SDGOP hosts Largest ever convention in Watertown, Selects Rhoden, Jackley, Johnson, and other nominees in convention races
This past weekend, the South Dakota Republican Party held their 2022 State Convention which proved to be the largest ever political convention in modern state history and selected the party’s nominees to move forward towards the 2022 fall election.
Smashing the old record, the Republican Party had 687 delegates attending, which exceeded the old record in 2018 of 625 by over 60 attendees. “There’s nothing that shows a vibrant and healthy Republican party than the overwhelming interest people have in participating in the process,” State Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman noted.
Several contested races were decided at convention including the selection of Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden to return to the campaign trail as Governor Kristi Noem’s running mate for the November election. After Rhoden’s nomination speech was proudly given by Governor Kristi Noem herself, Rhoden dominated among the delegates, despite a last minute challenge from State Representative Steve Haugaard. Rhoden won on a vote of 56-44%, or 92,991 votes to 72,961, which is weighted by the number of votes that each county cast for Kristi Noem in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
For the office of Attorney General, former Attorney General Marty Jackley won the nomination over David Natvig on a vote of 52.7% (89,150) to 47.3% (80,084). In the contested race for Secretary of State, newcomer Monae Johnson defeated incumbent Secretary of State Steve Barnett on a vote of 61% (103,046) to 39% 65,920.
In the open office of School and Public Lands, State Senator Brock Greenfield won his first-time nomination for the office without being contested. State Auditor Rich Sattgast, State Treasurer Josh Haeder, and Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson all successfully ran for the nomination to run once again for their respective offices on unanimous and uncontested ballots.
Lederman said, “The unprecedented and record-setting level of interest by delegates in attending and being active in the party’s election process should give Democrats pause at the absolute freight train’s worth of momentum that the GOP has coming out of this convention. Republicans are here to win elections this fall, and Democrats had better get out of the way, because there’s a red wave coming!”