley (Redstone partner and Government Relations lead): Longtime lobbyist for ethanol producers, Sanford Health, and pipeline interests. Former Noem political advisor….and way more information and government involvement that could be it’s own series!
T.J. Nelson (Strategic Government Relations Advisor at Redstone since June 2020, Sioux Falls office): His professional bio states he previously served as Campaign Manager and Deputy Chief of Staff for Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, worked in campaign/official capacities for U.S. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, and handles health care, transportation, railroads, and crisis communications.
Jon Hansen (House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate): Redstone was Hansen’s employer from 2016 into early 2019, and the firm’s address/PAC connection is real. But it is past employment, ended by a documented conflict-of-interest situation in 2019. Hansen has been independent in Dell Rapids since then while rising to House Speaker and now running for governor.
As a person whose own grassroots petition drive for hand-counting and real election integrity was personally derailed by Attorney Sara Frankenstein (multiple counties rejected petitions because of her), I can tell you this “web of interconnected attorneys and lobbyists” isn’t just activist speculation, it’s the reason we keep losing ground while the Pierre machine stays in control. Sara Frankenstein wasn’t some neutral player. She was the ring leader who helped kill our attempts at hand counting. The same Sara Frankenstein that Senate Majority Leader John Thune personally appointed to the national U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in February 2026.
Seems there are quite a few attorneys in South Dakota who seem perfectly fine with stolen elections…and their ring leader just got a prestigious national seat from the very Senator they’re protecting. The Senator who is stalling on the SAVE ACT. It’s a big club and we the people fighting for clean votes, hand counts, and power back to the citizens? We aren’t in it.
Fun fact: Jon Hansen hired Sara Frankenstein to represent him in a court case following her completed wreckage tour of our petition efforts. Later, he posted about a property rights team having petitions rejected by their county and was ALL OVER that effort after having ignored us completely. When I pressed him and Karla Lems, I was blocked on social media by Lems and Hansen claims the relationship with Frankenstein was “just business.”
That’s why I continue to hammer on the “Pierre power structure,” bring light to this dark money PAC (thanks Misty!), and spread the names of the lawyers who’ve been embedded in the status quo for years. I’ve lived it. I watched our petitions get blocked while the insiders circle the wagons. This isn’t conspiracy…this is exactly how they keep outsiders like Toby Doeden (and every other America First voice) from breaking their grip.
Our nation’s elections are being stolen and we have LAWYERS and LOBBYISTS and dark money PACs making sure it stays that way.
Critical Primary
With four major GOP contenders (Doeden, Hansen, Interim Gov. Larry Rhoden, Rep. Dusty Johnson), similar PAC names plus Trump imagery…well…you need to be checking everything! Official checks via the SD Secretary of State’s campaign finance portal (sdcfr.sdsos.gov) are urged.Transparency & “Dark Money” in Small-State Politics
Law firms doubling as PAC addresses/lobbyist hubs raises questions about donor disclosure. South Dakota has relatively light rules and this episode fuels calls for sunlight regardless of side.GOP Fractures – Outsiders vs. Establishment
The Thune-SAVE Act tension is real (House-passed bill stalled in Senate; MAGA pressure WAY PAST mounting). He is NO patriot.Trust Erosion
Whether coordinated “kabuki theater” or opportunistic overlap, the allegations underscore how interconnected legal/lobbying circles can appear to outsiders. To me it seems the “Pierre power structure” will do anything to protect incumbents. Defenders would call it standard PAC competition…You decide.
Bottom Line: Keep researching and asking questions…
Action Steps for Readers:
Verify any mailer’s PAC name/address on official filings.
Call Thune’s office (202-224-2321) with your priorities (e.g., SAVE Act).
Research all gubernatorial candidates independently. Do not rely on your “friends”…research for YOURSELF!
Demand every group disclose donors fully.
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