Politics
Signatures submitted in bid to bring California-style 'Top 2' primaries to South Dakota
- Thousands more signatures than required were submitted in favor of a “top two” primary system in South Dakota.
- Under the proposed system — already implemented in states like California and Washington — candidates from all parties would appear on a single, nonpartisan ballot, and the top two would advance to the general election regardless of affiliation.
- Deanna “De” Knudson, a registered Republican sponsoring the measure, stated her belief that the current nomination system “excludes about half of the voters from the real race, and we just really believe that this is a fairness issue.”
Supporters of a “top two” primary election system in South Dakota that would replace the current partisan process with one open to all voters have submitted thousands more petition signatures than required to bring a vote this fall on their ballot initiative.
On Monday, South Dakota Open Primaries sponsors said they submitted petitions with 47,000 signatures to Secretary of State Monae Johnson’s office. The measure group needs 35,017 valid signatures to make the November ballot. Johnson’s office has until Aug. 13 to validate the measure, a proposed constitutional amendment.
Under South Dakota’s current primary election system, candidates in gubernatorial, congressional, legislative and county races compete in a partisan primary. The measure would allow all candidates to compete against each other in one primary, and the top two vote-getters in each race or for each seat would advance to the general election. A similar measure failed in 2016.
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Other states such as California and Washington have “top two” primary elections similar to the measure proposed in South Dakota.
Measure sponsor Deanna “De” Knudson, a registered Republican, said she doesn’t think the state has a fair system, in that it “excludes about half of the voters from the real race, and we just really believe that this is a fairness issue.”
The South Dakota State Capitol is photographed in Pierre, South Dakota. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Republicans control South Dakota’s Legislature and hold all statewide elected offices and congressional seats. Democrats haven’t won a statewide election since 2008, when former U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin won reelection to their last terms.
South Dakota has nearly 602,000 registered voters, including 304,000 Republicans and 144,000 Democrats, but people registered as “no party affiliation” or “independent” total nearly 150,000 voters, according to online voter registration tracking.
State Republican Party Chairman and state Sen. John Wiik said he vehemently opposes the measure. He said he sees “no good coming out of it for the Republican Party.” The state GOP’s central committee unanimously opposed the measure, he said.
“I want Republicans to be able to choose the Republican candidate, and Democrats to choose the Democrat candidate,” Wiik said. “If you want to be an independent, then you’re independent of the decisions that affect your lives.”
Knudson said the measure would bring a much more competitive process and “will make sure that the winning candidate is the one most South Dakotans agree on.” She questioned the balance of power in the Legislature, where Democrats hold 11 of 105 seats, and whether that is truly reflective of voters’ will.
State Democratic Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers said the party hasn’t taken a stance on the measure. The Democratic Party allows “no party affiliation” and independent voters to vote in its primary, along with registered Democrats.
The Department of Homeland Security failed to effectively secure smartphones used by staff in its intelligence office, raising the risk of cyberattacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information, the department’s inspector general said in a report published Monday.
The independent watchdog found that the department did not require certain security settings and allowed the office’s employees to download “high-risk apps” on mobile devices, including apps used for streaming or “associated with foreign adversaries.”
The report underscores security vulnerabilities at an office that helps identify national security threats and provides intelligence to state and local partners. Although immigration has been at the forefront of the department under the Trump administration, it was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and has a broader mission of preventing terrorism and protecting the country from a variety of threats.
In a letter responding to the report, the Department of Homeland Security said it concurred with the watchdog’s recommendations and that it had already made some changes to better secure its mobile devices. The department also cast blame on the Biden administration in a statement on Monday.
“D.H.S. has worked diligently to fix the vulnerabilities Democrats created so that we can securely do our jobs in keeping Americans safe and secure in the homeland,” the statement said.
The inspector general’s report examined data on mobile devices used by the intelligence office in 2024, including smartphones and tablets that were considered “unclassified” but could hold law enforcement sensitive information.
The department centrally manages and enforces security policies on its mobile devices. But the report found that 76 percent of apps installed on devices used by its Office of Intelligence and Analysis posed security risks, were prohibited or allowed prohibited activities. The report did not give a specific list but said the apps were used for file sharing, online gaming, private web browsing and social networking.
Although the department generally restricts the use of apps it has not approved, it does not prevent the office’s employees from installing unapproved apps, according to the report. Some of the high-risk apps were also approved by the department, the watchdog said.
