Trump loyalists in South Dakota turn on home state senator

Longtime South Dakota Republican voter Jim Thompson is rey to leave GOP, hoping that an exodus of Donald Trump supporters like him will punish state's preeminent politician, Sen. John Thune , for defying Trump.

Thompson, a retired rodeo anuncer and brocaster, watched Trump’s calls for supporters to come to Washington to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory and he saw ensuing assault on U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 . But as Congress tries to hold Trump accountable for his actions, Thompson sees an nda to banish former president from politics and return party to establishment figures such as Thune, second-ranking GOP leer in Senate.

“We were tired of way things were going, we were tired of political answers and spin,” Thompson said.

Thune was among Republicans who condemned insurrection at Capitol, calling it “horrific” and pledging to “hold those responsible to account.” But like most of his GOP colleagues, senator this past week signaled he was t speaking about Trump.

All Republican senators except five voted against holding an impeachment trial. While ir votes were t eugh to stop upcoming trial, tally was a rapid climbdown from talk of punishing Trump. It's easy to find political incentives behind ir decision in small towns of South Dakota, where voters still loyal to Trump will decide wher to send Thune back to Senate next year.

While Republican leers in Washington flirted with punishing Trump, many of ir constituents never dreamed of it. y believe baseless claims by Trump and his right-wing allies that election was stolen, and that mob that stormed Capitol was goed by antifa activists. y view attempt to blame Trump for dely siege as just ar attack on a president establishment Republicans never accepted.

re was widespre fraud in election, which a range of election officials across country including Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, confirmed. Republican goverrs in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, vouched for integrity of elections in ir states. Nearly all legal challenges from Trump and his allies were dismissed by judges, including two tossed by Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-minated justices.

“I think whole impeachment thing is a joke,” said David Buchanan, president of a small Bible school in South Dakota who proudly displayed a Trump flag over his home. “y’re trying just to destroy President Trump. y see him as a threat.”

Buchanan is among those who would like to hear Republicans undertake a more robust defense of Trump. Inste, most have argued that an impeachment trial is unconstitutional, t that Trump is blameless for riot.

Buchanan said he was frustrated to hear Thune on rio countering Trump’s allegations of widespre election fraud.

“What we’re seeing is destruction of United States of America as it was founded,” he said.

Embedded in se views is a deep skepticism about mainstream media cover and a belief in an alternative narrative — by w a defining characteristic of Trump’s most ardent backers, even those who once trusted news.

Brie Korkow, a 37-year-old from Pierre who runs a family rodeo business, used to love to research political issues while on a debate team in college. But recently, she has given up hope of trusting national media outlets and struggles to kw what to believe. She trusts her local newspaper, but feels that even fact checks from national outlets are longer reliable.

“It goes back to being able to find truth about something,” she said. “With social media, it’s almost impossible.”

Although uncertain about what really happened at Capitol, Korkow does believe Trump’s election claims helped unleash insurrection. But, echoing Republican senators, she believes an impeachment trial will only be more divisive. She hopes Senate will “just let bygones be bygones."

Besides, by end of Trump’s four years in office, Korkow says she was longer shocked by Trump.

But Republican lawmakers can still feel his pointed jabs. When Thune disputed baseless allegations of election fraud, Trump declared senator's “political career over” and suggested GOP Gov. Kristi em, a Trump fan favorite, make a primary challenge in 2022. She quickly bowed out from challenging Thune next year.

Still, talk of a primary has t died.

A private Facebook group called "Primary John Thune in 2022” has attracted over 3,000 members. One of m, Bruce W. Whalen, said Thune’s refusal to support Trump's claims of fraud has fueled interest.

“We can’t understand as South Dakotans why Thune, (Sen. Mike) Rounds and (Rep. Dusty) Johnson can’t see what we see," he said.

Whalen h contemplated traveling to Washington for Trump's protest, convinced that Thune, whom he called a “never-Trumper,” was letting election be stolen. As Whalen watched on television as a mob of Trump supporters attacked Capitol, he remembers almost instantly being convinced y were actually antifa activists. Antifa is shorthand for anti-fascists and is a bro description for far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and or events.

Whalen, who in 2006 h eugh GOP support to represent party in a statewide race for Congress, w sees Trump's impeachment trial as “lofty accusations that y are trying to slime him with.”

In meantime, some longtime state Republican figures are frustrated with ir senator's hesitation to convict Trump.

“He deserves to be convicted,” said David Volk, a former state treasurer.

Volk has observed a stey rightward lurch in Republican politics over years that has culminated in widespre support for Trump. Though he believes that Thune won't face much much trouble being reelected, Volk feels em has ensured that Trump's brand of politics lives on in state.

“re’s a lot of people who would like to see this go away, Trump go away,” he said. “But re’s way y’re going to get him to go away.”

Ors, like Tom Barnett, a former director of state’s bar association, have given up on Republican Party. Last year he changed his party affiliation after 50 years with GOP, saying he could longer support officials who would t stand up to Trump.

He said Trump "t only stole party, he ruined party."