Al Novstrup, Lee Schoenbeck, Fred Deutsch among incumbent Republicans to win primary races

Incumbent legislators Al Novstrup of Aberdeen, Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown and Fred Deutsch of Florence were among those who fended off challengers in Tuesday's primary election.

But Kaleb Weis and Spencer Gosch weren't so lucky.

All of the primary races in legislative districts 1, 3, 4, 5 and 23 were for Republicans. Complete results follow.

District 1 Republican Senate

Incumbent Michael Rohl of Aberdeen defeated Joe Donnell of Sisseton and will now face independent Susan Wismer of Britton in the general election.

“I’m certainly glad that the primary is over, obviously I still have the general election. I’d be pretty scared if I was Susan Wismer based on the results in Marshall and Day (counties),” Rohl said. “I’m pleased that I was able to come out so far … I felt like I really spent the last two years working really hard for the people of District 1, so (I’m) grateful that they recognize that.”

Rohl, 31, of Aberdeen, is the director of operations for HayJon Inc. and general manager of Rohly’s Bar.

District 1 encompasses the majority of rural Brown County outside of Aberdeen, as well as all of Day and Marshall counties. Roberts County is also in District 1, with the exception of the southeastern corner, which is part of District 4.

*Michael H. Rohl: 1,900 (71%)

Joe Donnell: 795 (29%)

District 3 Republican Senate

Novstrup defeated Rachel Dix by 572 votes Tuesday and will be unopposed in November.

Novstrup, 67, is a businessman who has owned multiple ventures in Aberdeen and elsewhere.

“Rachel brought a lot of energy and helped to lead a good race,” he said. “This is my 11th election, and there are people out there that have supported me many times. The people of Aberdeen have a lot of common sense, and I thank them for allowing me the opportunity to continue to represent them.” 

With many great things happening in the region, Novstrup said he hopes to continue the momentum in getting big projects and concerns addressed.

“There are things left on the to-do list, including working with (Northern State University) President Neal H. Schnoor to make Northern even better, solving our water shortage problem so that we can continue to have economic growth and handing the regional jail issue. I’m glad I’m in a position to continue working on these issues,” he said.

Dix, 29, is the homeownership coordinator for Homes Are Possible Inc. and an executive officer with the Aberdeen Homeowners Association. It was her first election and she had backing from Gov. Kristi Noem.

*Al Novstrup: 1,794 (59%)

Rachel Dix: 1,222 (41%)

District 3 Republican House

Carl Perry and Brandei Schaefbauer will join Emily Meier, D-Aberdeen, on the November ballot to determine the two House candidates who will represent District 3.

Perry, 69, is a retired businessman and member of Hub City Capital. He was the top vote getter in District 3. If he is elected during the general election, Perry will serve his third term.

“I’m really humbled at this point. Our constituents, if they have confidence in you, that’s what really matters,” he said.

Perry said he is focused on listening to his constituents, including helping the most in-need populations. Getting a regional jail built in Aberdeen is also a goal, he said.

“There’s just tons of things that we need to look at. One thing about being in the Legislature is that it never quits,” Perry said.

Schaefbauer, 48, is a former real estate broker who has recently been a stay-at-home mom.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet because it was so close throughout the whole (process). It’s just a totally new experience. I’ve never ran for anything and, wow, I won my first time, that’s pretty crazy,” Schaefbauer said Tuesday night.

"I would hope to be a voice for all of Aberdeen, for families, for kids, for businesses, for schools. I’m looking forward to meeting more people because I didn’t really get to meet (as many as I could have)."

District 3 is predominantly within the city of Aberdeen.

Weis has represented District 2 in the House, but was moved to District 3 because of redistricting.

*Carl E. Perry: 1,606 (30%)

*Brandei Schaefbauer: 1,327 (25%)

Richard Rylance: 1,264 (24%)

Kaleb Weis: 1,118 (21%)

District 4 Republican House

Deutsch and Stephanie Sauder are on to the November general election in the District 3 House race. They will run against Travis D. Paulson, D-Wallace, with the top two vote getters in November earning terms in Pierre.

Sauder, 63, is the publisher and editor of the Bryant Dakotan newspaper. She has 30 years of teaching experience in South Dakota and is a former mayor of Bryant.

