Here’s the state of the primary elections for the state legislature, so far.  If the candidates are in Red (or the one in Blue) there is a primary.

At the moment, there are only 3 districts without a legislative primary of one sort or another at the moment. Three. Than means, in 32 other districts, there will be legislative primaries in June. WOW.

Contest	Name	Party	District/County
State Senator	Michael H. Rohl	REP	District 01
State Representative	Courtney Gale Enfield	DEM	District 01
State Representative	Daniel Kjos	REP	District 01
State Representative	Keith Miller	REP	District 01
State Representative	Logan Manhart	REP	District 01
State Representative	Nick Fosness	REP	District 01
State Senator	David Kull	REP	District 02
State Senator	John Sjaarda	REP	District 02
State Representative	Blake Rife	DEM	District 02
State Representative	Adam Long	REP	District 02
State Representative	Brandon Lane	REP	District 02
State Representative	Dawn Hill	REP	District 02
State Representative	Manuel Luschas	REP	District 02
State Senator	Carl Perry	REP	District 03
State Senator	Katherine “Katie” Washnok	REP	District 03
State Representative	Erin Ronayne Rudner	DEM	District 03
State Representative	Al Novstrup	REP	District 03
State Representative	Kaleb Weis	REP	District 03
State Representative	Spencer Sommers	REP	District 03
State Representative	Timothy Hanigan	REP	District 03
State Senator	Stephanie Sauder	REP	District 04
State Senator	Timothy Begalka	REP	District 04
State Representative	Emelia Enquist	DEM	District 04
State Representative	Dylan C Jordan	REP	District 04
State Representative	Fred Deutsch	REP	District 04
State Representative	Gary William Hudiburgh III	REP	District 04
State Representative	Kent Roe	REP	District 04
State Representative	Ryan Kohl	REP	District 04
State Senator	Glen A. Vilhauer	REP	District 05
State Senator	Josephine Garcia	REP	District 05
State Representative	Byron I. Callies	REP	District 05
State Representative	Matt Roby	REP	District 05
State Senator	Ernie Otten	REP	District 06
State Representative	Austin Wolf	DEM	District 06
State Representative	Garret M Campbell	DEM	District 06
State Representative	Elliott Neff	REP	District 06
State Representative	Jerry Jongeling	REP	District 06
State Representative	Ned Horsted	REP	District 06
State Representative	Tim Czmowski	REP	District 06
State Senator	Tim Reed	REP	District 07
State Representative	Blake Stevens	DEM	District 07
State Representative	Dennis Willert	REP	District 07
State Representative	Mellissa Heermann	REP	District 07
State Representative	Roger DeGroot	REP	District 07
State Senator	Casey Crabtree	REP	District 08
State Senator	Patricia K Shiery	REP	District 08
State Representative	Danny Brown	REP	District 08
State Representative	James Sapp	REP	District 08
State Representative	Jon Nelson	REP	District 08
State Representative	Samuel Krueger	REP	District 08
State Representative	Todd Wilkinson	REP	District 08
State Senator	Daryl Christensen	REP	District 09
State Senator	Joy Hohn	REP	District 09
State Representative	Amanda Potter	DEM	District 09
State Representative	Megan Tschetter	REP	District 09
State Representative	Randy Bury	REP	District 09
State Representative	Tesa Schwans	REP	District 09
State Representative	Zach Mulder	REP	District 09
State Senator	Liz Larson	DEM	District 10
State Senator	Michael Dupic	REP	District 10
State Representative	Adam Bair	DEM	District 10
State Representative	Kathleen Brudvig	DEM	District 10
State Representative	Bobbi L. Andera	REP	District 10
State Representative	John Pohlman	REP	District 10
State Representative	Kimberly Petterson	REP	District 10
State Senator	Aaron Matson	DEM	District 11
State Senator	Chris Karr	REP	District 11
State Senator	Graham Oey	REP	District 11
State Representative	Sonja Mentzer	DEM	District 11
State Representative	Brian Mulder	REP	District 11
State Representative	John C. Kunnari	REP	District 11
State Representative	Keri K. Weems	REP	District 11
State Senator	Joe Zweifel	DEM	District 12
State Senator	Arch Beal	REP	District 12
State Senator	Kari Shanard-Koenders	REP	District 12
State Representative	Stephanie Arne	DEM	District 12
State Representative	Amber Arlint	REP	District 12
State Representative	Kerry Loudenslager	REP	District 12
State Senator	Dan Kippley	REP	District 13
State Senator	Sue Peterson	REP	District 13
State Representative	Ali Rae Horsted	DEM	District 13
State Representative	Jack R Kolbeck	REP	District 13
State Representative	John Hughes	REP	District 13
State Representative	Nick Kotzea	REP	District 13
State Senator	Larry P. Zikmund	REP	District 14
State Senator	R. Shawn Tornow	REP	District 14
State Representative	Erinn Williams	DEM	District 14
State Representative	Taylor Rae Rehfeldt	REP	District 14
State Representative	Tony Kayser	REP	District 14
State Representative	Tyler Tordsen	REP	District 14
State Senator	Erik Muckey	DEM	District 15
State Senator	Brenda Lawrence	REP	District 15
State Representative	June CopperStad	DEM	District 15
State Representative	Kadyn Wittman	DEM	District 15
State Representative	Andre Zachariahs	REP	District 15
State Representative	Joni Tschetter	REP	District 15
State Senator	Kevin D. Jensen	REP	District 16
State Representative	Tim Rhead	DEM	District 16
State Representative	Jason D VanDenTop	REP	District 16
State Representative	John Shubeck	REP	District 16
State Representative	Lisa Bogue	REP	District 16
State Senator	Jeffrey D. Church	REP	District 17
State Senator	Sydney Davis	REP	District 17
