Former Sioux Falls mayor Knobe: Toby Doeden is a ‘mini-Donald Trump’
Here is my impression: Toby Doeden, the Republican who got the most votes in the primary election for governor on June 2, is a mini-Trump.
Toby brags. Toby boasts. Toby sticks his nose in local politics. Toby is not a humble man.
To be fair, I have never met Toby Doeden. Never been in the same room.
My impressions come from his ads, his social media posts and quotes attributed to him through regular media posts.
When I posted earlier about holding my nose as I voted in the Republican Primary for governor, the devil in me almost voted for him. Not because I wanted him to be governor, but because I wanted him to lose and give a Democrat a chance to live in the governor’s residence.
Ultimately, I decided I couldn’t let the devil in me prevail. I voted for the least-offensive to me. Ironically, he and Toby are in the July 28 runoff.
Toby got the most votes in the Republican Primary. A lot more than the second-place finisher.
That tells me that like Trump, Toby’s ego-driven false bravado has appeal here. That should concern us, and scare the few rational Republicans left in the state.
Toby will not be able to eliminate local property taxes without creating replacement revenue for police and fire protection, pothole filling, snow removal, teaching kids how to read, funding jails, to name a few local services. Will that replacement be higher sales taxes, or a personal and/or a corporate income tax? He has not offered a solution.
I am in favor of new people running for office. I was a newbie once. However, the new people need to not just make lofty promises, they need to propose specific solutions. Toby has not done that.
One more thing on Toby. He has inserted himself into local politics, endorsing a candidate for Sioux Falls mayor and hammering a fellow Republican for having the audacity to endorse a non-Republican for the same job.
Overall, Toby’s actions and words, to me, are the height of arrogance with plenty of ignorance thrown in.
He got the most votes in the Republican Primary. Think about that.
The independent Rick Knobe is a former Sioux Falls mayor and a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.
Photo: From the Toby Doeden for South Dakota Facebook page
The South Dakota Standard is offered freely and is supported by our readers. We have no political or commercial sponsorship. If you'd like to help us continue our mission to advance independent political and social commentary, you can do so by clicking on the "Donate" button that's on the sidebar to your right.
Follow us and comment on X and Bluesky
