Retired Roberts County state's attorney Kay Nikolas will fill the vacant spot on the ballot in the South Dakota District 1 House race, according to a telephone interview with former state representative Steve McCleerey, who is already on the ballot.
District 1 county chairs picked Nikolas in a meeting last night, McCleerey said.
Nikolas will fill the vacancy left by the withdrawal of Jennifer Keintz from the ballot after the June primary.
UPDATE 8/4: At the Aberdeen News, Elisa Sand reports in Democrats pick former Roberts Co. state's attorney Nikolas as District 1 House candidate:
Aberdeen native and former Roberts County State's Attorney Kay Nikolas has been selected as the second Democratic candidate who will be running in District 1 for one of two available seats in the state House of Representatives.
Nikolas, 69, of Sisseton fills the vacancy left by Jennifer Healy Keintz, D-Eden, who filed a petition as a candidate, but withdrew her candidacy. She was later announced as the lieutenant governor selection for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls.
Nikolas was elected by members of the Democratic Party Central Committee in District 1 on Wednesday in Webster, according to a report from District 1 Senate candidate Steven McCleerey, D-Sisseton. The 11 voting members from Day, Marshall and Roberts counties unanimously selected Nikolas for the November ballot.
The process for filling the spot was outlined in Elisa Sands July 21 article at the Aberdeen News, Donnell tapped to fill Republican vacancy in District 1 House race:
Democrats also need to fill a vacancy
Manhart was one of two District 1 candidates who withdrew from the House race. Jennifer Healy Keintz, D-Eden, also withdrew and was later announced as the lieutenant governor selection for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls.
Political parties have until Aug. 8 to fill any vacancies for the November election.
While no meeting has yet been held to determine the Democrat to fill the seat, Jennifer Slaight Hansen, vice president for the South Dakota Democrats, said that will be done. At the meeting, members of each county's central committee for the Democratic Party in District 1 will vote on the new candidate.
That's what happened yesterday.
Nikolas retired as Roberts County state's attorney in early January 2021. She has served on boards of area civic and cultural groups, like the Heritage Museum of Roberts County, as well as chairing the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles.
We've left a phone message for Nikolas and will update this post when we have more information.
It's good to see a full slate of Republican and Democratic contenders in this seat. That's a sign of a healthy civic community, however many twists it took both parties to get here.
Related posts:
- SD District 1 Republicans select Joe Donnell to fill ballot slot created by Manhart withdrawal
- SD Dem gubernatorial candidate Smith picks Eden lawmaker Jennifer Keintz as running mate
- Placeholder: Incumbent Democrat Keintz quietly withdrew from SD District 1 House race
- News digest: Manhart pulls out of SD1 race
- Eligibility questioned, Logan Manhart withdraws from South Dakota District 1 House race
- Dakota Free Press post: Manhart voted in Wisconsin in 2021, thus ineligible to run for South Dakota House in 2022
- Manhart candidate integrity questioned: docs from 32CIV22-92; McCleerey vs Barnett
- In SD District One, GOP candidate & operative doesn't want to talk to press about January 6
- Media scrutiny of SD District 1 House Logan Manhart candidate integrity questions continue
Photo: The South Dakota House chambers. Credit: Jake DeGroot, via Wikpedia. Creative Commons: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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