Steven McCleerey is a farmer and former legislator from Sisseton seeking the Democratic office of lieutenant governor for Ahlers.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Dan Ahlers, the Democratic candidate for South Dakota governor, has selected Steven McCleerey as his runningmate, he announced Wednesday morning. The announcement comes after the Secretary of State’s website posted the filing revealing Ahlers’ pick on Tuesday.
McCleerey is a former state lawmaker and farmer from Sisseton. He represented District 1 in the state House for three terms from 2015 to 2021, when he was succeeded by Jennifer Healy Kintz.
During his announcement at the Old Courthouse Museum on Wednesday, McCleerey spoke at length about rural health care, an issue which he also focused on in the legislature. McCleerey serves as vice president of the Coteau des Prairies Health Care Systems board of directors. He cited his time on the board as crucial to his understanding and mentioned maternal health services – which the hospital no longer provides – as a priority.
He also spoke about agriculture and rural communities, citing his experience as the owner of a thousand-acre cow/calf operation as crucial to his understanding of the state, and as an asset to a Democratic party that has found the majority of its success in the state's urban areas and reservations.
"There's things that I bring to this campaign, especially with agriculture and property rights," McCleerey said. "I have property. ... That affects me. I don't care if you've got a thousand acres like we do, or 10,000 acres. We cherish that. That's my business. And it's a risk business, which most people don't understand."
Ahlers and McCleerey will face Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen in November. That pair has a similar urban-rural tilt, with Venhuizen from Sioux Falls and Rhoden a rancher from Union Center. Ahlers is a small business owner from Dell Rapids, a community 20 miles north of Sioux Falls.
McCleerey pushed back at concerns that he and Ahlers, two candidates from east of the Missouri River, may not be able to capture the attention of West River voters. He said that his father was born near Isabel and that ranchers, which is the dominant industry in that region, and farmers have much in common when it comes to policy issues.
“Don’t try to come and ask me "what are you going to do about West River." I know West River,” McCleerey said.
Democratic ballot finalized, with some holes
Ahlers’ pick marks the finalization of South Dakota Democrats’ November ballot, which will notably lack both an attorney general and U.S. Senate nominee.
Julian Beaudion, a former highway patrolman and small business owner, ended his year-long campaign for a U.S. Senate seat last week. He cited personal financial hardship and a house fire as part of his choice to withdraw from the race. The ballot is now narrowed down to Brian Bengs, an Independent, and incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican. Beaudion said in a statement after his withdrawal he would not endorse or support Bengs for the office but also “cannot support” Rounds.
The other federal spot up for election, South Dakota’s lone U.S. House of Representatives seat, is being battled over by Attorney General Marty Jackley and Democrat Nikki Gronli.
The Democrats also did not nominate an attorney general pick at the party’s annual convention in June – the second cycle in a row that no Democrat stepped forward for the job.
A governor from the Democratic Party has not been elected to office in 50 years, and Democrat voter registration has not recovered from a drop in numbers this year – and indeed, declining registration has been a problem for the party for decades. But party registration numbers are generally inconsequential in the general election, as voters are not required to vote for the party for which they are registered.
Ahlers and McCleerey addressed the stark gap in Republican and Democratic politicians in the state –including in the state legislature, where Republican lawmakers outnumber Democrats 97 to eight– by saying that voters are looking for change and will be inclined to go to the polls for candidates who listen to them.
Ahlers criticized the Republican Party’s dominance in the state and Rhoden’s approach to the campaign, saying that calling him a "Biden-endorsed Democrat" with "Minnesota policies" was a "cheap tactic by candidates who don't have fresh ideas."
They think that they’re entitled to your vote,” Ahlers said. “That’s what happens when 50 years of one-party rule happens.”
But both candidates also spoke about the importance of setting aside differences in party politics, acknowledging the need to work with Republicans in Pierre. McCleerey said that it would be his priority to work as a "team" with Ahlers. Ahlers cited the often-difficult task of getting Democratic bills approved in the legislature as proof of his ability to work with the other side.
"We actually had to work across party lines to make things happen. We could not get bills passed, we could not help the people in our district unless we were able to get Republicans to join us," Ahlers said. "I think it's time for a change. I think it would be healthy for all of South Dakota, for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whatever other flavor you are, to have a government that is balanced and ready to work for you."
Molly Wetsch
Rhoden and Ahlers will meet in two debates before the November general election, at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron and on Sept. 28 in Sioux Falls, hosted by South Dakota News Watch and South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, subscribe for free and donate at sdnewswatch.org. Contact reporter/Report for America corps member Molly Wetsch: 605-531-7382/molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
