South Dakota Republicans have built one of the strongest, most consistent conservative governing records in America. That strength did not happen by accident. It stems from two foundational pillars of our party structure:
Closed primaries that keep nomination decisions in the hands of registered Republicans who have a working interest in the party they represent.
State convention process rigorously screens candidates for constitutional and commissioner positions, ensuring alignment with the Republican Platform, our policies, and our core strengths.
These tools have provided South Dakota with decades of principled leadership in the offices that matter most for self-government—Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Public Utilities Commissioner, and Commissioner of School and Public Lands. When we protect these offices, we safeguard our party’s character and the future of our state.
Closed Primaries: Guarding the Voice of Republicans
A closed primary means only registered Republicans decide who carries the Republican banner into the general election. This is not exclusion—it is responsibility. It ensures that the people who will stand under our party label have been chosen by those who share our values and have invested in the party’s work.
Open primaries invite crossover voting and strategic interference. They dilute the party’s ability to select candidates who clearly reflect Republican principles on limited government, election integrity, parental rights, the Second Amendment, fiscal responsibility, and the rule of law. South Dakota has wisely resisted the open-primary experiments that have weakened parties elsewhere. Our closed system keeps the decision with the people who will live with the consequences: South Dakota Republicans.
The Convention Process: Ensuring Fidelity to Republican Principles
For our key constitutional officers—Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Commissioner of School and Public Lands—South Dakota law provides that if more than one Republican seeks the nomination, the decision is made by elected delegates at the state Republican convention.
This grassroots participation is firmly grounded in strong Republican principles and policies. Delegates are elected from counties statewide. They are active party members who have studied the candidates, heard them speak, asked tough questions, and measured them against the South Dakota Republican Party Platform. The convention is not a popularity contest driven by expensive television ads or outside money. It is a deliberative process that prioritizes character, competence, leadership, and commitment to our principles.
The result has been a steady pipeline of leaders who understand that these offices exist to serve the people of South Dakota under the Constitution—not to advance personal ambition or special interests.
Leaders Forged by Our Process
Look at the record of the past two decades. Our convention system has helped produce and sustain outstanding constitutional officers who have strengthened South Dakota:
Attorney General
Marty Jackley has served with distinction twice—first from 2009 to 2019 and again beginning in 2023. He has been a tireless defender of the rule of law, a national voice for South Dakota values, and a leader who understands that the Attorney General’s office must remain independent and principled. Prior to him, Larry Long provided steady leadership. These are the kinds of attorneys general the convention process is designed to elevate.
Secretary of State
Capable Republicans have held the office responsible for safeguarding the integrity of our elections, including Chris Nelson, Shantel Krebs, Steve Barnett, and Monae Johnson. This office is responsible for transparent, secure elections—an essential foundation of self-government.
State Auditor and State Treasurer
Rich Sattgast has provided long-serving, careful oversight as State Auditor, safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring accountability across state government. Josh Haeder has brought professional financial expertise to the Treasurer’s office since 2019, managing the state’s resources with competence and integrity.
Commissioner of School and Public Lands
Leaders such as Brock Greenfield, Ryan Brunner, and those who came before them have managed the trust lands that fund education and public purposes—stewarding a unique South Dakota resource for future generations.
Public Utilities Commission
Gary Hanson, Chris Nelson, and Kristie Fiegen have provided steady, experienced leadership on the three-member Public Utilities Commission. Together they have regulated electric, natural gas, and telecommunications utilities with a focus on reliable service and fair rates for South Dakota families and businesses. Their long tenures reflect the continuity and practical judgment the convention process is designed to produce.
These officeholders did not gain prominence just through name recognition or the highest fundraising totals. Instead, they demonstrated their leadership skills during the convention process, when delegates evaluate our platform, and showed they could govern effectively. This underscores the strength of our system.
What We Stand to Lose
Efforts to move these nominations fully into open or pure primary contests risk exactly what the convention system has prevented: the rise of candidates more skilled at campaign finance and media than at governing in accordance with Republican principles. Big money, outside groups, and low-information voting on the down ballot can dominate a primary in ways that a convention of informed delegates would not.
We have seen in other states how open primaries and candidate-centered systems can produce nominees less connected to the party’s grassroots and less accountable to its platform. South Dakota does not need to import those weaknesses. Our closed primaries and convention process have given us a durable advantage—consistent conservative governance and a party that still knows how to choose its own leaders.
A Call to Defend What Works
The convention process has produced leaders who strengthen families, protect liberty, and keep government limited and accountable. The convention system is not perfect—no human process is—but it remains one of the best tools we have to ensure that the people who hold constitutional power in Pierre share the values of the Republicans who elected the delegates.
Let’s continue defending closed primaries and uphold the convention process that screens candidates according to our platform, policies, and principles. Remember, the leaders we’ve had over the past twenty years—Marty Jackley, Rich Sattgast, Josh Haeder, Shantel Krebs, Kristie Feigen, Brock Greenfield, Chris Nelson, Dusty Johnson, and others—demonstrate that this system is effective.
South Dakota’s strength is not accidental. It is the result of deliberate choices by Republicans who believe that parties exist to organize principles and build strong leadership. When we protect the tools that keep those principles alive—closed primaries and a strong convention process—we safeguard the future of conservative governance in our great state.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments at hegop@nvc.net or heidi@sdgop.com.
Heidi Engelhart, South Dakota Republican National Committeewoman
www.voiceoftheplainssd.substack.com
Thank you very much. God bless