Rep. Johnson speaks to local Republicans, calls for bipartisanship

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson was in the Black Hills Thursday, to meet with local Republicans.

Johnson was the speaker for the Pennington County Republican Women's monthly meeting.

He fielded questions from the group and expressed his concerns with President Joe Biden's executive order that effectively shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Johnson called for bipartisanship in Washington, and said there are some key areas where Democrats and Republicans can work together, mainly in pandemic management, and the vaccination effort.

Johnson said it is important for elected officials to attend events like Thursday's lunch in order to truly learn about the people they represent.

"Well, I don't think you can be a very good representative of the people if you don't ever talk to the people," said Johnson. "And it's amazing how much you can learn if you take the opportunity to connect with the constituents. I'm not an expert in everything, but there will be experts in lots of things in this room, and, of course, I'll learn from them."

The President of the Pennington County Republican Women, Sara Frankenstein, agreed that it is important for politicians to be accessible.

"It is important for local political groups to get some access to their candidates, and in South Dakota, we are so blessed that they actually come to us," said Frankenstein. "In other states, it is a rare opportunity, if ever, you get to meet a U.S. Congressmen, and in South Dakota, Dusty Johnson and our other congressional representatives make it a point to come and meet with the boots on the ground."

Frankenstein said the Pennington County Republican Women usually meet on the third Thursday of each month. They had to take a few months off because of the pandemic, but feel comfortable holding in-person meetings because Frankenstein said South Dakota is "turning the corner."