South Dakotaâs Republican secretary of state has broken ranks with her party to endorse the Democratic candidate for the office, saying "the integrity, stability, and professionalism of this office is at stake."
Monae Johnson, the incumbent Secretary of State, lost the Republican nomination at the state party convention in June to state lawmaker Heather Baxter. Baxterâs campaign platform highlights an alignment with President Donald Trump regarding concerns over "inaccurate voter rolls, mail in ballots, and voting machine issues." Her website previously indicated support for eliminating voting machines in favor of hand-counting ballots, a position frequently shared by individuals promoting theories that electronic tabulators can be manipulated.
Johnson said her decision to endorse Democratic nominee Terrence Davis stemmed from his law enforcement background as a former state trooper, along with his academic training in law and policy. Johnson's office indicated she would not comment beyond her written statement.
"I am a Republican. Terrence is a Democrat. I understand that this decision will disappoint some people in my party and anger others," Johnson wrote in a piece published on the conservative political blog South Dakota War College.
The political effect of the endorsement remains uncertain in South Dakota, where Democrats have not held a statewide office since 2015. The state decisively supported Trump in the last three presidential contests.
Baxter rejected the endorsement's significance.
"Itâs not surprising that sheâd rather back someone who wonât change what she has done," Baxter said in a statement.
Earlier in the year, Baxter introduced legislation seeking to ban automated ballot tabulating systems, but the measure failed to pass.
While an earlier iteration of her campaign site stated she "advocates for hand-counted paper ballots, no more voting machines," Baxter noted on Monday that she updated the language because she lacks the authority to change tallying procedures and trusts local auditors "to do whatâs best for their counties." Count studies show that hand-tallying paper ballots is far more time-consuming and error-prone than machine tabulations.
Baxter framed Trumpâs voting platform as a general "reinforcement of current election laws."
Since entering office for his second term, Trump has sought to increase federal oversight of election processes, despite constitutional provisions placing election management primarily with individual states and Congress.
He has suggested placing the Postal Service at the center of mail-in ballot distribution, advocated for mandatory proof of citizenship to register for this year's midterms, and argued that noncitizens are affecting election outcomes. Six years after losing the 2020 election to Biden, Trump continues to claim widespread vote fraud occurred.
South Dakota is among several states where Republican candidates who share Trumpâs views on election procedures have run for statewide positions this year.
Johnsonâs decision to back a Democrat contrasts with her 2022 campaign, when she declined to confirm whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election and centered her platform on "election integrity."
During her term, Johnson apologized after her office inadvertently released data revealing which individuals on state voter rolls were receiving government public assistance.
Jim Eschenbaum, chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party, said party delegates turned away from Johnson after she failed to attend a legislative committee hearing regarding a state contract with an electronic poll book vendor, which led to a subpoena.
"An involved citizenry just wonât stand for that from their elected officials, period," Eschenbaum said.
Davis emphasized a nonpartisan approach to the role, stating that the secretary of stateâs office must serve all residents "honestly and fairly."
