Former South Dakota gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith running for State Senate
December 19, 2023
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–In a string of announcements made by District 15 Democrats on Monday, Jamie Smith (pictured) announced he would be running for a seat in the South Dakota Senate in 2024.
From 2019 to 2023, Smith served as the House Minority Leader. In 2022, the Sioux Falls native was selected as the Democratic nominee in the gubernatorial election, but Smith lost by a wide margin to incumbent Gov. Kristi Noem.
“I’ve been on the sidelines for a little while. It’s time to be back in the game. I’m excited about the opportunity that I have here today to run and run hard,” said Smith.
Senator Reynold Nesiba, the current member of the South Dakota Senate from District 15, cannot run for re-election due to term limits, but he also announced he would not be seeking election to the House either.
The same goes for Representative Linda Duba, who will not seek re-election after serving in the South Dakota House of Representatives since 2018. She’s about to become a grandmother for the first time.
“I came to the decision over Thanksgiving that that’s just what I’m going to do. I’m going to move off the legislative scene. It’s going to be hard. I’m going to miss my fellow legislators. I’m going to miss working on policy, but I don’t want to miss the things that are going to happen in my family over the next several years. You can’t get those years back,” said Duba.
