Rapid City, SD – Congressman Dusty Johnson joined HomeSlice Media broadcasts from the Black Hills Stock Show, speaking from just outside LaCroix Hall during the final weekend of the event.
“It’s honestly more cultural,” Johnson said. “This is a great opportunity to just come and see people, some people I haven’t seen in twenty or thirty years. Just get reconnected. Some people you see every year. I love this event.”
Johnson said he has attended the Stock Show consistently for years. “I haven’t missed a year. And I can’t tell you how long. A decade, I would guess,” he said. “It is not only the largest, but I think it is the best indoor event in South Dakota.”
Vision and State Leadership
When asked why he believes he is the most qualified candidate to serve as governor, Johnson focused on long-term planning.
“I think it comes down to vision,” he said. “When you look at any person or business, when they’ve had a plan, they’re way more likely to be effective than if they don’t have a plan.”
He pointed to recent economic trends. “The last six months, our economy shrunk three percent while the rest of the country’s economy has grown three percent,” Johnson said. “We used to be the number one most business friendly state in America, according to CNBC. We are just the most recently ranked thirty fifth.”
Johnson said leadership at the state level plays a role. “I think we have a lack of vision at the highest levels of state government,” he said. “I’m not sure these guys remember they know how to find the green button on any kind of growth and opportunity.”
Data Centers and Property Taxes
Johnson discussed data centers as a potential economic driver for South Dakota.
“I rolled out my data centers done right proposal,” he said. “Having a tax environment that’s competitive, we would be able to get data centers and the economic opportunity would be remarkable.”
He cited a specific example. “The one data center, which is a shed with computers in it, they would pay five million dollars a year,” Johnson said. “Imagine the kinds of reduced property taxes.”
Johnson outlined conditions he believes should be required. “That they won’t increase electricity rates, that they won’t harm the water supply, that they will create good jobs, and that they will pay a mountain of taxes over the course of the next ten years,” he said.
Sales Tax and Homeowners
Johnson said his plan would focus on property tax relief. “Under my plan, every single South Dakota homeowner would receive a tax credit every year on their taxes,” he said. “We would also give a tax holiday for two years to first time home buyers.”
He described why that matters. “Our young people feel lost. They feel like the American dream is drifting away from them,” Johnson said. “My plan would transform that environment very quickly.”
Rodeo, Rural Health, and Tribal Relations
Johnson also shared his experience attending rodeo events at the Stock Show. “The first night I went to Extreme Bulls, and it’s just an insane amount of fun,” he said. “It is absolutely insane how talented they are.”
On rural health funding, Johnson said, “We have got to transform healthcare or we will go bankrupt,” and warned against short-term spending. “We’re going to build in for five years all these new ongoing expenses. Then the money’s going to go away.”
Discussing tribal relations, Johnson referenced congressional work. “I was named literally the number one best member of the U.S. House of Representatives out of four hundred and thirty five of actually getting things done in tribal affairs,” he said. “That is because we are talking on a weekly basis with the presidents and the tribal chairman of these tribes.”
Agriculture and Workforce Concerns
Johnson said agricultural producers raised concerns about costs and trade. “Input prices are a major, major problem,” he said. “The trade war, how that’s going to develop, that is more of a row crop thing, but it’s not exclusively a row crop thing.”
He also mentioned workforce shortages. “Workforce is not an infrequent issue that’s raised,” Johnson said.
Why He Wants to Be Governor
Johnson closed by returning to the future of the state.
“I think the next twenty years of this state can be the best twenty years we’ve ever had,” he said. “But that is not going to happen by accident.”
He added, “If you don’t have a plan, you’re not going to have success. And if you don’t have success, you are not going to have the kind of twenty years that my kids deserve.”
