All Episodes
Dakota Political Junkies — 203 episodes
Secretary of State Johnson sounds the alarm over 'integrity of the office.' SDPB's Dakota Political Junkies consider the repercussions
Analysis: 'White Horse' candidate Brian Bengs faces uphill battle as independent candidate
Analysis: South Dakota Democrats are the 'easy dog to kick,' but can make progress by remembering 'what a win is'
Analysis: Korean War-era precedent may influence decision on mail-in ballot restrictions
Rhoden built a 'record of policy wins' in order to win Republican nomination
Doeden goes back to business; Rhoden cites 'walking by faith.' Here are the candidate speeches from election night
Analysis: Inaction in June and election night insults may have eroded Doeden's support among Republican voters
GOP gubernatorial runoff candidate conversations
Analysis: Lawyers debate sweatshirts, websites, and the definition of illegal drugs in South Dakota's latest legal battle over abortion pill information
Analysis: Welcome to the calm before the storm as campaigns regroup for gubernatorial runoff
Analysis: Losing a political contest isn't the end of the story
Analysis: Fractured media landscape makes campaign ad differentiation a powerful tool for candidates
Previewing the third and final GOP gubernatorial primary debate
Republicans distinguish themselves in latest debate
Artemis II astronauts have a message for Earth. Will political leaders listen?
Analysis: School lunch legislation proves persistence pays in Pierre
Analysis: SAVE America Act is less about voting and more about rallying support
Analysis: Property tax reduction 'not a win' for most South Dakotans
Analysis: Will Noem's new job shield her from political woes?
Analysis: A wartime president, will Americans tune in?
Analysis: Welcome to the 'messy middle' of legislative session
From 'Full Dusty' to 'That's the plan!': Johnson's ad style plays with both fun and fear
Analysis: Gov. Rhoden supports DHS Secretary Noem, but with nuance
Analysis: State needs to rebuild trust in a post-COVID South Dakota
Analysis: Property tax proposals, data center opposition and an existential fear of AI
Analysis: Will legislators heed governor's call for civility?
Analysis: South Dakotans, power and national politics
Analysis: State 'squanders' dollars then restricts spending
Analysis: What Governor Rhoden's budget means for South Dakota
Analysis: Poll offers hints into GOP primary
Analysis: No end in sight for the government shutdown
Analysis: Defense Secretary says Wounded Knee medals won't be rescinded
Analysis: A closer look at the tone of political messaging
Analysis: New prison task force will focus on rehabilitation programs
Is Rapid City a Christian city?
Analysis: How national economic policies & indicators impact our finances
Analysis: Who counts as an American hero?
Analysis: The not-so-distinct messaging of 2026's candidates
Analysis: Newspaper closures and the future of South Dakota journalism
Analysis: Is Operation Prairie Thunder about public safety or politics?
Analysis: The shifting model of U.S. presidential authority
Analysis: Project Prison Reset causes some budgetary woes
Analysis: How the One Big Beautiful Bill might impact South Dakota
Analysis: Secretary Kristi Noem's finances face fresh scrutiny
Analysis: Too many headlines can distract voters
Analysis: Concerning poll results & shocking political violence
Analysis: Early 2026 gubernatorial announcements sees similar candidates
Analysis: New report says state will need another prison in 10 years
Analysis: A speech, a protest & an ICE 'raid' in Madison
Analysis: Career-minded Republicans are navigate political 'minefield'
West River land dispute attracts political muscle
Analysis: Trump's executive actions & ratings for his first 100 days
Analysis: SD's former governor remains in the media spotlight
Analysis: Sen. John Thune as senate majority leader
Analysis: Pierre property taxes proposal might not work for Sioux Falls
Analysis: Gov. Rhoden's homeowner property tax proposal
Analysis: Trump administration & judicial review
Bob Mercer: 40 years of coverage at the Capitol
Analysis: 2025 legislative session & state government reset
Analysis: The 2025 legislative session in review
Analysis: Governor spending & government transparency
Analysis: When legislation impacts education
Analysis: Open government and Gov. Rhoden's administration
Analysis: Appropriations committee changes come during a tight budget year
Analysis: President Trump seeks to refashion federal agencies
An interview with the state's new lieutenant governor
Analysis: South Dakota hits reset with new governor
Charting Gov. Kristi Noem's political past & future
State of the State analysis: Jean Hunhoff & Linda Duba
State of the State analysis: Jon Hunter & Michael Card
South Dakotans' political influence in the next administration
Sen. Jean Hunhoff and Rep. Linda Duba discuss session
How will Gov. Noem be remembered?
Analysis: Gov. Kristi Noem's budget address
Noem announces new anti-corruption measures; why now?
Sen. Thune's path to power & President-elect Trump's cabinet picks
After a decisive election, what's next for South Dakota politics?
Election Day recap: Seth Tupper & Jonathan Ellis
Election Day recap: Lisa Hager & David Wiltse
Election Day recap: Jon Hunter & Michael Card
Election Day 2024: The view from less than a week out
Cannabis: A political history in South Dakota
Remembering U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson & the legacy of U.S. Sen. Karl Mundt
A closer look at the race for South Dakota's U.S. House seat
Abortion in SD: A political history lesson
National party conventions preview upcoming election season
Analysis: Who can lead South Dakota through another financial scandal?
Looking back at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s time in South Dakota
Exploring the Midwestern VP ticket that never was
What’s on the South Dakota ballot this election?
Historical & political precedents for a wild news week
What we lost when Noem’s government social media accounts went dark
How the Supreme Court is shaping the future of presidential immunity
Did the state do enough during the June flood?