“The presence of these high-risk apps on government mobile devices significantly increases the potential for a security breach,” the report said.
The report also said the department allowed the office’s roughly 800 employees to reuse old passcodes and did not ensure all devices were properly updated. The department also did not ensure that employees’ phones received proper authorization for international travel or were configured with features to reduce the risk that foreign adversaries could intercept communications.
In its response, the Homeland Security Department said it would evaluate available options to remove prohibited apps already installed on devices. It also said that apps not managed by its mobile device system did “not have access to D.H.S. data and services.”
“For example, the Microsoft Outlook cannot share data with an unmanaged Waze application,” the department said in its letter.
The department also said the intelligence office would update or issue new guidance that clearly details the procedures for obtaining approval for foreign travel.
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Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s ongoing hospitalization is related to serious health repercussions of his heroism in New York City following the 9/11 terror attacks nearly 25 years ago, and the Republican stalwart’s condition appears to be improving, Fox News Digital has learned.
Giuliani was in the final year of his two-term mayorship when terrorists hijacked airliners and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, killing thousands. He was two blocks away when the first tower fell at 9:59 AM ET on that otherwise sunny Tuesday and felt the effects first-hand, close-up.
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Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman told Fox News Digital on Monday that the 81-year-old ex-mayor and former presidential candidate is currently recovering from pneumonia and still being monitored at a Florida hospital as a “precautionary measure.”
“On September 11, Mayor Giuliani ran toward the towers to help those in need, which led to a restrictive airway disease diagnosis,” Goodman said in a statement he also later posted to X.
FILE – In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 file photo, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, center, leads New York Gov. George Pataki, left, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., on a tour of the site of the World Trade Center disaster. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, )
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“This disease adds complications to any emerging respiratory issue, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain his blood pressure.”
Sometimes called “World Trade Center Cough,” restrictive airway disease is a lung condition caused by inhalation of heavily-alkaline dust from materials like concrete, as well as asbestos and glass that was pulverized when the towers collapsed and shrouded about one-fifth of Manhattan Island in some level of dust-induced darkness.
Thousands of first responders have battled or died from the disease, leading famous Tri-State figures like comedian Jon Stewart to publicly take up the mantle of their cause.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani during a remembrance ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terror attack on the World Trade Center at Ground Zero, in New York City on September 11, 2024. (ADAM GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Goodman said Monday that Giuliani is now breathing on his own and has primary medical providers at his side.
“Mayor Giuliani is the ultimate fighter—as he has demonstrated throughout his life—and he is winning this battle,” he said.
“His family deeply appreciates the outpouring of love and support. The mayor believes in the power of prayer, and we are feeling that strength today. He remains in critical but stable condition. Keep the prayers coming.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for reelection on Monday.
“Mayor Karen Bass is the leader Los Angeles needs right now. She has done what so many said couldn’t be done — the first ever two-year decline in homelessness, reducing crime to levels this city hasn’t seen since the 1960s, and refusing to back down when the federal government came after our neighbors,” Harris said in a statement. “She has my full support for re-election.”
The endorsement comes as ballots have begun arriving in Californians’ mailboxes at a critical moment in the race to lead the nation’s second-largest city. Although Bass leads in polls, she is viewed unfavorably by many Angelenos for her perceived lack of leadership in the aftermath of the devastating Palisades fire.
A quarter of voters supported Bass in a March poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. City Councilmember Nithya Raman had the backing of 17%, and conservative reality TV star Spencer Pratt had 14%. A quarter of voters were undecided.
Though Bass led the other prominent mayoral candidates, political strategists say the numbers are troubling for the incumbent because she is facing off against lesser-known rivals and because 56% viewed her unfavorably. And Pratt and Raman had raised more money than Bass this year through April 18, according to fundraising disclosures filed with the city’s Ethics Commission. However, Bass had nearly $2.3 million in the bank because she started fundraising for reelection two years ago.
Though Bass and Harris were rivals to be selected as presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, the two Democrats have known each other for more than two decades and have a long shared history. Bass was sworn in by Harris as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles in 2022. Two years later, at the Democratic National Convention where Harris became the party’s presidential nominee, Bass spoke about working with her more than a decade ago on youth homelessness and fixing the child welfare system when Bass led the California Assembly and Harris was a state prosecutor.
Harris also endorsed Rob Bonta for reelection as state attorney general, Malia Cohen for reelection as state controller and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis for state treasurer. Here’s a look at those races and the rest on the ballot.
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