Pending Primary Count: 10 House Contests, 13 Senate

Last updated on 2018-03-31

The Secretary of State’s updated candidate list shows that Democrats will have at least five House primaries and one Senate primary. Republicans will have eight House primaries and nine Senate primaries. Here’s the roster so far of who gets to have fun on June 5:

SENATE:

1. District 1 Democrats: Rep. Susan Wismer of Britton, Allison Renville of Sisseton, and Thomas Bisek of New Effington. No Republican has filed for this office, so absent an independent entry, the primary winner will go to Pierre.
2. District 5 Republicans: Former legislator Lee Schoenbeck vs. Byron I. Callies, both of Watertown. Either man would be an improvement over xenophobe Senator Neal Tapio, whose petition for U.S. House Secretary Krebs certified yesterday. The face occasional Democratic placeholder Alanna Silvis.
3. District 9 Republicans: Rep. Wayne Steinhauer of Hartford will see his crossover challenged by Lora Hubbel of Sioux Falls. Hubbel served one term in the House (2011–2012) before Republicans gerrymandered her out of the Legislature. She tried primarying Senator Deb Peters for this same seat in 2016, to no avail. Hubbel may be serious, or she may just be using the District 9 Senate race as a backup plan in case she can’t get enough signatures to run for Governor as an independent or secure the gubernatorial nomination of the Libertarians or her old Constitution Party. Democrat Mark Guthmiller of Sioux Falls awaits the outcome.
4. District 10 Republicans: Spencer Wrightsman of Brandon vs. Margaret Sutton of Sioux Falls. Democrat Rachel Willson of Sioux Falls awaits the chance to beat that primary winner and take this seat back from Republican Jenna Netherton, whose hubby Mike was waiting for her in her chair on the Senate floor on Veto Day to gave her a chaste peck on the forehead and remind her to hurry out so they could get back to packing for Texas or Washington D.C. or wherever Mike Pompeo will station them. Democrat Rachel Willson of Sioux Falls is ready for the winner.
5. District 14 Republicans: Senator Deb Soholt vs. Tyler Swanger, both of Sioux Falls. Democrat Justyn Hauck of Sioux Falls has also filed.
6. District 25 Republicans: Senator Kris Langer vs. Dale Barnhart, both of Dell Rapids. No Democrat has yet been certified for this race, so we may have to send Dale some money.
7. District 29 Republicans: Senator Gary Cammack of Union Center vs. recent South Dakota Stockgrowers president Billy D. Kluck of Mud Butte. They do not yet face a Democratic challenger.
8. District 30 Republicans: Senator Lance Russell of Hot Springs, former legislator Bruce Rampelberg of Rapid City, and former East River legislator Patricia Shiery, now of Hot Springs. Russell is competing with two Republicans for the GOP nomination for attorney general, but that pick won’t happen until convention, after the primary. Kristine Ina Winter of Hot Springs will ride the District 30 horse for the Dems again.
9. District 33 Republicans: Senator Phil Jensen vs. Rapid City councilwoman Amanda Scott, both of Rapid City. Ryan Ryder of Black Hawk is up for the Democrats.
10. District 35 Republicans: Rep. Lynne DiSanto of Box Elder vs. Ryan Smith of Rapid City. No Democrat is in this race yet.

HOUSE (usually two seats available per district!):

1. District 1 Democrats: Rep. Steven McCleerey of Sisseton, former legislator Paul Dennert of Columbia, and Robert Whitmyre of Webster. The two June winners will face one Republican challenger, Tamara St. John of Sisseton.
2. District 13 Republicans: Rep. Sue Peterson, Sioux Falls councilman Rex Rolfing, and Amber Mauricio, all of Sioux Falls. One Democrat, Kelly Sullivan of Sioux Falls, awaits.
3. District 14 Republicans: Rep. Tom Holmes, Rep. Larry Zikmund, and former legislator R. Shawn Tornow, all of Sioux Falls. The winners will face the Democratic duo of Erin Healy and Valerie Loudenback.
4. District 15 Democrats: Rep. Jamie Smith, former legislator Patrick Kirschman, Josh Reinfeld, and Linda Duba, all of Sioux Falls. No Republicans have filed in this solid Democratic district.
5. District 19 Republicans: Rep. Kent Peterson of Salem, Rep. Kyle Schoenfish of Scotland, and John Birch Baptist pastor Michael Boyle of Parkston. (I hate having to root for incumbent Republicans.) Democrat John Koch of Freeman will take the primary winners on single-handedly.
6. District 21 Democrats: Brian Jorgensen of Colome, Anna Kerner Andersson of Burke, and Faith Spotted Eagle of Lake Andes.  The winners will face Rep. Lee Qualm from Platte and Caleb Finck from Tripp on the Republican side.
7. District 24 Republicans: Rep. Mary Duvall and Rep. Tim Rounds of Pierre will face their neighbor and newly declared Republican Roxanne Weber. The winners will face Democrats Terry Keller and Brian Watterson, both of Pierre.
8. District 25 Republicans: Rep. Tom Pischke of Dell Rapids, former legislator Jon Hansen of Dell Rapids, and Tamera Enalls of Sioux Falls. Democrats Rep. Dan Ahlers of Dell Rapids and B.J. Motley of Sioux Falls await.
9. District 26A Democrats: This single-seat district has Rep. Shawn Bordeaux of Mission facing his neighbor Troy “Luke” Lunderman. No Republicans have filed in this generally safe Democratic district.
10. District 27 Democrats: Peri Pourier of Pine Ridge, Margaret Ross of Porcupine, and Nicole Little White Man of Kyle. The two Republican incumbents, Rep. Steve Livermont of Martin and Rep. Elizabeth May of Kyle, have both filed for reëlection.
11. District 32 Republicans: Rep. Sean McPherson, who missed all of this Session due to illness, is challenged by Scyller Borglum and Ed Randazzo. All are from Rapid City. The primary winners will face Democrats Susan Kelts and Angel Staley of Rapid.
12. District 33 Republicans: Rep. Taffy Howard of Rapid City, Rep. David Johnson of Rapid City, and Melanie Torno of Summerset. District 33 was supposed to be a fun four-way match-up, but Senator Phil Jensen’s wife Janet says she’s going to withdraw. The two winners will face Democrat Lilias Jarding of Rapid.
13. District 34 Republicans: Freshly appointed Rep. Michael Diedrich, Janette McIntyre, and Jess Olson, all of Rapid City. Democrat George J. Nelson of Rapid awaits the winners.

Three Libertarians have filed for House: party chair Aaron Aylward of Harrisburg for District 6, Gregory Baldwin of Wakonda for District 17, and Jason D. Hill of Belle Fourche for District 28B. There will thus be no Libertarian primaries.