South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg working GOP delegates ahead of primary election

Jason Ravnsborg is posturing to obtain the GOP nomination in the 2022 Republican primary election for attorney general despite being embroiled in an impeachment probe for his involvement in a fatal car crash in 2020.

The 44-year-old Republican attorney general has yet to say publicly what his plans are beyond his first term or if he'll seek re-election. But multiple officials within the South Dakota Republican Party have told the Argus Leader that Ravnsborg behind the scene is working delegates ahead of the state GOP convention this summer.

For instance, Ravnsborg met with prospective party delegates from the Brookings-area earlier this month, and also attended the South Dakota Republican Party State Central Committee meeting last weekend in Pierre, which was also attended by Marty Jackley, the only declared candidate in the 2022 attorney general race.

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And while Ravnsborg did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week regarding his future political ambitions, his behavior is indicative of someone actively campaigning for a political seat.

"Jason really worked it hard, went to all the dinners. If three republicans showed up for coffee, he was there," former GOP chairman Joe Rosenthal said of how Ravnsborg secured the GOP nomination in the 2018 attorney general race. "It sounds to me that he still understands that and is working it.”

Ravnsborg in September 2020 struck and killed Joe Boever with his vehicle while traveling from a Republican Party event in Redfield to his home in Pierre. Ravnborg reported the crash but not that he'd struck a person, which authorities were not alerted of until the following morning.

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Ravnsborg was ultimately convicted of two traffic violations stemming from the crash. However, detectives and law enforcement officials have said publicly the actions of Ravnsborg, who was distracted at the time of the crash, merited more severe charges. There's also unresolved questions about whether the attorney general became aware he'd struck a person before leaving the scene the night of the crash.

A legislative panel investigating Ravnsborg's conduct is in the process of determining whether he should face impeachment.

Officials with Jackley's campaign declined to comment for this article.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Jason Ravnsborg working delegates ahead of Republican primary election