Sad News. Former SDGOP National Committeeman and 1998 US Senate Candidate Ron Schmidt passes away

I just had a note on this sad news. Former South Dakota Republican Party National Committeeman, and 1998 US Senate Candidate Ron Schmidt passed this last Sunday, only days after his wife Priscilla’s recent funeral.  Among South Dakotans, especially those in politics, Ron Schmidt was known by many, and I don’t know that a person could say a bad word about the man if they tried to think of one. Ron was a consummate gentleman, a professional, and a genuinely nice person.

Hired out of law school to be the director of the State Legislative Research Council in July of 1965, Ron became more openly involved with the State Republican Party with an announcement in 1970, when he threw his hat in the ring for the office of Attorney General on the Republican ticket, taking on incumbent Attorney General Gordon Mydland. The convention race between Schmidt & Mydland hinged somewhat on vote horse trading for the Lt. Governor’s position between Robert Bartron of Watertown, Art Jones of Rapid City, and James Rothstein of Mobridge.  Mydland won the vote for AG at convention, and went on to another term as Attorney General.

At the time when Democrat Dick Kneip had taken the state’s highest office, Schmidt made a second run for Attorney General in 1972 in a year that was bad for Republicans. Schmidt ran in the general election, but lost to Democrat Kermit Sande.

In the years after that, Schmidt served as a lobbyist for various and diverse interests in Pierre ranging from bankers, to billboard owners, to psychologists. Ron also was noted to work with the Attorney General’s office from time to time as a special Attorney General.  Schmidt was considered more than once for a federal judgeship, and had been one of Senator Larry Pressler’s strongest supporters in the SDGOP.

Schmidt participated in a number of National Republican Conventions representing South Dakota (at least 4). And he served for a number of years as the SDGOP National Committeeman, including appointments to an RNC special council for outreach to minority communities.

The pinnacle of Schmidt’s political career would be when he won the primary nomination against State Senator Alan Aker to be the South Dakota Republican Party’s candidate for US Senate in 1998 against Tom Daschle. While he was not ultimately successful against Daschle at a time when the political winds were not always behind the GOP, he did the Republicans of South Dakota proud to represent them in the November election.

Ron & Priscilla are survived by their daughters Ingrid & Eva, and their son Ethan who many Republicans know as a former Pennington County Commissioner, and current member of the Pennington County GOP’s Executive Board.

There will be an Obituary posted here shortly, and I will run it when it’s available.

Please keep the Schmidt family in your prayers.