In South Dakota Senate, far-right lawmakers rankle GOP

By STEPHEN GROVES and AMANCAI BIRABEN
Associated Press

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — In the South Dakota Senate, a group of far-right Republican lawmakers are looking to challenge the establishment by pushing for hardline stands on social issues. Most recently, one state senator was suspended, then reinstated and censured, after she allegedly harassed an aide because the aide had vaccinated her child. Senate leaders have called that situation a personnel issue and have said little about it. But it’s a sign of growing tensions within the GOP. Nationally, the Republican Party has been plagued with similar strains of controversy.