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The official ballot for the upcoming General Election on Nov. 3 reads: For United States Representative, you may vote for one or leave it blank. __ Dusty Johnson - Republican Party. __ Randy Uriah Luallin - Libertarian Party.

Luck of the draw lists incumbent Johnson first on the ballot and Luallin next for the two-year term.

Luallin, a Hot Spring resident, began a 10-day tour of South Dakota East River on Sept. 30. After talking with voters in Pierre, he and his wife, Rajni, headed to Gettysburg. My wife and I are traveling in a little camper across South Dakota, said Luallin. They also had their large dog Kiowa.

I was approached at the Libertarian convention in Pierre (June 2019 in Rapid City), and said I would run. It seemed like a huge task, actually an important task said Luallin. Ive been distraught concerning the division in this country - a very dysfunctional duality. My main objective is to bring it back together.:

Luallin has run for local political offices in the past; one being for county commissioner in Boulder County, Louisville, Colorado. He has run for a mayorship. He said he has lived in South Dakota pushing six years, and has run for Fall River County Commissioner. I have experience running for office, said Luallin.

He believes running as a Libertarian is an advantage. We have reached the point where we have ballot access, and that was a hard road. People are becoming disillusioned with the current establishment, said Luallin. I can walk with both camps - Democrat and Republican - because I share a lot of the same things. That will allow me to work for solutions instead of our all-too-common gridlock.

He illustrated two of his top running points. Almost my entire life - and Im 62 - weve been engaged in armed conflict of some type. That has to come to an end. We have wasted our youth in foreign conflicts, and achieved almost nothing. Our military strength should be for defensive purposes, said Luallin. I am a veteran - Army infantry. We have a fine military; it should not be used to ingratiate interest groups or whomever.

There is a tremendous need to remove the government intrusion into our lives, homes, businesses, and our pocketbooks. True liberty, true freedom, requires we are the best judge of what deals with us. As long as we are not hurting someone else or damaging property, we should be left alone, said Luallin. Business goes under the same concept: we need to reduce legislation that ingratiates certain businesses or interest groups and subsidises the picking of winners and losers. There should be an equal playing field in the free market.

Dusty has tremendous energy, and he is young, acknowledged Luallin. At the same time, he tends to react. As in: not fully reading legislation before voting for it. He has a 50% record of voting with the Constitution. I will be 100%, said Luallin.

Other than a soldier, Ive been a mason for 35 years. I am supposedly retired, but they never let you really retire because everybody has a small job for you; so I say that Im retired, said Luallin.

Dusty Johnson, currently a Mitchell resident, has been the incumbent since Jan. 2019. He just turned 44, and his wife is Jacquelyn.

Certainly, growing up in Pierre helped with me originally becoming interested in politics and public office, said Dusty Johsnon. I was inspired by our leaders. A working class family, we benefited from government programs. The proper role of government is to build independence rather than dependence.

Johnsons background includes being on the three-person South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner from 2005 to 2011. He was then chief of staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard until 2014. Until he was elected to the U.S. Congress, he was the vice president of Vantage Point Solutions in Mitchell.

I have respect for the Libertarian Party, said Johnson. They interject ideas into government, and the voters really win. I am a Republican because we work toward a limited government. There is a role of government to lead, but too often people look to the government to solve problems that should be out-of-government. Society works best when balancing families, business and government.

One of Luallins strengths is he loves the country and has energetic optimism. Hes willing to put himself out there. Hes a heck of a good guy, said Johnson. The voters can determine for themselves any of his weaknesses. They dont need me to lead them to where to drink that water.

When running an election campaign, I have learned that voters want to know what you have done. I think some people believe you really cant get anything accomplished in Washington. I have gotten four major bills of mine out of the House. I am the top Republican on the Agriculture subcommittee, and I have been the whip to such things as Mexico/America agreements.

I feel good about my work to benefit cattle and farming and rural concerns. Few legislators in Washington work for these issues, said Johnson.

The General Election is Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote or to change a voters information, is Oct. 19. Early voting - sometimes referred to as absentee ballots - is already available.

Follow this link:
Luallin and Johnson speak out for S.D.'s U.S. House of Representatives seat - The Capital Journal