Republicans further solidified their majority in the South Dakota statehouse.
One Republican and one Democrat are offering differing assessments on how state Democrats can pick up the pieces following Tuesday’s general election.
The State legislature hasn’t been this Republican since 1953.
Of the 105 member legislature, Democrats are down to eight representatives from 10, and down to three senators, from five. That means some Senate committees next session will be all Republican.
Democrat Susan Wismer lost to Republican Michael Rohl in District 1, a Democratic stronghold in the northeast corner of the state.
State Senator Lee Schoenbeck is a Republican from Watertown. He’s vying for president of the Senate. He says it appears there’s no safe spot for Democrats to run.
“I would find that greatly troubling,” Schoenbeck says. "If there’s an opponent against you. Quite frankly, it’s a little bit of some of their politics in South Dakota, but it’s a lot more of them paying for the sins of their fathers in DC.”
Those sins, Schoenbeck says, include calls for defunding the police—an idea that gained traction following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of white police. It calls for more community and social funding.
The son of a former Democratic US senator says the party must be bold if it’s going to have success in the future. Brendan Johnson is a former US attorney during the Obama administration and recently pushed for marijuana legalization and won. He points to the medical marijuana ballot question, which passed with 70 percent of the vote.
“Just because an issue initially may not poll well,” Johnson says, “if you have faith in the power of your idea and you’re willing to take it to the people of South Dakota and explain it, I think you can be successful. The bottom line for South Dakota Democrats is to be bold. Don’t be afraid to consider big ideas and go after those ideas.”
Johnson says the party needs to show resolve around issues like Medicare for All, a living wage, criminal justice reform, tribal sovereignty and green energy.
-Contact SDPB reporter Lee Strubinger by email.