Nelson claims he's the real conservative in Senate race

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/nelson-claims-he-s-the-real-conser...

Nelson claims he's the real conservative in Senate race

MARCH 22, 2014 7:30 AM JOE O'SULLIVAN JOURNAL STAFF

If you know South Dakota politics, you know Rep. Stace Nelson, R-Fulton, doesn't pull any punches. Nelson is one of four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Nelson sat down Thursday evening with the Journal to answer five questions about the race. What makes you different than other conservative candidates in the field? What members of Congress you do admire? That word conservative is what makes us different. I'm an actual conservative with an actual voting record. I'd like to point out that one of my opponents was a 21-year liberal Carter Democrat and wanted to get elected in a 2-to-1 Republican district so he changed parties. He has a moderate record, he has the same record as Mike Rounds, who we all know exploded state budget spending while governor by about 64 percent. He increased state employees by I believe around 1,500. And he's the one that created the $127 million deficit that I had to deal with my first year in office in 2011. Mike Lee, Justin Amash, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, this is what our country needs. Outspoken, honest people trying to take on the out-of-control federal government and rein that in. The resolutions you proposed in the recent state legislative session that largely dealt with national issues didnt get the support of your fellow Republicans in the state Legislature. Was that the appropriate place to raise those issues, especially during a short session? A lot of the politicians were kicking and screaming because they didn't want to be held on record on an issue. When people say resolutions are worthless, you need to take a look at that person and let them know that they need to crack a history book. Our country was founded off the Lee Resolution. The Lee Resolution is what gave us, inspired and transitioned into the Declaration of Independence. Resolutions are a necessary form of government. What they also do is they establish a legal basis, especially if the Legislature does not have statutes. Most of the resolutions were passed. Now, they were tough resolutions. There was a position on illegal immigration, on Obamacare ... the illegal immigration one, no amnesty for

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3/27/2014 4:57 PM

Nelson claims he's the real conservative in Senate race

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/nelson-claims-he-s-the-real-conser...

illegal immigrants, that failed in the Senate. It is a pressing issue for South Dakotans. I brought a resolution that was very carefully researched on how Obamacare had been implemented here in South Dakota. And it showed the fingerprints of all those that had received grants. You got all these politicians saying they're opposing Obamacare, but the truth of the matter is it's fully implemented here in South Dakota. There's been collusion and participation by state officials here in South Dakota that didn't opposed Obamacare. Mike Rounds, for one. What do you make of the EB-5 revelations and investigations to date? Do you think the Legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee is going to get the full story on EB-5? We are witnessing corruption in South Dakota that is akin to Third World country corruption. We had politicians that happily sold out that state of South Dakota to get access to communist Chinese money. Wasted millions of taxpayer dollars to do so. I don't know of anybody in my field (military intelligence) that would think it was wise or prudent for any elected official to marry South Dakota taxpayer dollars with communist Chinese interests. I haven't been real impressed with the openness that's come forward so far. They knew that was going on, and they kept this secret for how long. The Rounds people knew about this, they didn't tell people it was ongoing. And he's been very coy about it, and he's been avoiding debates where this would have come forward. An honest man has got nothing to hide. And if he truly wanted to serve South Dakotans, instead of hiding from the debates, he would have showed up for the last four months of debates that were scheduled. You stress on your website support for drug testing for anyone receiving public assistance. Would this extend to South Dakotans who receive farm subsidies or corporate subsidies, which some people also consider public assistance? What we're talking about was people don't mind people getting a helping hand up. But time after time, I've heard people across South Dakota complaining and sharing their concern that we've got folks who may be abusing the process. If they're receiving the largess of the public ... we're talking about welfare, we're talking about a handout. We're not talking about government programs (like crop insurance) ... there's a big difference between the two. I took drug tests for 23 years as a Marine, as a federal agent to show I was clean and sober enough to die for my country. And I have to support my constituents in South Dakota who say if you're receiving welfare, you should be clean and sober. Many people believe former Gov. Mike Rounds will win this primary. What do you need to do to get out and beat him? Can you raise enough money to do so? As South Dakotans remember his abysmal record, as they understand that our country's in trouble because of tax, spend create-more-government politicians that have sold out to special interest groups. As they remember his administration, he increased state budget spending by 64 percent, he increased state debt, he increased the size of state government, he ran a deficit ... An honest man has a hard-time raising campaign fundraising money. I won't lie to you. It's difficult. As a retired cop, it is hard. I'm used to asking South Dakotans, my fellow Americans, what can I do to serve you. How can I serve you. And here I am now having to ask them, "hey,

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3/27/2014 4:57 PM

Nelson claims he's the real conservative in Senate race

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/nelson-claims-he-s-the-real-conser...

in order to serve you, I've got to get money from you." It is a tough hill to climb. We need folks to get more involved. We need more fundraising. But I can tell you this, I don't need $9 million to win this race.

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3/27/2014 4:57 PM