State Representative	Austin Brunick	DEM	District 17
State Representative	Leslie Gerrish	DEM	District 17
State Representative	Chris Kassin	REP	District 17
State Representative	Robin Schiro	REP	District 17
State Representative	Troy Redler	REP	District 17
State Senator	Kay Swihart	DEM	District 18
State Senator	Jean Hunhoff	REP	District 18
State Senator	Lauren Nelson	REP	District 18
State Representative	Jarod Holcomb	DEM	District 18
State Representative	Karen Springer	DEM	District 18
State Representative	John R. Marquardt	REP	District 18
State Representative	Michael Nutley	REP	District 18
State Representative	Mike Stevens	REP	District 18
State Senator	Russell E. Graeff	DEM	District 19
State Senator	Donna Olson	REP	District 19
State Senator	Kyle Schoenfish	REP	District 19
State Representative	Heidi Hora	DEM	District 19
State Representative	Drew Peterson	REP	District 19
State Representative	Jessica Bahmuller	REP	District 19
State Representative	Tanner Michael Hento	REP	District 19
State Senator	Paul Miskimins	REP	District 20
State Representative	Jeff Bathke	REP	District 20
State Representative	Terry Sabers	REP	District 20
State Senator	Dan Andersson	DEM	District 21
State Senator	Erin Tobin	REP	District 21
State Senator	Mykala Voita	REP	District 21
State Representative	Jim Halverson	REP	District 21
State Representative	John H. Harter	REP	District 21
State Representative	Marty Overweg	REP	District 21
State Representative	Wyatt DeJong	REP	District 21
State Senator	Brandon R. Wipf	REP	District 22
State Representative	Cully Williams	DEM	District 22
State Representative	Kevin Van Diepen	REP	District 22
State Representative	Lana Greenfield	REP	District 22
State Senator	Mark Lapka	REP	District 23
State Representative	Amber Werdel	REP	District 23
State Representative	Dick Werner	REP	District 23
State Representative	Spencer Gosch	REP	District 23
State Senator	Brian Joseph Murphy	REP	District 24
State Senator	Jim Mehlhaff	REP	District 24
State Senator	Mark James Nelson	REP	District 24
State Representative	Brian Burge	REP	District 24
State Representative	Laurie Gill	REP	District 24
State Representative	Mike Weisgram	REP	District 24
State Representative	Regan Bollweg	REP	District 24
State Representative	Tim Rounds	REP	District 24
State Senator	Tom Pischke	REP	District 25
State Representative	Bart L. Sample	REP	District 25
State Representative	Carrie Sanderson	REP	District 25
State Representative	Nick Buchholz	REP	District 25
State Senator	Shawn Bordeaux	DEM	District 26
State Senator	Troy “Luke” Lunderman	DEM	District 26
State Senator	Rebecca Reimer	REP	District 26
State Senator	Tamara R Grove	REP	District 26
State Representative	Eric E. Emery	DEM	District 26A
State Representative	Ron Frederick	REP	District 26A
State Representative	Lewis J. GrassRope	DEM	District 26B
State Representative	Angi Hanzlik	REP	District 26B
State Representative	Will Mahnke	REP	District 26B
State Senator	Celestine Stadnick	DEM	District 27
State Senator	Anthony Kathol	REP	District 27
State Senator	Ryan M. Maher	REP	District 28
State Senator	Sam Marty	REP	District 28
State Representative	Carl J. Petersen	DEM	District 28A
State Representative	Jana Hunt	REP	District 28A
State Representative	Lawrence (Larry) Schmaltz	REP	District 28B
State Representative	Travis Ismay	REP	District 28B
State Senator	John Carley	REP	District 29
State Senator	William J. Meirose	REP	District 29
State Representative	Gary Deering	REP	District 29
State Representative	Gary L Cammack	REP	District 29
State Representative	Kathy Rice	REP	District 29
State Representative	Terri Jorgenson	REP	District 29
State Senator	Amber Hulse	REP	District 30
State Senator	Julie Frye-Mueller	REP	District 30
State Representative	Bret Swanson	DEM	District 30
State Representative	Stephen Saint	REP	District 30
State Representative	Tim R Goodwin	REP	District 30
State Representative	Trish Ladner	REP	District 30
State Senator	John E. Teupel	REP	District 31
State Senator	Randy Deibert	REP	District 31
State Representative	Morgan Plucker	DEM	District 31
State Representative	Mary J. Fitzgerald	REP	District 31
State Representative	Scott Odenbach	REP	District 31
State Senator	Jeff Shelton	DEM	District 32
State Senator	Helene Duhamel	REP	District 32
State Senator	Karen M. McNeal	REP	District 32
State Representative	Nicole Uhre-Balk	DEM	District 32
State Representative	Steve Duffy	REP	District 32
State Representative	Zachary Martin	REP	District 32
State Senator	Christopher Baumgartner	DEM	District 33
State Senator	Curt Voight	REP	District 33
State Senator	David Johnson	REP	District 33
State Representative	Kari Hall	DEM	District 33
State Representative	Curt Massie	REP	District 33
State Representative	Jeff Marlette	REP	District 33
State Representative	Phil Jensen	REP	District 33
State Representative	Sandra Comer	REP	District 33
State Senator	Michael Calabrese	DEM	District 34
State Senator	Jason E. Green	REP	District 34
State Senator	Taffy Howard	REP	District 34
State Representative	Victor Diego Dominquez	DEM	District 34
State Representative	Becky J Drury	REP	District 34
State Representative	Heather Baxter	REP	District 34
State Representative	Mike Derby	REP	District 34
State Senator	Greg Blanc	REP	District 35
State Senator	Nicole Mitzel	REP	District 35
State Representative	Ken Jeakins	DEM	District 35
State Representative	Dale Bartscher	REP	District 35
State Representative	Emmett Reistroffer	REP	District 35
State Representative	Jace West	REP	District 35
State Representative	Jason Fleming	REP	District 35

