LETTER TO THE EDITOR Independent candidates offer hope for change in Washington | Steve Martin From the Letters to the Editor in the Rapid City Journal series May 21, 2026 May 21, 2026 0 × Sen. Pete Ricketts talks to the media after voting in the Nebraska primary Prefer us on Google Learn More Facebook Twitter Bluesky WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save About 90% of all seats in Congress are considered "safe." That means the minority party has virtually no chance of winning the election.kAm~?6 9@A67F= E96@CJ 7@C 86EE:?8 2? :?56A6?56?E 42?5:52E6 6=64E65 E@ r@?8C6DD 92D 366? E@ 4@?G:?46 E96 >:?@C:EJ A2CEJ :? 2 QD276Q 5:DEC:4E ?@E E@ CF? :ED @H? 42?5:52E6 2?5 :?DE625 DFAA@CE E96 :?56A6?56?E 42?5:52E6] &?7@CEF?2E6=J[ E92E 9@A67F= E96@CJ 92D ?6G6C 364@>6 2 C62=:EJ \\ F?E:= ?@H]k^Am kAm}63C2D<2VD s6>@4C2E:4 !2CEJ C646?E=J 96=5 :ED $6?2E6 AC:>2CJ 7@C 2 D62E E92E :D ?@H 96=5 3J 2 #6AF3=:42?] xEVD 366? ?62C=J EH@ 564256D D:?46 2 s6>@4C2E H@? 2 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^6?]H:<:A65:2]@C8^H:<:^{:DE0@70&?:E650$E2E6D0D6?2E@CD07C@>0}63C2D<2Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm$6?2E6 D62E :? }63C2D<2k^2m] ~?6 @7 E96 42?5:52E6D C2? @? E96 AC@>:D6 E92E[ :7 D96 H@?[ D96 H@F=5 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]E968F2C5:2?]4@>^FD\?6HD^a_ae^>2J^`a^?63C2D<2\56>@C2E:4\9@FD6\AC:>2CJ\H:??6C\4:?5J\3FC32?<Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm5C@A @FEk^2m @7 E96 C246 2?5 DFAA@CE E96 :?56A6?56?E 42?5:52E6[ s2? ~D3@C?] $FCAC:D:?8=J[ D96 H@? 2?5 ?@H A=2?D E@ Q@77:4:2==JQ 5C@A @FE] %96? E96 }63C2D<2 s6>@4C2E:4 !2CEJ :?5:42E65 :E H:== k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^2A?6HD]4@>^2CE:4=6^:?56A6?56?ED\56>@4C2ED\6=64E:@?\DEC2E68J\D6?2E6\?63C2D<2\@D3@C?\b_f4`eb7b66c2b43ahd66c3dhah_`54aQ E2C86ElQ03=2?<QmDFAA@CE ~D3@C?k^2m[ E@@]k^Am People are also reading… Hill City 1880 Train derails near Keystone, tickets remain on sale Sturgis Rally 2026: How to do it right Homeowners near Black Hawk sinkhole lose state Supreme Court case Sioux Falls LL wins South Dakota state tournament, full scores from state tournament Police: Woman drove through backyard during Rapid City chase Rapid City man sentenced to 11 years for meth distribution How Christine Erickson became Sioux Falls' first female mayor Rapid City man arrested for assault on officer 'Heartbreaking': Hot Springs residents gutted over Jalapeños Grill fire Natural Grocers to opens its doors in Rapid City with celebration on July 22 Pennington County cyber incident investigation continues Woman dies in truck crash on Highway 248 near Lyman Rapid City man pleads guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material Why coaching Canyon Lake All Stars is 'once in a lifetime opportunity' for Steve Nolan Rapid City Fire Department contains grassfire near railroad tracks, issues safety reminder kAm%96 8@@5 ?6HD :D E92E >2?J @E96C :?56A6?56?E 42?5:52E6D 92G6 2 7:89E:?8 492?46 E@ H:?[ 2?5 >@DE @7 E96>[ :?4=F5:?8 ~D3@C?[ 92G6 4@>>:EE65 ?@E E@ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^?63C2D<2AF3=:4>65:2]@C8^6?^?6HD^?6HD\2CE:4=6D^@D3@C?\7:D496C\H6:89\:?\@?\AC24E:42=:EJ\@7\36:?8\:?56A6?56?E\:?\FD\D6?2E6^nFE>0D@FC46l492E8AE]4@>Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm42F4FDk^2m H:E9 6:E96C A2CEJ :7 E96J 2C6 6=64E65] |2J36[ ;FDE >2J36[ H6 >:89E 36 D66:?8 4C24<D :? E96 DEC2?8=69@=5 E96 5F@A@=J 92D 96=5 7@C 72C E@@ =@?8]k^Am kAm$E6G6 |2CE:?k^AmkAm(2F?2<66[ (:D4@?D:?k^Am In this Series Letters to the Editor in the Rapid City Journal Jul 12, 2026 Climate change is real — Don Kelley letter Jun 12, 2026 Covering crime with compassion — Andrey Oliskevich letter Jun 12, 2026 The fossil fuel industry — Ron Sadler letter 53 updates Previous Next 0 Comments Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Related to this story Sen. Pete Ricketts talks to the media after voting in the Nebraska primary Sen. Pete Ricketts talks to the media after voting in the Nebraska primary Watch Now: Related Video Protests break out in Maine after ICE agents fatally shot man Sen. Blumenthal to Congress: Honor Lindsey Graham by passing stalled Ukraine bill Sen. Blumenthal to Congress: Honor Lindsey Graham by passing stalled Ukraine bill Florida OpenAI lawsuit heads to federal court Florida OpenAI lawsuit heads to federal court U.S. says Strait of Hormuz is open, Iran says it's closed U.S. says Strait of Hormuz is open, Iran says it's closed
Sen. Pete Ricketts talks to the media after voting in the Nebraska primary Sen. Pete Ricketts talks to the media after voting in the Nebraska primary
