District 8’s state House race includes some late candidate entries after three of the four nominees withdrew from the race.
Democrats Jason Unger from Flandreau and Chris Francis from Madison joined the race after Joan Stamm of Madison and Mary Leary of Howard withdrew last month. In June, Rep. Leslie Heinemann, a Flandreau Republican, withdrew from his re-election efforts to concentrate on his family dentistry business transitioning to new owners. Republican Randy Gross of Elkton replaced him on the ballot.
Rep. Marli Wiese, a Madison Republican, is the fourth candidate for state House in her bid for re-election after serving through appointment by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
Unger makes bid
Unger, 33, was asked by the Democratic party to join the race after Leary withdrew for health reasons. The Flandreau lawyer was a candidate for the same position in 2016.
While he is running as a Democrat with Democratic ideals, he said he is not focused on partisan politics. Instead, there are more issues that local people agree on and work that needs to be done that most people want to see happen, he said.
“I think we get so distracted with these polarizing topics and national news that we kind of forget that really we have similar ideas and goals,” he said. When he is on boards or working for the good of the community, no one ever asks what party people belong to.
With low ratings in government accountability and teacher pay, and with needs in mental health care and community development, time in Pierre should not be wasted on issues that divide, he said. As a court-appointed criminal defense lawyer, he sees problems that prevent things from improving.
“We just can’t ignore the mental health and drug problems that keep escalating,” he said. “We need to be proactive and come up with long-term solutions that help people and prevent things in the future.”
Incremental improvements in paying for education have come through efforts from lawmakers such as Billie Sutton, who is the Democratic candidate for governor, he said. That shows that even the minority party can impact the state, Unger said.
Unger came to Flandreau in 2011 after earning a law degree from the University of St. Thomas and working for a small employment law firm in Minneapolis. He had met Alison Ramsdell, who he married a year ago, at Valparaiso University in Indiana, where they both were students. They are due with their first child in September.
Ramsdell told Unger there was legal work in the Flandreau area so with an education background that included business, he moved to South Dakota. He now is the corporate lawyer for Dakota Layers, the state’s largest egg producer, and has his own law firm for other work.
Unger is concerned about community development issues in the state because small towns are shrinking, it’s becoming harder to find employees and businesses are leaving, changing the state’s culture.
“South Dakota is primed to be one of the best states to do business in, and we’re failing in that,” he said.
Unger, who is active in the Flandreau community, also was elected this year to the Flandreau City Council, a non-partisan position. He doesn’t have a formal answer on whether he could keep both positions if elected to the Legislature, and also said it is something he would have to consider, whether he would feel it is right to do both.
He serves on the Flandreau Development Corporation, is chairman of the Moody County Mental Health Board, helped organize the Flandreau PTA and started the Flandreau Soccer Club.
Francis joins ballot
Francis, who has been involved in grass-roots organizations in Madison is an artist, a stay-at-home dad, a substitute middle and high school teacher, a Bush Fellow and a newcomer to politics as a candidate for District 8. An Iowa native, the 36-year-old moved to Madison 11 years ago and organized and is president of the Madison Area Arts Council. He is involved in Madison’s downtown concert series and community development.
“I always like to give back. Most of my life is about volunteering. That’s something I value,” he said. Francis, a sculptor who uses mixed medium to express messages of distress or express questions, recently finished his MSA degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., through the Bush Fellowship program.
His campaign is emphasizing increasing the voter registrations of young people and inclusivity.
“We’re running on a platform of equality, fairness and justice,” he said.
With a low percentage of young voters registered, he is concerned about an age group that is not engaged in the political process. “That’s not good for our democracy,” he said. “We have to participate to ensure that our state represents everyone.”
Francis has hired Carl Petersen, a Dakota State University student from Cheyenne Eagle Butte, to be his campaign intern in Flandreau. But Francis also has visited the community several times and will continue to be in Flandreau for listening sessions, too.
He and his wife, Mary Francis, have a son, Henry, 10, and daughter, Hazel, 8. He can be reached at HeyFrancis@outlook.com
District 8 Senate candidates are incumbent Sen. Jordan Youngberg, a Madison Republican, who is being challenged by Democrat Scott Parsley of Madison.
The general election is Nov. 6, and voters have until Oct. 22 to register. Absentee voting begins Sept. 21.