She said her win came as a surprise to her, but the last last ballots counted pushed her just ahead of Deutsch, a veteran legislator.

“It’s not my win. It’s everyone’s win who has supported me in any way they could,” said Sauder. “It’s been a great adventure being on this campaign. It’s been so terrific the support I’ve received from the governor all the way down. I can’t thank them enough.”

“I’ve got mentors in Pierre to help me to transition from being the newbie to knowing the process,” she said. “I’m not out there for me. I’m taking my constituents' voices to the table. Learning and listening is what it’s all about.”

Deutsch, 65, has a chiropractic business. He's served in the Legislature since 2014 and also advances to the general election.

“I’m thrilled!” he said. “I’m very grateful and humble to the voters in the district. There were four good candidates, and it was a tough race. But I am grateful I retained my seat.”

Now that redistricting is finished, Deutsch said he wants to spend more time getting acquainted with his new constituents.

District 4 includes the southeastern corner of Roberts County, along with most of Clark County and all of Grant, Deuel, rural Codington and Hamlin counties.

*Stephanie Sauder: 2,227 (31%)

*Fred Deutsch: 2,169 (30%)

Val Rausch: 1,676 (24%)

Adam Grimm: 1,056 (15%)

District 5 Republican Senate

Schoenbeck defeated challenger Colin A. Paulsen by 538 votes in the District 5 Senate.

Schoenbeck, 64, is an attorney and owner of Schoenbeck Law. He's a veteran state legislator and an ally of Noem's.

"It’s gratifying that even with an attack campaign that has never been seen in our community before, 60% of the community will still stand behind you. That’s a huge win. Those were nasty, nasty attacks," Schoenbeck said.

District 5 predominantly covers Watertown. Schoenbeck will be unopposed in November.

*Lee Schoenbeck, Watertown: 1,808 (59%)

Colin A. Paulsen, Watertown: 1,270 (41%)

District 23 Republican Senate

Two incumbent legislators battled it out in the District 23 Republican Senate race, with Bryan Breitling earning the narrow victory over Gosch.

Breitling, 53 of Miller is administrator of Hand County Memorial Hospital. He credited the counties that had sheriff's races and said that they "put him over the top." He had significant support in Hand County (72% of the vote), Edmunds County (67%) and Potter County (65%).

Breitling, who is unopposed in November, said he will focus on regional jails, nursing homes and schools within District 23.

"We've done a lot of work over the last couple of years and then there's a lot more work to do," he said.

Gosch is the current House speaker, but was at odds with Noem recently, especially concerning the impeachment of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.

*Bryan Breitling: 3,019 (54%)

Spencer Gosch: 2,552 (46%)

District 23 Republican House

Scott Moore and James D. Wangsness were winners in the District 23 House race and will be unopposed in November.

Moore, 58, of Ipswich CEO and general manager of FEM Electric. He said his connections from his job helped him get elected, and he credited his co-workers for allowing him to run.

“I’m smart enough to know you’re not going to change the world overnight. And, really, to tell you the truth, I never even ran with an agenda. I just kind of felt I had a place and time in my life and probably enough experience that I could actually maybe make a difference in some small ways. Maybe someday it’ll be a bigger deal, but little steps (first),” Moore said.

Wangsness, 51, of Miller is a fourth-generation farmer. He said he’ll focus on economic development for communities and is looking forward to giving opportunities to young people to return to District 23.

“One of the things that I want to work on when I’m out in Pierre is just civility. We don’t need all the conflict that we have out there, and we all have to work together for a common goal. That’s really a big thing,” he said. “I’m an ag guy and so obviously that’s gonna be my biggest concern … But, at the end of the day, we all have to work together to try and get things done.”

A small portion of Brown County, including the southeastern corner of Aberdeen, is in District 23. The district also includes Campbell, McPherson, Walworth, Edmunds, Potter, Faulk and Hand counties.

*Scott Moore: 3,421 (42%)

*James D. Wangsness, 2,867 (35%)

Gregory Brooks: 1,248 (15%)

Brandon Black: 660 (8%)

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Aberdeen South Dakota primary election results 2022 voting