Changes & turnover in Gov. Kristi Noem's office
Losses & lessons from a dramatic South Dakota primary
Paths to power & paths to the polls
From page to print: How The Scout investigated claims in 'No Going Back'
Weighing the impact of voting in local vs. national elections
Diving into constitutional questions in Trump's Supreme Court case
Primary election news & media bias
Exploring the complexities of media consumption during an election
Analyzing recent messages from SD's top political leaders
Garretson editor offers his views on the pipeline compromise
Taking a look at the candidates for Senate minority leader
Examining the ethics of Gov. Noem's 'infomercial' for Texas dentist
South Dakota changes its definition of a legal newspaper
South Dakotan politicians may step into national roles
Gov. Kristi Noem makes Donald Trump's VP shortlist
Vital deadlines & procedural maneuvering at the Capitol
The Uniform Commercial Code & state budgets vs. salaries
Legal newspapers, a joint session & the southern border
Should South Dakota consider school vouchers?
South Dakota Searchlight's bills to watch
An analysis of the 2024 State of the State
New poll measures warmth toward presidential candidates
Sales tax sunsets, teacher pay & zebra mussels
What you should know about the governor's budget address
How to approach cannabis & school lunch debt in South Dakota
An analysis of Rep. Johnson's words on civility
An analysis of Gov. Noem's Worldwide Freedom Initiative speech
Looking ahead at the 2024 presidential election
A look ahead at the state budget & legislative session
SD political partnerships: Cutting ties & ending world hunger
The Midwest as a cultural rather than geographic identity
American politics & the conflict in the Middle East
What the media says about 'Freedom Works Here'
How can we lift SD counties out of poverty?
Recapping & analyzing the Monumental Leaders Rally
Congress returns to work to avert government shutdown
Is the U.S. southern border a warzone?
Water infrastructure & rights in South Dakota
Remembering the COVID confusion sparked by the word ‘should’
Indictments, accusations & NASCAR stock cars
Reviewing South Dakota's 2023 fiscal year
Lack of transparency in South Dakota's lobbying industry
Weighing in on recent U.S. Supreme Court cases
Breaking down the new laws on South Dakota's books
Cabinet shakeups & more state political news
Winners of the debt ceiling showdown & new Republican candidates
An analysis of Gov. Noem's Board of Regents letter
To endorse or not endorse: SD politicians give a fellow senator their support
Analyzing Gov. Noem's memoir & political origin stories
Looking beyond the political headlines
Is it time to say goodbye to party primaries?
Noem's NRA speech & presidential ambitions
T. Denny Sanford investigation & an economic analysis
Analyzing the expectations & realities of the Trump indictment
Water rights & where SD's legislators fall in a national ranking
A former state senator's Veto Day predictions
Dakota Political Junkies: So, what just happened?
A look back at 2023's legislative session
Crossover day: The bills that will & won't survive the day
Dakota Political Junkies: Revenues, budgets & taxes
The legislative session as told through tax bills
Dakota Political Junkies: The saga of Sen. Frye-Mueller
Political Junkies: A legislative update
Political Junkies: Bills to watch in 2023
The South Dakota Legislature is in session
Recap: 2022's top political headlines
Analysis: Revenues high, governor calls for big investments in South Dakota
Analysis: TikTok ban and budget address predictions
Analysis: Budget address and party leadership
Analysis: The results of the midterm election and a presidential candidate announcement
Analysis: Election 2022
Analysis: Noem leads, but can she deliver on the grocery tax relief promise?
Analysis: Lopsided campaign funds hobble political challengers
Analysis: Is Governor Kristi Noem an election denier?
Analysis: Governor's debate; Early SDSU Poll results say race is statistically even
Analysis: Governor Noem's promise to repeal food tax and the latest ad against Jamie Smith
Analysis: Meatpacking plants and carbon pipelines in South Dakota
Analysis: Governor Kristi Noem might reinvent her campaign; Jamie Smith charges ahead
Analysis: Governors race & election transparency
Analysis: Student loan forgiveness & potential misconduct from the governor
Analysis: Government Accountability Board and a heated roundtable in Spearfish
Analysis: abortion poll, draft standards on social studies, and gubernatorial advertising
Gov. Noem ethics complaints, will they stick?
Analysis: Governor Kristi Noem's political future and South Dakota after the Dobbs decision
Analysis: Governor Kristi Noem's political future and South Dakota after the Dobbs decision
Analysis: Rhetoric, power and how a new Smith campaign ad takes aim at Noem's campaign ad
Analysis: Rhetoric, power and how a new Smith campaign ad takes aim at Noem's campaign ad
Analysis: A Medicaid expansion marriage and the special legislative session that wasn't
Analysis: Will a legislative session propose further abortion restrictions or increase support for people with unplanned pregnancies?
A look into the 2022 GOP Convention
A look into the 2022 GOP Convention
SD senators decide Jason Ravnsborg's future
Analysis: U.S. House select committee hearings
Analysis: June 7 primary election, voter turnout
Noem speaks at the NRA conference, what it says about her re-election campaign.
Analysis: Report says Smithfield's pandemic lobbying efforts weakened worker protections
Analysis: Roe v. Wade and SDSU poll
Analysis: Amendment C, and Roe v. Wade
Analysis: Marty Jackley's candidacy may influence Ravnsborg impeachment outcome, at least tangentially
Analysis: Ravnsborg, Noem and the politics of impeachment during an election year
Analysis: Who Noem's Critical Race Theory 'ban' actually applies to
Political analysis: The battle of the branches
Analysis: Rotating billboards miss the mark when attacking lawmakers
Analysis: 2022 South Dakota Legislative Session is coming to a close
Analysis: Does "divisive topics" legislation do what it set out to do?
Analysis: Crossover day in Pierre and a race for governor
Be wary of indoctrination, especially when it's your own doctrine
The high cost of the politics of division
Welcome to SDPB's Dakota Political Junkies!