PHD. Check.

Out of a High-Profile state job soon. Check.

Needs a Golden Parachute. Check.

Squash the Gear-Up scandal. Check.

Has a fill-in if he leaves early. Check.

Once peeps heard that I was talking about MMM again for USD president, the moles started to squeak. The rumor going around is that Daugaard will take over the job this summer and he will have Matt Michaels finish out his term. Which makes sense (not the USD president part) but another high profile Republican representative on a state level not finishing their term.

6 Thoughts on “Is Dennis Daugaard being tapped for the USD President?

  1. The key to this rumor is to look at who are on the search team; but I have also heard there are 40 applicants, however.

    Don’t be surprised if they announce some finalists, who are most likely from all over the country. Its a great smoke screen. That is what they did in ’82 for USD, even though from day one McFadden, then the Prez at the NSU, had it in the bag…. McFadden was an other Democrat liked by Janklow….. But MMM is not liked by Republicans, is he??

    Picking Daugaard, and thus making Michels a “Governor,” would be a continuation of the Janklow/Abdnor feud, where Janklow/Jackley may be the next governor (Russ is in his commercial), but it would give the Rounds/Daugaard/Michels clique a political continuum to counter the feud or struggle with equal or greater political weight going into the future.

    I think the one thing that is underreported in this state politically is the continual divide between the Janklow and Abdnor Republicans, which has become a Janklow versus Rounds and friends divide. Such dual appointments or successions of Daugaard and Michels, based on these dual moves, definitely further illustrates this power struggle…

    I also think it explains the obvious coalition between the Janklow wing and some Democrats over the last 20 years, which has been a lateral move by the BJ wing in the past to try to divide or control the Abdnor faction of the South Dakota GOP; and which also interestingly parallels the era when the Jankow wing lost the Governor’s office to the Rounds/Daugaard/Michels crowd too….

  2. The governor is planning to stay at the best western hotel in Vermilion on April 30th – May 1st. Take that for what it’s worth.

  3. That’s finals week, I mean finalists week….. 😉

  4. scott on April 4, 2018 at 8:38 pm said:

    this seems like a reward for micheals to get to be governor in return for not running. also a reward for daugaard from the regents for sweeping eb5 under the rug.

  5. I have always thought that if Noem gets the Republican nod, that her running mate will be Mickelson. I say this because her gubernatorial announcement, Mickelson’s pulling out of that race, and then Mickelson’s proactive defense of Noem, when a national lobbying group attacked her for not initially coming out against a border tax, seemed too obvious or politically motivated to be coincidental.

    Then when you realize that Mickelson’s mother was Daugaard’s treasurer for his two gubernatorial bids and realize that Michels could have never got the gubernatorial nomination as long as powerhouses like Noem, Mickelson, and Jackley were in it too – and that for Mickelson his chances at the nomination were then severely challenged by fellow heavyweights as well – that having Daugaard go to USD, Michels become a “Wollman” or “Resume Governor,” while Mickelson keeps his political marketability in place as Noem’s running mate all makes sense. Plus, Mickelson can then use his “bills” as further fuel for a fall campaign with Noem.

    This probably also explains why Mickelson is not running for the state house again, also. I expect a possible Noem running mate announcement before the June primary (We’ll see (?)). And this political hunch also gives everyone a piece of the pie except for Jackley who is obviously a member of the wrong camp…. I could be all wrong about this, but its food for thought…. It’s why political science is a science, which means it has its theories, doesn’t it?

  6. Rumors once again shown to be rumors. BOR announces four finalists, none of whom are governors:

    http://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=23203

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