Political Candidates Cope with COVID-19
A key deadline is approaching for legislative and statewide candidates seeking public office. March 31st is the last day candidates can file nominating petitions for the June primary election. And those petitions require more than 15-hundred voter signatures.
SDPB’s Lee Strubinger spoke to two statewide candidates about how the pandemic has changed the way they’re gathering signatures and their campaigns.
Former state legislator Dan Ahlers is in the final push to collect signatures before the deadline. In a coffee shop, he encourages people to use their own pen to sign. And to keep their distance. But political events where he’d normally gather a few signatures have been cancelled. That’s slowed down the process.
Democrats running for statewide office also need to collect more signatures this year - just over 16-hundred. State law says candidates must collect one percent of the total number of votes that went for that party’s candidate for governor. Billie Sutton did well in the last gubernatorial election. Ahlers says he’s close to having enough, but he’d like more signatures.
“We’re getting closer to the actual number, but you got to get quite a few to be safe, just incase somebody wants to challenge the petition.”
But it’s not just collecting signatures that has changed… the coronavirus is also affecting Ahler's ability to fundraise.
“The uncertainty—in some of the places that I’m at when we’re doing these signings you can see it on people’s faces,” Ahlers says. “Out of respect for them, I’m not being very active with that right now, which down the road could certainly have an impact on our campaign. We don’t know how long this is going to go.”
Ahler’s primary challenger is Sioux Falls resident and community leader Clara Hart.
Republican U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson is up for re-election. He says he was proactive in January and February and has enough signatures he’s comfortable he’ll make the ballot. Based on state requirements, he’ll need just over 17-hundred signatures to make the ballot.
"You know, we’re going to be employing some different strategies,” Johnson says. “Campaigning is going to be different in March and April. But I fully expect, once we get down the stretch in May and June, the specter of coronavirus won’t be hanging so heavy over the state, but if it does we’re still going to run the best campaign in the state and we’re going to be innovators like we always are and we’re going to connect with real people over real issues like we always have.”
Johnson’s primary challenger is west river former state legislator Elizabeth May.
Feeding South Dakota Temporarily Closing Locations
Feeding South Dakota will temporarily close its two major food pantries in Sioux Falls and Rapid City to the public.
Jennifer Stensaas is a spokesperson for Feeding South Dakota. She says the move will give them time to reorganize their facilities and prepare for increased demand.
“Our territory is the entire state of South Dakota,” Stensaas says. “So, there’s so much more going out in all the other counties that we need to put some more focus on to ensure we’re getting enough food to every county in the state. Not just Minnehaha, Lincoln and Pennington.”
Stensaas says beginning next/this week, Feeding South Dakota will distribute food differently in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. The pantries currently use what’s called a guest choice model. Stensaas says instead of letting people select their own items, small volunteer groups will pack emergency food boxes.
“Boxes of food aren’t necessarily ideal, but it’s just a more effective way of making sure everyone has some food. Then, what it allows us to focus on all 66 counties instead of just Sioux Falls and Rapid City.”
Stensaas says the pantries will remain closed until it is safe to re-open them again. Feeding South Dakota will distribute those emergency food boxes drive-thru style in the parking lots of several locations starting Monday.