If you have a mind to support a state legislative race worth fighting for in the High Plains, I recommend to you South Dakota State Senator Angie Buhl, arguably the most progressive fighter we have in a very cold, red State House.
Why should you, a random Kossack who has not heard of her before, throw a little librul lovin' to Angie? For one thing, Angie has been challenged by "independent" Kathy Miles who has an unsavory past from the South Dakota Abortion Wars...
... who Angie took on and unseated in 2010.
Former Senator Miles was the Democrat who stridently made a no-exceptions abortion ban (HB1215) "bipartisan" in 2006. I'm guessing she was too chicken to try to primary Buhl because, to this day, many Democrats will never forgive Miles for her gift of bipartisan cred to the most direct attack on Roe we've seen before or since.
"This committee will mount a vigorous education campaign to defend this pro-life (sic) law against the abortion on demand (double-sic) forces gathering to defeat it," said State Representative Kathy Miles (D-Sioux Falls)
Needless to say, many of us were thrilled to see Angie defeat Ms. Miles.
Angie has done very well in her first term. Here in South Dakota you don't need to have much more than a D after your name to be labeled a "far-left extremist." And in Pierre, anyone who dares to stand up to what I call the Pierre Political Class has to be very brave and thick skinned, regardless of party. But Angie has not only avoided the crazy attacks, but earned the respect of people who disagree with her, and around Pierre that takes a lot of savvy and class. One reason I think she's done well, IMHO: Although Angie has very good progressive cred (she was, after all, a founder of Equality South Dakota, her biggest legislative priorities are quite mainstream: renewable energy and housing. Yet she has has been "out" as a D enough to rightly call out Dems that have similarly given ALEC bipartisan cred. What can I say. She's awesome.
(Personal disclosure: I met Angie through the almost-successful repeal of our anti-LGBT marriage amendement in 2006 and as a fellow board member of EQSD.)
So - consider helping Angie out. We all will be very thankful to you when she makes it back to Pierre this fall.