In case you missed one of the last gasps of the Jon Hansen for Governor campaign this last week. As communicated by a text blast.. because that’s all he could afford:

Hansen claimed he won the debate based on the on-line, and definitely unscientific poll. How unscientific? Just hear from one of his supporters:

They voted for him 3 times.

Not the kind of poll results I’d be blasting out there trying to claim a win.

Bahmuller, Peterson, and Schoenfish to Seek Re-election for District 19

Alexandria, Salem, and Scotland— District 19 legislators Rep. Jessica Bahmuller, Rep. Drew Peterson, and Sen. Kyle Schoenfish jointly announced today that they are seeking reelection to the South Dakota Legislature, running on a record of conservative leadership and a continued commitment to rural communities, strong families, agriculture, and responsible government.

Jessica Bahmuller, a municipal finance officer in Alexandria, was first elected to the South Dakota House in 2022. She has focused on fiscal responsibility, local control, rural health care, support for agriculture and small business, and bringing practical small-town experience to Pierre. She and her husband, Aaron, are raising three children in Alexandria.

“Serving you has been an absolute honor. We truly have the best district and people in the state. My oldest two children are preparing for college and I want to ensure they can return to District 19. Your best interest is always my interest,” said Jessica Bahmuller.

Drew Peterson is a fifth-generation farmer and cattle producer from rural Salem, where he and his wife, Lauren, also raise their two young children. He was first elected to the State House in 2022. Since then, Peterson has prioritized our rural communities, farmers, and ranchers, and has fought for access to quality education, healthcare, public safety, and public infrastructure.

