South Dakota District 30 State Representative Tim Goodwin says instead of running for a 4th and final term this year, he’s running for the State Senate District 30.
District 30 includes Custer and Fall River Counties plus a sliver of Pennington County outside Rapid City. The Senate seat is now held by Goodwin’s fellow Republican, Julie Frye-Mueller.
The 66-year old Goodwin is a retired U-S Army lieutenant colonel first elected to the South Dakota House in 2016 and who is currently one of 4 majority whips.
He says his constituents played a major role in convincing him to run for the State Senate, adding that “I think I’m ready to go to the Senate based on just my outpouring of support in my district and the great people that want to come in behind me.
Goodwin also says his “first order of business” isn’t getting himself elected, it helping get Gov Kristi Noem reelected.
Julie Frye-Mueller is in her first term in the South Dakota Senate after having served 2 terms in the House. She actually filed for reelection in 2020, but withdrew from that race in favor of the State Senate race prior to the primary.
Also on the state legislature front in the Black Hills, former long-time broadcaster Helene Duhamel is running for reelection in State Senate District 32 in Rapid City.
Currently the media spokesman for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Duhamel was appointed to the District 32 seat in 2019 by Gov Noem, then won a full 2-year term in 2020. She is a majority whip in the Senate.
The South Dakota Primary is June 7th, but early voting begins April 25.