Taffy Howard

Taffy Howard served as an officer in the United States Air Force. She earned a high school diploma from Lincoln High School and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from South Dakota State University in 1989. Her career experience includes working as a business owner.[1][2]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a conservative Republican who believes in limited government. Pres. Reagan once said, “Man is not free, unless government is limited” and there is much, much truth to that. I am a Christian, a wife, a mom, a grandma, an Airborne-qualified Air Force veteran, and a small business owner. I served for six years in the SD State House from 2016-2022 and helped pass Constitutional Carry and the Women in Sports bills among many others. In 2022, I ran for Congress, garnering 41% of the vote in the Republican primary. I love our state and our way of life and I am dedicated to preserving that for future generations.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I represent you, the hardworking taxpayers of this district, not any special interest group. One major concern with voters across the district is the rapid increase in property taxes that is literally driving people out of their homes. We have the ability to do something, we simply need more legislators willing to put the people first.An excellent education for our children is also a top concern. With proficiency rates hovering at or below 50% and colleges needing to offer more remedial classes it is clear we are graduating kids not ready for college (if that is their goal). We need high standards and we need innovative ideas to help our kids reach those standards.With the rapid influx of people and growth in our region, crime and homelessness are becoming more and more of a concern. We need to ensure our law enforcement and our justice system have the tools and resources necessary to ensure a great quality of life for our citizens.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’ve always had a passion for digging into the budget (I have a math degree from SDSU, so I’ve always gravitated to the numbers side of things). I believe in limited government and one of the best ways to limit the growth in government is to limit the growth in the budget (or better yet, reduce the budget). There are so many programs we spend taxpayer dollars on that are not within the proper role of government. We simply can’t continue to say yes to every program or project that comes along if we have the money for it because a) that clearly goes against the role of government had out in our constitution and b) the programs and projects always grow faster than the income of the citizens who have to pay for them. It is unsustainable.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are so many people I look up to for a variety of reasons. Of course, first of all I’d like to follow Christ’s example and will always strive to run the race that is before me in a way worthy of Him. But then I also admire my dad for his love of adventure no matter his age (he made me ride the Zipper with him at the Central States Fair the year before he passed away…he was 63…I had to stop after one ride or I was going to lose it, but he kept going, having a blast:-). I admire my mom for her work ethic and determination…she worked multiple jobs simultaneously until she enlisted in the Army at the oldest age you could at the time, 34. The other young women in basic training called her “mom.” She did what she had to do to give my sister and I a better life. She passed away too young at 58. I also admire my husband for his patience and calmness in the face of whatever comes his way as well as my two sons for their maturity and kindness and compassion for others. And many others too numerous to list…

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, is a short read everyone should read at some point (I think all high schoolers should be required to read it). I’d encourage everyone to read “Not Yours to Give” by Davy Crockett as well. Every 4th of July we reread our Declaration of Independence. I also just saw the movie “Reagan” with some friends and it is well worth the time. But anything from our founding fathers is well worth the time, and if you have not actually read our constitution completely I always recommend that, as it is the basis of our democratic republic and we seem to be drifting farther and farther away from it as a country and sadly, as a state as well.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The principles of limited government enshrined in our constitution, first our federal constitution and then our state, are top priority. Elected officials are there to safeguard the rights and liberties of our citizens first and foremost, not to ensure everyone is “healthy, wealthy, and wise.” We need to allow our citizens the freedom to flourish but also to fail. I believe in equality, not equity. I believe elected officials must be honest and have integrity in all they do. They should always be transparent. We may not always agree, but I will always listen and be respectful and I ask the same of others.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I care about the people I represent and will always strive to put them first. I have the courage to stand for what’s right regardless of whether anyone else is standing with me (although that’s always nice). I am a fighter and am willing to take the arrows when I need to but I am always willing to work with anyone to find solutions to the problems we face. In a practical sense, I also have prior experience in the legislature and in Appropriations (my last two years I was Vice Chair of House Appropriations) and can hit the ground running.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To be a person of integrity who continues to fight for what is right to the very end. I hope my sons and grandchildren and hopefully on from there, will be proud of the work and efforts I make to protect their freedoms. We have been blessed beyond belief with this country we have been given and when I took an oath to support and defend our constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that oath never expires. But every year we see more and more of our liberties eroded by government overreach…it is a never-ending battle. Just onAgain, I hope I run the race God has put before me with perseverance to the end.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Challenger space shuttle explosion. I was a freshman in college and I will never forget where I was when that happened. I had gone up to the Army ROTC department in the Armory at SDSU and had stopped in the cadet lounge for a bit to watch the launch, only to see the devastating explosion instead. It was forever etched in my memory:-(.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Babysitting would be first, but if we are talking about a job where I received W-2, that would be Pizza Hut. I worked there in college but I can’t remember exactly how long, as I also worked at Hardee’s in college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Far too many to list here…but the book I just finished was “With the Old Breed” by E. B. Sledge…I like books on military history. Ghost Soldiers is another good one along those lines. Books by C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity; The Screwtape Letters); of course the Bible; loved Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (there’s a reason it’s a classic!), the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, and the Civil War trilogy by the Shaara’s are just a few.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

