South Dakotas Republican secretary of state has crossed party lines to endorse a Democrat as her successor after losing the GOP nomination, igniting a sharp backlash from conservatives in one of the nations most reliably red states.
According to WND, South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson has thrown her support behind Democratic nominee Terrence Davis instead of Republican nominee Heather Baxter, even though the state overwhelmingly backed President Donald Trump with 63% of the vote in 2024. Johnson was defeated by Baxter at the state Republican convention in June by a margin of 59% to 40%, according to Ballotpedia, a decisive rebuke from party delegates that now frames her endorsement as an act many conservatives view as political retaliation rather than principle.
Neither Johnsons office nor the Davis campaign immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundations requests for comment, leaving voters to interpret the move without clarification from either camp. Davis, however, publicly acknowledged the endorsement in a Saturday post to Facebook, signaling he intends to capitalize on the rare support of a sitting Republican officeholder.
I am deeply grateful to have the support of South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson, Davis wrote, underscoring the political significance of her backing in a state where Democrats typically struggle statewide. Monae and I come from different political parties. We will not agree on every issue. That is exactly why her confidence in me means so much.
In her own statement, Johnson framed her decision as rooted in institutional experience rather than partisan loyalty, stressing her long tenure in the office. Having, hav[ing] spent more than a decade in this office, she said she believe[s] Terrence Davis is the candidate best prepared to protect the office and serve South Dakota with seriousness, steadiness, and integrity.
Johnson went further, urging voters to disregard party labels in a race that directly affects election administration and business services. That is why I am asking South Dakotans, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, independents, and everyone in between, to look beyond the letter beside a candidates name, examine the record and temperament of the candidates seeking this responsibility, and vote for Terrence Davis for Secretary of State, Johnson continued, a plea that cuts directly against the GOPs efforts to maintain control over election oversight.
Baxter, a Republican state representative who has campaigned on conservative governance and election integrity, responded by reminding voters that party delegates had already rendered their verdict on Johnsons record. In June, Republican delegates considered the record and nominated me over incumbent Secretary of State Monae Johnson, 59 percent to 41 percent []. That was not confusion. That was self-government in action, Baxter stated, according to POLITICO, emphasizing that the grassroots of the party had chosen a new direction.
She also defended the importance of party identification as a signal of governing philosophy, especially in an office that oversees elections. The letter beside a name is not decoration. It tells voters what governing philosophy they will carry into the office that runs our elections and business services, she added, implicitly warning that a Democrat in that role would likely advance a more progressive, centralized approach to election rules.
Rep. Jon Hansen, speaker of the Republican-controlled South Dakota House of Representatives, sharply condemned Johnsons move in a post to X, reflecting broader conservative anger. South Dakota Republican Secretary of State, after being defeated at the Republican party convention in her reelection bid, is endorsing the Democrat candidate, Hanson wrote. Huge mistake! Do NOT hand our elections over to the Democrats! Vote REPUBLICAN Heather Baxter for Secretary of State!
Baxter told the Daily Caller News Foundation she was not particularly surprised by Johnsons decision, suggesting it confirmed long-standing internal disagreements. Secretary Johnson and I disagreed on the direction of this office thats exactly why Republican delegates overwhelmingly chose a change in June, Baxter said Saturday, arguing that the convention outcome was a mandate for a stronger conservative course.
She further accused elements within the party of masking liberal instincts behind nominal Republican registration, a concern many conservatives share about RINOs and party infiltrators. Its not surprising shed rather back someone who wont change what shes built. Pseudo Republicans have long infiltrated the party, changing their voter registrations from Democrat to Republican. South Dakotas illusion of ruby red is being exposed! Baxter warned, casting Johnsons endorsement as part of a broader struggle over the GOPs ideological purity.
When asked what Johnsons endorsement might signal to campaigns beyond South Dakota, Baxter described it as a cautionary example of how defeated incumbents can undermine their own party. She told the DCNF that [t]his is a real dynamic to note: an outgoing officeholder crossing party lines to back the opposing partys nominee, in a race where their own party ousted them in a primary/convention, is a notable sore loser or good-faith institutionalist.
Voters will ultimately decide whether Johnsons appeal to look beyond the letter prevails over the GOPs call for unity behind its nominee when Baxter, Davis, and third-party nominee Tamara Lesnar meet on the ballot on Nov. 3, 2026. For conservatives concerned about who controls the machinery of elections in a supposedly ruby red state, the race for South Dakota secretary of state has now become a test of both party loyalty and the future direction of election oversight.
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