Billy Mawhiney

04/05/2026

Running for Congress changed me and showed me what’s possible, but also how effective support can be.

Campaign Buddy HQ came out of that, built for candidates who need structure, focus, and a way to stay on track in the middle of a campaign.

Advocate Buddy HQ followed, built to help organize advocacy work and move issues forward with clarity and intention.

So we’re making the shift.

We’re moving this page from Billy for Congress to the Buddy System.

A place built on a simple idea. You shouldn’t have to do this work alone.

This isn’t the end of anything. It’s doing the work in a new way.

Campaign Buddy HQ helps campaigns reach and engage their communities. Advocate Buddy HQ helps advocacy teams organize their work and move ideas forward. Buddy System HQ brings it all together.

03/25/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about this…

Most people who run for office aren’t experts, especially in smaller and rural spaces like SD.

They’re just people who care about their community and step up.
And then immediately feel overwhelmed.

I'm not a campaign manager but I built a really simple tool to help with that: https://campaignbuddyhq.com

It’s called Campaign Buddy HQ.

It helps you:
* know what to do each week
* keep track of your people
* not miss important deadlines

That’s it. Nothing fancy. Just something to make running a campaign feel a little less chaotic.

If you know someone running (or thinking about it), send this their way.

And if you try it, tell me what you think.

The essential toolkit for first-time South Dakota political candidates. Contacts, deadlines, fundraising, petitions, and more — all in one place.

03/25/2026

Dems flip a seat in the Florida special election of which Trump voted by mail. So much to unpack and honestly, smirk about.

03/22/2026

Gas prices are up.
The deficit just blew past $39 trillion.
We’re sending more U.S. ground troops into another conflict with no clear plan.

And what’s Congress doing?

Republicans are continuing to withhold funding for basics like TSA unless we don’t talk about ICE. Not fix it. Not debate it. Just silence it.

At the same time, we have a President openly saying Americans who disagree with him are the enemy.

Let that sink in. He’s setting up misinformation to his cult to takeover an election because he sees the wiring in the wall that says he will lose control.

Let’s step backs second.

This administration isn’t delivering results. It’s manufacturing chaos.

Create noise. Pick fights. Flood the zone. Keep everyone arguing so no one is asking real questions.

Like why the DOJ is sitting on Epstein-related information and who that protects.

Or why the priorities never seem to match what people are actually dealing with day to day.

Call it what it is.

Not leadership.
Not policy.
Pure Propaganda.

03/18/2026

What the SAVE Act does:
1. Requires a proof of citizenship through Passport ($185), certified Birth Certificate (if your name is still the same) or Naturalization Papers - NOT a drivers license including REAL ID.

2. Changes voter registration - essentially eliminating online voter registration.

3. Creates a legal risk for election officials.

4. Expands federal involvement in elections, taking it away from state's rights.

What the SAVE Act does not do is change who can vote. You MUST be a citizen to vote currently. This is all about reducing the amount of folks who can register to vote.

Yes, verified illegal voting by non-citizens happens, BUT rates are around 0.0001% of votes cast. That number in the 2024 presidential election was 15,500 total. Across the entire country this is the number of non-citizen votes Republicans are trying to build a mountain out of. I would not even consider this a mole hill.

Next.

02/28/2026

Even when bad leaders keep doing bad things, we do not get a pass to abandon our own morals. Even when regimes continue to cause harm, we still have to act with moral integrity.

This is not abstract. The United States and Israel have launched major combat operations in Iran. The president has described it as necessary to counter threats. But reports show strikes hit cities and schools. Children have been killed. Some are still believed to be trapped under rubble.

I keep hearing the phrase “peace president.” Peace does not look like children buried in debris. Peace does not look like escalating violence and calling it strength.

I do not minimize the real threat posed by regimes that repress their own people or fund violence abroad. Iran’s government has a documented history of both. But “they’re worse” is not a strategy. It is an excuse.

When kids are killed, that is not foreign policy theory. That is humanity. And if we cannot pause long enough to question what we are doing and who we are aligning with, then the word peace loses its meaning.

Strength without conscience is not leadership. It is just power dressed up in a slogan.

If we claim to stand for human rights, then that standard applies to us too. Especially when it is inconvenient.

We can oppose tyranny without abandoning our own conscience.

That is the line.

(I stay away from "I" statements generally, but sometimes the thoughts need to come from me.)

02/26/2026

First round of thank you cards going out to SD Democrats already on the ballot for 2026! It takes courage to put yourself out there and determination to put in the work to make it happen.

02/21/2026

It’s easy to shrug and say “that’s just him” or “he loves seeing his name on things.” But putting your face on the Department of Justice is not vanity. It is a message about control turning an institution into a prop.

Republicans lost their minds when Clinton said hello to Loretta Lynch on a tarmac. Now they are fine with a president’s face draped across government buildings all around DC.

That is not a shift in standards.
That is the abandonment of them.

Other federal buildings across Washington, D.C., are also adorned with huge banners of President Trump.

02/17/2026

Join the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute this weekend in Minneapolis for what is going to be an amazing gathering. But register soon, spots are filling up fast.

Join LGBTQ+ Victory Institute for a day-long, interactive leadership development training for LGBTQ+ leaders, advocates, and activists in Denver.

02/17/2026

What a fun night celebrating amazing leaders of our time and cheering on the new folks stepping up.

The Pennington County Democrats honored former state Sen. Judy Olson Duhamel at the event as well.