If Today was Your Last Day by Nickelback.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Working together and not antagonistically, but also being the check and balance on each other needed in government.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

We’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth very rapidly over the last few years (some naturally occurring, some because government is pushing it and while I’m okay with natural growth I do not believe government should be using our own citizen’s tax dollars to push for growth that ends up hurting our citizens in the long run). That is impacting the cost of living for our residents who have been here all their lives, driving up housing prices, property taxes, health care costs, educational costs, etc. We are also seeing an impact to our way of life here and I believe that’s a very real concern. We need to be addressing the issues with taxes, education, as well as crime/homelessness and ensure we put our citizens first vs corporate welfare and crony capitalism.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Sometimes, yes, as they may have more institutional knowledge that is beneficial, but not if they refuse to listen to new ideas and insist on things being done a certain way simply because that’s how it’s always been done.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It’s human nature to want to work well with those we have good relationships with, so building those relationships wherever you are placed in life will always be beneficial.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

A couple legislators I admire are Jim Jordan and Andy Biggs, and of course I have a deep respect and admiration for Pres. Reagan (I know, technically never a legislator, but still worth the mention).

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I will never say never, but right now I am focused on the state senate.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have heard from many residents who are struggling to stay in their homes due to out-of-control increases in property taxes. One elderly widow was in tears as she was telling me she was looking at moving because of it. Another single lady was trying to sell a couple vehicles to pay her taxes. Government spending should never force people out of their homes (these individuals had not had any other events in their lives that would otherwise cause them to move or sell off belongings),

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes, to both, but only in extremely rare instances.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A property tax relief bill will be one of the first bills but due to the complexity it may not be the actual first.

What committees interest you?

Appropriations, but I will humbly serve wherever I am needed.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Both are absolutely critical. Citizens ought to have confidence their tax dollars are being spent wisely and they have every right to know where every dime is going. That is why I tried several times to use our ability to require state agencies to use zero-based budgeting when setting their annual budgets. Unfortunately, we have too many in Pierre that really do not want that level of transparency or accountability. There is a “use it or lose it” mentality in government that most agencies simply give in to, so instead of reverting unused funds, they go out and spend it on anything they want (one year one agency went out and bout all new flat-screen TVs that were not needed, but they didn’t want to not use all the money allocated to them!). We need more legislators as well as bureaucrats who truly put the taxpayer first but because of the world we live in we can’t just trust they will do what is right, we must require it.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I do believe it should be more difficult to make changes to our state constitution. Everyone knows SD is used as a test case for different ideas because it is so easy ti get things in our ballot and then our media market is so inexpensive compared to other states so we have our-of-state entities getting things in our ballot all the time. If it passes, they then have the start they need to get into other states. Just this year we have a proposed amendment (H) that is supported by and large by a PAC based in CO. So yes, when only 20% of the voters vote and it only takes 50% of those to change our constitution, we are essentially allowing 10% of our registered voters (that’s not including all the non-registered citizens) to change our foundational document…it should be harder to do that. But, I also believe in some ways we should make it easier for our citizen—led initiatives to get on the ballot or for referred laws to get there. Just this year, we have several initiated measures where the petition gatherers had 18 months to collect signatures to get the measures on the ballot, but we also have a referred law on the ballot, and those petition gatherers only had 90 days to collect the same number of signatures that the initiated measure folks had 18 months to do. So there is definitely room for improvement on some things in this area.

Taffy Howard did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Taffy Howard did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Howard's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

2nd Amendment: Our Individual Right:

Gun rights are an individual right, not a collective right, as those on the left would like us to believe. I will work to prevent any encroachment of our 2nd amendment rights.

Family values:

The family is the bedrock of society. South Dakotans’ values are family values…faith, family, country. The left will never stop trying to undermine the family because they know that as the family goes so goes the country. I will work to preserve the values we hold so dear.

Open Government

Government is answerable to the people and should be open and accessible to the taxpayers that fund it. The Argus Leader recently tried to find out which teachers in South Dakota have been disciplined and the details behind the disciplinary action. They were told it would cost $4,410 to research that information. We need to follow the examples of Nebraska and Iowa and make that information readily accessible.

Limited Government

Along with lower taxes, a limited government contributes to our individual freedom and our “pursuit of happiness.” We must always remember that government does not produce anything. It exists by taking from us, the taxpayers, and we should keep government as lean as possible and as close to the people as possible.

Taxes:

Will Rogers said, "The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets." We should not live in fear that every time our legislators meet they are going to raise our taxes. The hard working people of South Dakota deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money and enjoy the freedom that entails.[7]

—Taffy Howard[8]