“I am grateful to raise my children in the same community that I grew up in, here in District 19. I want that same opportunity for all of our children and grandchildren—to return to our hometowns, build a life and career, and keep our rural way of life strong,” said Drew Peterson. “I will continue fighting to protect rural taxpayers, limited and local government, and our conservative pro-life and 2nd amendment values.”

Kyle Schoenfish, a Certified Public Accountant from Scotland, served in the South Dakota House from 2013 to 2019 and was appointed to the Senate in 2020 before winning reelection. He works at Schoenfish & Company, Inc., in Parkston, serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Lutheran Theology Seminary College in Brookings, and is a graduate of Scotland High School and Dakota Wesleyan University. He has built a reputation as a steady, knowledgeable voice on education, fiscal policy, and the needs of rural South Dakota.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving the district I grew up in. I  will keep standing strong for our rural and family values, and supporting our constitutional rights,” said Kyle Schoenfish.

Together, Bahmuller, Peterson, and Schoenfish are committed to protecting District 19’s rural way of life, defending taxpayers, supporting agriculture and small business, and making sure South Dakota remains a place where families can build a future.

District 19 includes Bon Homme, Hanson, Hutchinson, McCook, and Turner counties. The 2026 South Dakota primary is on June 2, 2026.

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Nick Kotzea of Sioux Falls is having a big fundraiser on Monday April 13th for his race in.. well, District 13. And as you can see from the flyer, Nick has a lot more than 13 sponsors for the event:

If you can’t make it, you can always send a donation to his campaign through www.votekotzea.com.

State Rep. Tina Mulally is running for Pennington County Auditor?

….  just going to leave that one hanging.  No words.

South Dakota Board of Regents Elects New Officers

MADISON, S.D. — The South Dakota Board of Regents (BOR) elected a new slate of officers for the upcoming term.

Jeff Partridge of Rapid City was elected as the new Board President, succeeding Tim Rave, who has held the position since 2023. Partridge is president of Partridge Financial Services and previously served on the Rapid City Common Council and in the South Dakota Legislature, including service on the Joint Appropriations Committee. He was previously serving as Board Vice President.

“I’m grateful for the thoughtful leadership of our previous Board presidents and the solid foundation they established,” said Regent Partridge. “I am eager to focus on the future, making decisions and implementing changes now to guarantee ongoing success for future generations.”

Randy Frederick of Hayti was elected Board Vice President. Frederick served 12 years in the South Dakota Legislature, including six years as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2023 and previously served as Board Secretary.

Miles Beacom of Sioux Falls was elected Board Secretary. Beacom is Chief Executive Officer of PREMIER Bankcard and serves on numerous business, community, and higher education boards. Beacom was appointed to the Board by Governor Rhoden last year.

The newly elected officers will begin their terms upon the conclusion of the Board of Regents’ April meeting, held April 1-2, 2026.

Senator Mike Rounds’ WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP:  March 23-29, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up. It was an eventful week in the D.C. office with many South Dakotans stopping by. In just four days, I met with 17 different groups of South Dakotans visiting DC to advocate for issues that are important to them. It’s always good to see these groups out here! Beyond that, we took a number of votes on the Senate floor to address various topics including voter ID, government funding and the conflict in Iran. More on these and the rest of my week in the Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakota groups I visited with: Major General Mark Morrell with the South Dakota National Guard; South Dakota Dentists with the American Dental Association; South Dakota Doctors for America FDA Task Force; the University of South Dakota’s Center for Disabilities, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities; Barry Dunn, President and Daniel Scholl, VP for Research & Economic Development at South Dakota State University and Dr. Stephen Gent; South Dakotans with the Association for Career and Technical Education; Kevin Nyberg and Erik Nyberg with Nyberg’s Ace and Dakota Workwear; South Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership; South Dakota Science and Technology Authority; Bret Afdahl, Director of the Banking Division at the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation; Lemmon High School students; Jennifer Beving, State Director, South Dakota Americans for Prosperity; South Dakota Trucking Association; Brianna Mount, Associate Professor at Black Hills State University; South Dakotans with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians; and Dr. Tim Ridgway with the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Arlington, Aurora, Brookings, Chamberlain, Claremont, Deadwood, Gettysburg, Lead, Lemmon, Leola, Nemo, New Underwood, Philip, Pierre, Rapid City, Redfield, Reliance, Rosebud, Sherman, Sioux Falls, Tabor, Vermillion, Volga, Walker, Watertown, White River and Winner.

