Noem needs to stay home, get to work, hypocrisy on the courts and...

Lisa Kaczke | Argus Leader

Scyller Borglum, a freshman Republican legislator from Rapid City, said she's the "commonsense conservative option" for the U.S. Senate in 2020.

Borglum, who isn't related to the Mount Rushmore sculptor, traveled across South Dakota Monday as part of her announcement to seek election to the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, who hasn't yet formally announced his plans for 2020.

"Mike Rounds and Washington, D.C. have stopped delivering measurable results for the things that mean the most for South Dakotans," Borglum said during a stop in Sioux Falls. "We have something far more powerful. We have commonsense conservative values. The people of this state are so fed up, the commonsense conservatives, that they're ready to try something new."

Borglum, 42, framed herself as a political outsider, aligning herself with President Donald Trump's "commonsense conservative" approach to running the United States, and took aim at the Republican establishment during her announcement on Monday. She doesn't have a million dollars of lobbyists' money or "political mobsters" supporting her, she said.

"Good riddance to anyone who does because you shouldn't need that to hold on to your elected office," she said.

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Rounds is focused on his wife, Jean, as she begins treatment for cancer and doing his job as a senator, his spokesman Rob Skjonsberg said.

Skjonsberg called Borglum's candidacy "bizarre" because she's challenging Rounds from the left on the political spectrum, when a challenger in the primary election typically falls more on the right. Rounds is among the 38 U.S. senators who have supported President Donald Trump more than 90 percent of the time and his overall conservative record is in the top two among senators elected in 2014, according to Skjonsberg.

"He's known as a reformer with serious policy chops. He's doing exactly what he said he'd do in Washington. South Dakotans know this," Skjonsberg said.

Borglum's priorities

Borglum questioned how Rounds was elected in 2014 after facing controversies as governor and said he hasn't brought "commonsense" conservatism to the Senate. Commonsense conservatism is still uncommon and "unchecked, this do-nothing, lazy mentality has given rise" to the Democratic platform heard at the presidential debates last year, she said.

"We elect citizens, not royalty" and no one is entitled to an elected position prior to the election, Borglum said.

The political landscape is changing and what it means to be conservative is eroding, Borglum said, but the Republican "establishment" isn't discussing it because it makes them uncomfortable to admit that it's not going right. The frustration is causing people to leave the Republican Party — as evidenced during South Dakota's gubernatorial race last year where Republican Gov. Kristi Noem nearly lost to her Democratic challenger, Borglum said.

Borglum has been traveling around the state for a listening tour about gaps in education access as part of her "rural education initiative" since wrapping up her first legislative session in Pierre. She said she's heard from residents that they see a need for women and young people to get involved in politics.

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

If elected to the U.S. Senate, her priorities include pushing big ideas forward while limiting government and opposing Medicare for all and replacing the Affordable Care with a plan that she said she'll announce during her candidacy.

She also supports a "commonsense" approach to immigration and President Donald Trump's construction of a wall on the southern U.S. border, she said. A majority of the meth in South Dakota comes from south of the border and decriminalization isn't the answer, she said. Trump needs congressional members who will support him in constructing the wall and close loopholes used by refugees to come into the United States illegally, she said.

"He's trying something different and pushing against the status quo," she said.

Borglum was appointed to represent District 32 in Pennington County last year and then won election to her seat in November. She holds a doctorate in geological engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, as well as a a bachelor's degree in business and a master's degree in theology.

Although she's only been a legislator for one session, she said she's had careers in sales and engineering. She said she brings a business mentality and the rigor of an engineer to government, which is a benefit.

"One person's lack of political experience is another person's extraordinary experience in the real world working," she told the Argus Leader after her announcement.

Borglum was involved in a dust-up with U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson earlier this year when she accused him of a "DC-style ambush" in which he questioned whether she was preparing to challenge Rounds to be the Republican candidate for Senate next year.

Candidacy reaction

The National Republican Senatorial Committee threw its support behind Rounds hours after Borglum announced her candidacy on Monday. As a senator, Rounds has supported the military and veterans, cutting taxes, strengthening South Dakota families and President Donald Trump's efforts to secure the southern U.S. border, committee spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez said.

"As a lifelong South Dakotan, Sen. Mike Rounds' impressive record and service to his state — both in state government and the U.S. Senate — are unmatched," Rodriguez said in a statement.

The South Dakota Democratic Party also weighed in on Borglum's announcement on Monday. Party Chair Paula Hawks argued that Rounds' vulnerability to a primary challenge, despite his "far-right record," shows how "extreme" the South Dakota Republican Party has become.

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

"Mike Rounds has spent his time in Washington following the other Senate Republicans in consistently putting the needs of millionaires and billionaires, large corporations, and special interests ahead of South Dakota families. he has refused to stand up to Donald Trump or party leadership to protect South Dakotans' health care and South Dakota's farmers from Trump's reckless trade war," Hawks said in a statement.