Here is the single most important takeaway from President Joe Biden’s visit to Sioux Falls for the Democratic Party’s McGovern Day fundraising dinner Friday:
State party spokesperson Krista Burns said over 1,200 tickets were sold. Party Deputy Executive Director Joseph Zweifel said the event raised over $275,000 [Joshua Haiar, “‘No Time to Give Up,’ Biden Tells South Dakota Democrats,” South Dakota Searchlight, 2026.06.05].
Over a quarter-million dollars in one night—not bad for Democrats in South Dakota. Show me one event the SDGOP will hold this year that will rake in that kind of cash.
$275K is more than triple the $75K the South Dakota Democratic Party raised in all of 2025 and more than quadruple the $65K they raised in 2024 (see the 2024 pre-primary, pre-general, and year-end reports). In this year’s pre-primary report, the SDDP reported raising $14K.
The SDGOP raised $150K in 2024, $162K in 2025, and $80K pre-primary this year.
Now comes the hard part. Using that money wisely enough to convince voters who can’t imagine being able to afford to go to fundraisers.