In the spring of 2009, he founded and became president of Citizens for Liberty, a conservative group affiliated with the Tea Party movement.
[1] Howie ran for Governor of South Dakota in the 2010 elections,[1] with former State Senator Kermit Staggers as his running mate.
Howie ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate as an independent in the 2014 elections, losing to former governor Mike Rounds.
[4] Howie had indicated that he wanted to ensure there was a "true conservative choice" since the Republican nominee, Governor Rounds, was too moderate.
In March 2014, Howie pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor big-game hunting violation, for killing a mountain lion found caught in a trap, resulting in a one-year suspension of his hunting and trapping privileges and $284 in fines and court costs.