GOP hopefuls look at running mates

PIERRE — State Sen. Gordon Howie of Rapid City became the first of the Republican candidates for governor to reveal his selection of a running mate.

He announced Wednesday that he has chosen one of South Dakota’s most prominent modern conservatives, Kermit Staggers of Sioux Falls.

Meanwhile former Brookings mayor Scott Munsterman, another of the candidates competing for the Republican nomination in next Tuesday’s primary, took a completely different approach. Munsterman said he will let the choice be made for him by delegates at the South Dakota Republican state convention later this month.

It’s his latest effort to set himself apart in a crowded contest.

“This is keeping with my belief in open government and ending the political insider game. Our Republican delegates do much of the work and raise money for campaigns. Their grass roots advice and input is essential to a winning campaign,” Munsterman said in a statement issued early Wednesday.

“I’ve been a Republican county chairman and want to rebuild our party from the ground up rather than dictating from top down,” he said.

Delegates will make the official nomination at each party’s state convention but normally defer to the governor candidate’s choice.

The moves by Howie and Munsterman came less than 24 hours after the only Democratic candidate for governor, state Sen. Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls, declared he would run with a Republican businessman from Sioux Falls, Ben Arndt.

Arndt’s father-in-law is Mark Graham of Sioux Falls, who is Heidepriem’s campaign chairman.

Howie’s decision to link with Staggers provides a Tea Party two-some from South Dakota’s largest population centers.

Staggers, a Republican, served eight years in the state Senate, where he was a strong advocate for cutting taxes, including repeal of the state inheritance tax, and reducing government.

He most recently spent eight years as a Sioux Falls City Council member and lost his bid for mayor this spring in a run-off against Mike Huether.

Staggers personally donated $150 to Howie’s campaign account this year while Howie’s campaign gave $1,000 to Staggers’ mayoral campaign account.

Tags: election 2010, gordon howie, scott munsterman, news, state