South Dakota Republican Secretary of State endorses Democrat

South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson, a Republican, has broken with her party to endorse Democratic candidate Terrence Davis in the race to succeed her. Johnson stated that “the integrity, stability, and professionalism of this office is at stake.”

Johnson lost the Republican nomination in June to state lawmaker Heather Baxter. Baxter’s campaign has aligned with Donald Trump regarding concerns over voter rolls, mail-in ballots, and voting machines. Baxter previously advocated for replacing voting machines with hand-counted paper ballots, though a bill she sponsored to prohibit automatic tabulating systems failed earlier this year.

Johnson cited Davis’s background as a state trooper and his education in law and policy as reasons for her endorsement. In a column for the South Dakota War College blog, Johnson acknowledged that her decision might disappoint or anger members of her party. Baxter responded to the endorsement by suggesting Johnson preferred a candidate who would not change her previous actions.