Three vie for Republican nomination in District 14 South Dakota House race

Republican voters in legislative District 14 will see a trio of state House candidates on their ballot when they head to the polls for the June 7 primary.

Featuring one incumbent and a pair of challengers, the contest will help shape the general ballot this fall. The top two voter getters in the state House GOP primary will advance to face a pair of Democrats in November.

Editor's note: The Argus Leader submitted a series of questions to all candidates who will appear on the primary ballots, with a request that responses be kept to 100 words or less for each answer. Responses have been edited for grammar and clarity. 

Questions for the South Dakota District 14 House candidates

1. Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was impeached in the state House on April 12 after 20 months of controversy that followed the death of Joe Boever, killed in a fatal car v. pedestrian crash in which Ravnsborg was driving.

► For incumbents: Why did you vote the way you did?

► For challengers: How would you have voted on impeachment and why?​​​​​

2. Gov. Noem this year successfully blocked an attempt to reduce the state sales tax rate by .5% and a separate effort to eliminate sales tax on groceries also failed to earn passage. How do you feel about the governor’s cautious approach to protecting existing government revenues amid record-setting surplus in state coffers in recent years?

More: Republicans in District 11 to choose between four for state House in June primary

3. Legislators in 2022 spent hours debating whether state government should prohibit employers from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine.

► For incumbents: Where did you fall in that policy debate and why?

► For challengers: What is government's role in refereeing relationships between employers and employees with regard to vaccinations and individual rights?

Taylor Rehfeldt (incumbent)

Age: 33

Profession/place of employment: Mount Marty University Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesiology

Prior public/community service: South Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists (SDANA) President, President-Elect, Board Member (2017-2020), South Dakota Nurse Association District 10 President and Vice President (2018-2020)

Family: Husband Corey; children Flynn (6) and Judith (4)

No. 1. I voted to impeach the Attorney General because he did not act with integrity. The evidence was clear and his actions were impeachable offenses. I did not take my decision lightly.

No. 2. I did not vote for the tax cuts for three reasons: 1. The volatility of our current economy; 2. Most of the tax cut proposals did not go through the proper legislative process; and 3. My constituents are most concerned about the rising property taxes rather than sales tax.

The budget is a balancing act. As a fiscal conservative, I prefer lower taxes and I do not want our taxes raised. Still, we should ask ourselves, do we want a tax cut now only to have a tax increase in five years? It is my job is to strategically think about the future of our state. We can’t only consider the “now." Rather, we have to consider five, 10 and 20 years down the road. No one knows what the next five years will bring economically. We can’t make impromptu decisions with a potential negative impact on all our families without having all the information.

No. 3. The government should stay out of business decisions. We need less government overreach and not more. We need to encourage the free market and decrease regulations as well as respect the relationship between employers and employees.

More: Here are four pending abortion policy battles that will come to South Dakota if Roe v. Wade falls

Tyler Tordsen

Age: 30

Profession/place of employment: Southeast Regional Director and State Director of Tribal Affairs for U.S. Senator Mike Rounds.

Prior public/community service: Member of the Sioux Falls YMCA Board of Directors, member of the SD Board of Educational Telecommunications, and member of Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club.

Family: Wife Erika, two sons Emmett (2) and Atlas (1 month).

No. 1. The death of Joe Boever was a tragic accident. I would have preferred seeing Attorney General Ravnsborg resign from public office after the tragic event and after losing the trust of most South Dakotans, including myself.

Without access to the comprehensive investigation file provided only to current legislators, I am unable to provide a definitive position. Based on what the media has covered and the positions of law enforcement on his removal, I would lean toward voting for impeachment.

No. 2. I appreciate the governor’s cautious approach at making sure South Dakota remains fiscally responsible for years to come.

The budget surplus was a short-term injection of federal dollars designed to address the pandemic. As a fiscal conservative, I would have not relied on those funds to make long-term financial decisions that could negatively impact our state. That being said, I will support tax cuts for South Dakotans when the needs of the state are met and revenue projections support it.

I’m proud that South Dakota is required to balance its budget. This requires lawmakers to be fiscally responsible and make decisions for tomorrow, not just today.

No. 3. I believe the most effective government is a government closest to the people. South Dakota leads by example in giving power to the people through a limited government approach, protecting individual liberty, and promoting personal responsibility.

I stand by the fact that vaccinations create a public health benefit for all of society. At the same time, I respect people's individual medical needs and religious beliefs.

I believe those positions need to strike a balance. Rather than ruling by mandate, the government should lead by example where we can encourage vaccinations while still respecting individual rights.

Gina Schiferl

Age:  61

Profession/place of employment:  Sammon’s Financial,  Reinsurance Specialist

Prior public/community service:  30+ years citizen lobbying, pro-life advocate since 1978; Election superintendent & deputy, Community Impact Leader, Church Leadership

Family: Husband Kurt (35 years), two grown children

No. 1. I believe that this incident is a very sad story for all involved — including both the Boever family as well as Attorney General Ravnsborg.  All involved will never be the same again. That being said, I believe that everyone, including our governmental servants deserve a fair and impartial trial. I am an outsider so feel I should not be judging a matter like this without hearing the full story from the witnesses, legal representatives, and the impartial entities who previously reviewed this case.

No. 2. As a fiscal conservative, I believe that people need a break on their taxes now, more than ever. At a time when government is spending money like crazy, flooding our market with more dollars than there are goods, and with 8% inflation, I believe this would have been a great time for us to give the citizens some kind of tax relief. There were 36 states that provided tax relief with the “COVID dollars." Taxes always increase. This is a time it could have actually decreased, and therefore should have.

No. 3. I believe that this problem was created by the federal government when it inserted itself between the employee and their employer. Had the federal government stayed out of this relationship, there never would have been a need for these discussions. However, once the mandates, (which have been failing in the courts) were issued, this left little to no recourse for many workers, making the state essentially their last hope. I believe there is a role for a state to protect its workers (in mass) from an overreach of the federal government.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 3 South Dakota District 14 House candidates face off in GOP primary