Langer pulls name from Nov. ballot
The field of candidates to represent District 25 in the South Dakota State Senate has been narrowed to two.
Last week, Sen. Kris Langer, R-Dell Rapids, announced in a news release that she has removed her name from the November ballot. District 25 encompasses the Dell Rapids area and extends down to Valley Springs.
The current Senate majority leader since 2019 said she plans to return to the private sector and spend more time with family.
“It has been an honor to serve in the South Dakota Legislature and to represent the great people of District 25 for the past seven years. Including my time spent as a City Council member in Dell Rapids, I have spent over a decade in public service and now I am going to spend more time with my family. I especially look forward to spending more time with my aging mother and my new grandchildren,” she said in a statement.
Langer plans to finish out her current term, which comes to an end before the 2021 legislative session begins in January.
The two remaining candidates on the ballot are Rick Knobe, former Sioux Falls mayor, and Seth Van’t Hof, a Dell Rapids business owner. Both are running as independents.
The District 25 Republican Central Committee is now tasked with choosing a replacement for Langer on the ballot. Aug. 11 was the deadline for the South Dakota GOP to name that replacement.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard appointed Langer to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2013. The next year she ran unopposed to represent District 25 in the House. In 2016, Langer ran for election to the South Dakota State Senate and two years later she sought re-election to the Senate.
In March of this year, during a late-night session of the legislature, Langer was accused by fellow State Senator Phil Jensen of being intoxicated at the Capitol. On April 23, a bipartisan committee was established to look into the allegations against Langer and President Pro Tempe Brock Greenfield. The committee voted 9-0 to admonish both Langer and Greenfield for their conduct. Langer did acknowledge her “bad judgment” and apologized to the public during the hearing.
