Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson is retaining his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Associated Press called South Dakota's House race for Dusty Johnson shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday
Johnson defeated Democratic challenger Sheryl Johnson of Sioux Falls. She faced long odds in a race against a Republican opponent who vastly outspent her in deeply red South Dakota.
It’s the first election Dusty Johnson has faced a Democratic challenger since he first ran for the US House in 2018.
Shortly after his victory speech, Johnson said elections are job interviews.
“With the bosses—the voters—figuring out who they want to hire. And when you’re an incumbent in the job it’s really a referendum on the job you’ve done. If you didn’t do what you said you were going to do you got a good chance of getting fired. So, for me, it’s gratifying that South Dakotans understood that even in a difficult environment I’ve been one of the adult sin the room. Tried to roll up my sleeves and when we’ve actually gotten big things done, I’ve been one of the guys leading the charge.”
According to FEC filings, Johnson is sitting on $5 million in cash.
Early last year, Dusty Johnson created a state political action committee called Dusty PAC. His challenger, Sheryl Johnson, alleged during the campaign that he is planning on running for governor. Johnson said there’s been a lot of speculation about what he will do next.
“At some point we will need to figure out what the future looks like, but that time is not tonight,” Johnson said.
The next gubernatorial election is in 2026.
Democrat Johnson said she was raised that when you care about a place or an issue, you step up. She says even though the odds were against her, South Dakota was worth the fight.
“So to every South Dakotan who has felt unheard, or unseen or overlooked, your voice matters. Your struggles, your challenges, your ideas for a better future matter. Tonight is just a single chapter, it’s not the whole story.”
Nationally, Republicans have recaptured the US Senate.
