The South Dakota secretary of state, a Republican, made the surprise decision to cross party lines to endorse a Democrat to succeed her. Now the Democrat is using that to make the case that Republican voters should set aside party affiliations in November.
Terrence Davis, the Democrat running in the solidly red state, told The Washington Sun that he wants to “restore trust” in how election systems work, which he thinks has eroded because of misinformation.
“I believe people want somebody they can trust. They want a government they can trust. That’s really what it boils down to,” Davis told The Sun. “My concern is for the voters and the stakeholders here in the state of South Dakota. I trust our system, I trust our elections and I trust our people.”
The sitting secretary of state, Monae Johnson, made the endorsement on Saturday, arguing that voters should make their decision based on policies, not party affiliation.
Trending
“I understand that this decision will disappoint some people in my party and anger others. After serving in the Secretary of State’s Office for more than a decade, first as an employee and now as Secretary, I know the difference between campaigning for this office and carrying the responsibility of leading it,” Johnson, who was appointed to her current role by former Gov. Kristi Noem in 2022, said in a statement.
Johnson’s office told The Sun in an email she would “not be providing interviews or additional comment beyond her written statement.”
Davis’ Republican opponent, state Rep. Heather Baxter, was selected for the ballot by delegates rather than through a primary vote. She is campaigning on many of the voting restriction policies that President Donald Trump has pushed for. She wants ballots in South Dakota to be hand counted, a process that could take more time than electronic machines and lead to human errors. Her platform is reflective of one that many Republican candidates for secretary of state are campaigning on this year — election deniers are up for the position in at least three battleground states this year.
South Dakota has passed legislation that reflects Trump’s desire to restrict voting from Washington. The South Dakota SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote, was signed into law in March by the governor.
The race is still a long shot for Davis, even with some Republican support, in a state where the Republican Party has maintained a stronghold over statewide office. Johnson’s predecessor, Steve Barnett, won with 65% of the vote in the 2018 midterms.
Davis downplayed the role that party affiliation has to do with the job.
“I used to be a registered Republican,” Davis said. “The secretary of state needs someone that is comfortable talking to everybody at the table, because elections impact Democrats, Republicans and independents, and everybody else in between.”
Baxter argued the opposite in a statement on Monday, reinforcing that party affiliations are important in how people vote.
“A Secretary of State does not write legislation, but does decide whether the office will treat citizenship as an enforceable registration requirement, whether county control will be honored, whether paper and auditability will be treated as essentials or as inconveniences, and whether South Dakota will keep its own election standards or import the national Democratic agenda one administrative decision at a time,” Baxter said after Johnson’s endorsement.
“That is why the letter beside the name matters.”
Davis is a former state trooper and highway patroller. If elected, he would be the first Black person elected to statewide office in the state.
“At this point people are looking for someone they can trust to do the job to the best of their natural ability, protect their constitutional rights, their privacy, and be able to work across party lines,” Davis said.
Author
