[There was a video here]

Republican Kristi Noem and Democrat Matt Varilek are in the midst of battling one other for control of South Dakota's lone seat in the House of Representatives, currently occupied by Noem.

The above campaign video, released earlier this week, shows Varilek earning multiple degrees in environmental studies, speaking at UN global warming summits, even hosting some fun National Corn Dog Day parties.

In 2003, the voiceover explains, "Kristi Noem receives the South Dakota Young Leader Award from the South Dakota Soybean Association." This is her most boasted-about achievement.

The video is not an ad for Varilek. It is an ad for Noem.

While the greatest moment of the commercial probably comes at the 1:40 mark, when Noem's campaign hammers Varilek for hosting "a raucous National Corn Dog Day party in his swanky D.C. neighborhood," at which "more than one thousand corn dogs [emphasis in original]" were served, it's the following juxtaposition that best embodies the ad's fervent anti-relevant qualifications stance:

"2001. Varilek attends Cambridge university in England for additional environmental study. Varilek goes to Marrakech, Morocco, promoting a global cap-and-trade plan at a United Nations global warming summit. Back in South Dakota Kristi is living Castlewood, farming, raising a family, helping to balance the books and manage a family restaurant."

The video was paid for by the South Dakota GOP. They seem really pleased, perhaps a tad misguidedly, that it's gone viral.



Our video about @MattforSD's Corn Dog Day parties has gone viral with nearly 50,000 views. Have you seen it yet? http://t.co/vMWhDhSp — South Dakota GOP (@sdgop) October 26, 2012

[h/t Tarah ]