Facts Matter: Setting the Record Straight

Award Winning Journalist Kevin Abourezk of Indian Country Today published an article on September 18, 2026, about the District 27 State Senate race. In that article, Abourezk reported that Republican candidate Anthony Kathol “declined to comment” on the race.

Above is screen shot from the article published by Indian Country Today. Full article can be found at: https://ictnews.org/politics/south-dakota-state-senate-candidate-wants-to-give-lakota-people-hope/

That statement does not tell the full story.

Here are the facts.

Mr. Abourezk contacted me by email seeking an interview about the District 27 State Senate race. I did not read his email until the evening of August 31, 2026, as I was in Chadron, Nebraska for a dental exam. Because his request came on short notice, I was not prepared to participate in a formal interview about my campaign at that time. See email from Abourezk below:

I subsequently responded to Mr. Abourezk and explained the circumstances. My response is provided below so readers can review the source for themselves.

There is an important difference between declining an interview request on short notice and simply “declining to comment” on a political race. The latter wording leaves readers with the impression that I refused to discuss my campaign or provide a response to the journalist. That is not the complete context.

Journalists have an obligation to report accurately and provide readers with the relevant context necessary to understand what occurred. When a published article reduces a more complicated exchange to three words — “declined to comment” — readers deserve to know what actually happened.

I am not asking anyone to take my word for it. Read the original article. Read my response to Mr. Abourezk. Review the dates and the correspondence. Then make your own judgment.

This is precisely why facts matter.

Political candidates and voters alike should be held to the same standard: say what happened, provide the evidence, and allow people to decide for themselves.

I welcome legitimate questions about my campaign, my positions, and my record. What I will not accept is having my position or actions mischaracterized by leaving out important facts.

Facts matter. Sources matter. Context matters. Political Bias matters.

Below are two excerpts from an April 27, 2026, and July 12, 2026, Facebook posts made by Abourezk. I will let the reader determine whether an interview would have been fair and balanced.

Before accepting any political article at face value, I encourage voters in District 27 — regardless of political affiliation — to take the time to examine the underlying sources for themselves.

Read the article. Read the emails. Check the facts.

That's how an informed electorate should work.