PRESS RELEASE: Immediate Release
John Fitzgerald announces candidacy for South Dakota Attorney General
John Fitzgerald announced today, May 12, 2026, that he has stepped down from his position as a Fourth Circuit Court Judge in Sturgis, South Dakota, to seek the Republican nomination for South Dakota Attorney General.
Fitzgerald is a graduate of Black Hills State University in Spearfish and the University of South Dakota School of Law.
Fitzgerald served 42 years as a South Dakota State’s Attorney in Butte and Lawrence counties and is believed to be the longest-serving State’s Attorney in South Dakota history.
In November 2022, Fitzgerald was elected as a Fourth Circuit Court Judge, serving eight northwestern South Dakota counties.
“Serving as a Circuit Judge has been an honor and has given me an even deeper appreciation for the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, and the importance of equal justice,” Fitzgerald said.
As an aggressive prosecutor, Fitzgerald tried cases involving murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and virtually every other category of crime. Throughout his career, he built a reputation for being tough on violent offenders and committed to protecting victims and property rights.
“The Attorney General’s Office plays a critical role in protecting public safety,” Fitzgerald said. “I believe my judgment, courtroom experience, and knowledge as a lawyer have prepared me to lead the fight against crime in our state, especially violent crime.”
Fitzgerald’s wife, Mary Fitzgerald, serves in the South Dakota House of Representatives from Lawrence County. Together, they have three grown children and six grandchildren.
Well, here is a stout fellow who has tread this path before, maybe tinged a hair insaner than some but not insaner than most. He is from the District numbered 31, where Odenbachism is rampant, but Mr. Fitzgerald will put a new twist on the conventions. There is always a collective of characters running and tough to know who will make a bigger mockery of the position. Do we get another Meierhenry or another Ravnsborg? Only the crazies know, and throw the die.
Just gotta figure out which one is Meierhenry and which one is Ravnsborg.
Hence, grudznick’s wise blogging above to which you responded. Vote for the Meierhenry one, once you figure it out.
Feels like 2002 again.
This will be a great candidate to vote for
So Boston Fitzgerald is good, but California Carley is bad.
That’s a really odd comparison and way more than a little misleading
State born Republicans attacking of out of Republicans who moved to South Dakota from another state is one of the dumbest trends in South Dakota politics.
Especially when his family moved to South Dakota from Boston when he was young. South Dakota is his home. He has been a career prosecutor here.
I moved to South Dakota in 1979. How long do I have to live here before I’m a “Real South Dakotan”?
Right?! I’ve only lived here 26 years and raised children here so I’m probably not a real South Dakotan yet.
Longer than California Carley and Carpetbagger Shields.
Well your right on both.
One more reason the convention system needs to go.
Is his wife going to endorse the Democrat candidate when he loses the convention vote again?
To be fair – when that happened last time, the Democratic candidate was more qualified than the AG we ended up with, although she may have made the endorsement out of sour grapes.
Just like 2018 if he can get 2nd place he will win a head to head.
He couldn’t get 2nd in 18.
We will see what he gets in 2026.
Can he split west river and make a runoff?
It’s a convention race.
And the crazies are in the majorithy.
be sure to vote on june 2 for the non-crazy candidates for precinct committeeman and committeewoman.
It’s too late. Hansen/Lems cabal have loaded up the committeemen and committeewomen with loons.
Just you wait and see.
yes and if Hansen does not secure the gubernatorial nomination, those same loons will adopt a resolution condemning the outcome of the primary and they will vote Hansen in for AG. It’ll be like when Haugaard didn’t get the nomination for governor and those crazies showed up hell-bent on being as disruptive as possible.
We can’t eliminate the convention nominating process soon enough
Back when there were five, he was my pick. Impressive background IMO. But then there was that fateful convention in Pierre. I think he would’ve had it but it was rumored his wife put out those flyers that lie at our doorstep the next day. I think he would’ve beaten them all had it not been for that flyer. That alone made me and many other delegates vote for Ravnsborg (who I liked even though he had little experience but I don’t know much about Fitzgerald (personality wise) to be honest). Whoever gets the nod has big boots to fill after Marty.
It can’t be understated how big of a misstep those joint Fitzgerald-Lance Russel fliers were.
The fliers were disastrous. Not only were they pushed under the motel room doors of every guest, not just the delegates, they were on the tables at the governor’s dinner, when all candidates were told they should not do that. SMH
He is a heck of a good guy.
By far the most experienced and tempered in the field.
You might want to see what attorneys in the hills have to say. Because it’s not that.
That’s why he won the judges race in a landslide. A landslide.
The hills legal community having little respect for him and him winning a judgeship have nothing to do with each other. It is difficult to campaign against a possible judge that you would then be standing in front of who has a wife that holds life long grudges. He also violated two rules of judicial conduct while he was running.
The roll call of the Hall of Heroes is now complete.
Another grey haired white dude with outdated beliefs. Why does anyone listen to this generation when they have nothing to show for the last 50 years?
The AG isn’t supposed to have his “own views.” He’s supposed to know the laws and defend them. That includes laws he doesn’t like, or suspects are unconstitutional. That puts him in the position of defending idiotic laws passed by a legislature full of loons who have enough votes to over-ride a sane governor’s veto.
Your comment reveals you don’t know what the job involves..
Oh, BS, AGs here are good on law and order when crime occurs, and the rest of the time they’re filing amicus briefs and lawsuits to advance their party’s state and national agenda. The record is full of this.
If he is too old to be a state judge then he is too old to be attorney general.
when he was way behind in delegate count in 2002, delegates started yelling “unanimous ballot!” and the fitz group locked down and objected even though it was already a done deal. So they had to vote all the way through ziebach county, a farce. then his wife ran out of the convention center crying and yelling “we got robbed!”
not impresssive.
IN RE: the DISCIPLINE OF Lance RUSSELL (2011)
Supreme Court of South Dakota.
IN RE: the DISCIPLINE OF Lance RUSSELL, as an Attorney at Law.
No. 25490.
Decided: April 20, 2011
Robert B. Frieberg, Disciplinary Board Counsel, Beresford, South Dakota, Attorney for Disciplinary Board. Michael K. Sabers of Clayborne, Loos, Strommen & Sabers, LLP, Rapid City, South Dakota, Attorney for Lance Russell.
[¶ 1.] This is a disciplinary proceeding against Lance Russell, a member of the State Bar of South Dakota. The Disciplinary Board of the State Bar recommended that Russell be publicly censured. The Referee, Retired Justice Robert A. Miller, also recommended a public censure. In his brief in response to the Referee’s findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommendation, Russell asks this Court to dismiss the Board’s and the Referee’s recommendation. At oral argument, however, Russell’s counsel told the Court that a “private censure” with conditions imposed to ensure that the conduct resulting in these proceedings does not reoccur would be appropriate.1
You can find the entire case online. South Dakota doesn’t need an attorney general who knew full well he was not to release grand jury testimony transcripts, but Lance Russell did.
Thank you.
Correct. And South Dakota also doesn’t need an attorney general who has been found to have violated the Code of Judicial Conduct not once, but twice, while running for a judgeship. You can find several articles regarding it online, Fitzgerald knew he should have resigned his positions with the GOP, but he didn’t. And he knew he shouldn’t have endorsed a sheriff candidate, but he did.
If Russel and Fitzgerald can’t follow or understand simple laws/rules, why in the world would anyone want them holding the top law enforcement position in our state.
Wasn’t Larry Long the oldest AG in his fifties and do we want one who is forced into mandatory retirement as a judge in his 70s? Young man’s game plus he is not prepared for what the AG actually does- which is not trying cases.