I am honored to announce my candidacy for the South Dakota State Senate in District 12. There are so many reasons why we need new leaders in our legislature and I’m ready to be the next state senator from our district.

We now have two instances where our elected officials have gone directly against the will of the people. First, by revoking IM 22, which was widely supported to help with government transparency and campaign finance. Second, with IM 26, the legalization of marijuana. More than 70% of voters voted for medical and recreational marijuana and we are watching our elected officials systematically reject the will of the people.  

Year after year, a small handful of legislators introduce bills that originate with out-of-state special interest groups. Many of these bills are based on manufactured problems directly targeting children. As the board chair of the Transformation Project I’m well aware these bills are created for purely political purposes – to divide South Dakotans, not unite us. During the 2022 session, Governor Noem’s chief of staff compared trans girls participating in sports to being “like terrorism”. 

And as always, our state’s educators are amongst the lowest paid in the nation. Our current leadership in Pierre consistently puts money in savings while acknowledging the cost of living raises our educators receive aren’t even enough to keep salaries competitive.

In my last campaign, I had the great pleasure of talking with thousands of my neighbors in District 12.  The good people I met are concerned about the future of Sioux Falls, how South Dakota is positioning itself to be competitive in the future and how we are going to retain the students who graduate from our incredible education system.

District 12 is the heart of Sioux Falls and as a community we’re a perfect snapshot of South Dakota. From the top of our district near the VA all the way down to Harrisburg, to the east on Minnesota Ave and the west on Louise Ave, we are the heart of the city. We need representation that responds to constituent emails and calls. We need representation that shows up to Legislative Coffees and can explain why a vote went the way it did. I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your concerns, your values and what you want our legislature to focus on. Most importantly, I am most excited to represent all of District 12 in Pierre in 2023.