Other meetings: Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense, Policy and Programs; Tim Teter, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, NVIDIA; Admiral Rich Correll, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command; and Michael Smith, Senior Executive, Ares.

This past week I spoke on a panel at the 2026 Hill & Valley Forum with Sean Cairncross, National Cyber Director and Joe Lin, Co-Founder of Twenty.

I also attended our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday hosted by Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia.

Hearings: This past week, I attended four hearings. I chaired a Cybersecurity Subcommittee Hearing. You can watch my opening remarks here. In another hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, we heard from the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Strategic Command as we prepare for the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. You can watch my questions here. Lastly the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee held a hearing titled “Export-Import Bank Reauthorization” with John Jovanovic, President and Chairman of Export-Import Bank. Watch my questions here.

Briefings: I chaired one Cyber Education & Briefing Seminar and attended one Senate Armed Services Committee briefing.

Votes taken: 12 –  This past week I voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of Homeland Security. I am confident he will do a great job in continuing to secure our border and keep our homeland safe.

In addition, early Friday morning the Senate passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This package would fund operations and personnel for critical programs housed under DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United States Coast Guard. Opposition from Democrats means that ICE and Border Patrol are left unfunded through this package, but their operations will still be funded through the reconciliation package passed last summer. It’s our goal to continue this funding to protect our borders and secure our homeland through a second reconciliation package this summer. I look forward to working with the House of Representatives to fund DHS and end this government shutdown.

I also cast several procedural votes this past week, including legislation related to the SAVE America Act, a resolution to fund DHS, a resolution submitted by the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to “Reproductive Health Services,” a Congressional Review Act resolution and a War Powers Act resolution.

Lastly I voted for Colin McDonald to be an Assistant Attorney General, James Hurtt and Kelli Knight to be the Coast Guard’s permanent commissioned teaching staff.

You can read more details about the votes I took on my website here.

Steps taken: 62,942 steps or 28.62 miles.

My Staff in South Dakota Visited: Martin and Mitchell.

Video of the Week: On Monday I joined Bloomberg to talk about the SAVE America Act and the conflict in Iran, click here to watch.

Sabrina Green announces candidacy for Pennington County Auditor

Pennington County Auditor Sabrina Green has announced her candidacy for this upcoming election seeking to continue representing Pennington County.

Green was first appointed as County Auditor November 2025, and has served in the Auditors office since 2018.

I have enjoyed all duties and task in my eight years. Anything from accounts payable, accounts receivable, apportioning, elections and several other duties. I always kept the tax payers in mind when it came to my job, because in the end I’m a tax payer also.

“I care deeply about this community because it’s home,” Green said. “I am committed to ensuring transparency, maintaining fair and secure elections, and responsibly managing budgets.”

It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Pennington County. I ask for your support this upcoming election.

Green, 44, is married and has three children. Born and raised in New Underwood now living in Rapid City a long time County resident.

Hot off the press, a new Christine Erickson for Mayor fundraiser is happening on April 7 in Sioux Falls.  Lots of hosts there to support the next mayor of Sioux Falls.

Stop in and check it out if you’re in town!

Gov. Rhoden Advises Counties on Implementation of SB 96

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden advised South Dakota’s counties on the implementation of his plan to cut property taxes, SB 96. Combined with SB 245, this bill helped deliver the largest property tax cut in South Dakota history. Several counties have already expressed excitement about implementing SB 96, and this guidance will answer those questions.

“We delivered results to cut property taxes which is a major win for South Dakota homeowners. I am glad that counties are already expressing so much interest in implementing it,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “My administration will continue to work alongside our counties and provide clarity to answer any questions they may have.”

The Department of Revenue (DOR) published resources to assist counties. DOR’s implementation guide, which includes a sample ordinance, can be found here.

Whether the legislation is adopted by the county commission, referred to a vote of the people, or initiated by the people themselves, the Department of Revenue stands ready to assist counties with implementation. Governor Rhoden sent a letter to each county outlining this implementation information. One of those letters can be found here.

Governor Larry Rhoden previously unveiled a county map that shows how much South Dakotans save under SB 96. He has since updated that map to include savings estimates for SB 245. Combined, SB 96 and SB 245 account for the largest property tax cut in South Dakota history!

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