Record number of GOP delegates swarm convention amid fractured nomination fights

WATERTOWN – A surge in Republican delegates swamped the party’s convention Saturday as they picked constitutional officers who will run in November’s general election.

The turnout and results underscored a fractured party and a groundswell of new GOP activists. But it also showed energy and motivation to participate ahead of this year’s general election.

“I’m certain we had a record number of first-time people here,” said convention chairman Ried Holien.

The results in three races underscored the division among the party’s strongest supporters, and Holien acknowledged that near the end of the grueling nominating session that took place Saturday.

“We are a family of Republicans. Families fight,” said Holien, who is also Watertown’s mayor. Holien and other party officials urged unity as the general election comes closer into focus, and he got laughs from the crowd when he joked that he fights with his brother who is a RINO – Republican in name only.

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The 687 delegates who turned out Saturday was a record for modern conventions, officials said. They were joined by more than 100 others who observed the process.

Monae Johnson of Rapid City beat incumbent Secretary of State Steve Barnett in a blowout, winning 61% to 39%. A former employee of the Secretary of State’s Office, Johnson ran a vigorous campaign by tapping into Republican fears about election security and integrity. Those fears were stoked during the 2020 presidential election in which Democrats saw massive turnouts in key states that swung the turnout in President Biden’s favor.

After her victory was announced, Johnson took the stage to thunderous applause.

“This is your race. You got behind me,” she said.

“Election integrity,” she added, “is all on our hearts and minds.”

The result was a blow to establishment Republicans.

The other two results were another warning. Former Attorney General Marty Jackley beat David Natvig 53% to 47%. The result was close, given that Jackley had previously served 10 years as attorney general and Natvig, the director of the Division of Criminal Investigation, had only recently gotten into the race.

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Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden won the nomination for a second term. But the result was something of a slap in the face to Gov. Kristi Noem, who had picked Rhoden before her first term. Unlike some states, where governors can name their running mates, party conventions nominate the lieutenant government nominees.

Traditionally, conventions have voted overwhelmingly to support the nominee picked by governor. But on Friday, near the filing deadline, state Rep. Steve Haugaard, a Sioux Falls Republican and former House speaker, filed notice that he would run for the seat.

The decision was notable because Noem had just beaten Haugaard in the June 7 primary election by 76% of the vote.

Haugaard supporters billed his candidacy as a way to mend factions in the party. Noem made one of the nominating speeches for Rhoden.

In the end, Rhoden won 56% to 44%, a result that underscored party division.

Jackley addressed the division in his victory speech.

“At the end of the day, we’re Republicans and we unite,” he said. “Life matters, the Second Amendment matters, pushing back on Washington matters.”

Several other candidates ran unopposed. Josh Haeder was nominated for a second term to treasurer, Rich Sattgast to a second term of auditor, Chris Nelson to a third term on the Public Utilities Commission and Brock Greenfield to a first term as commissioner of School and Public Lands.

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Democrats will meet next month to nominate their candidates for those offices. Libertarians will also have candidates.

This year’s GOP convention, which ran from Thursday through Saturday, featured crowds that at times overwhelmed attendance estimates. The sheer number of delegates outpaced meal planning, forcing organizers to find alternative seating and, in one lunch, order 20 pizzas to accommodate numbers.

Despite differences over the direction of the party, the factions were united Friday when word came that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, sending abortion policy back to the states. For many Republicans, abortion had been an entry point into their political activism.

Sen. John Thune, who spoke Friday, told a standing-room-only crowd that a huge policy shift had taken place from the time that he had boarded a plane that morning in Washington, D.C. to when he arrived in South Dakota.

“What an epic day,” he said to ringing applause.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Scores of GOP delegates descend on South Dakota convention