New House Leadership Sworn In After Primary Upsets

The number 16 defines the recent shift in power within the South Dakota legislature. That is the count of incumbent Republican legislators who were replaced by their own party nominees during the June primaries. The turnover cleared the way for a complete leadership overhaul in the state House, a process that concluded on Monday.

Mike Stevens of Yankton is now the nominee for speaker of the House. Amber Arlint of Sioux Falls will serve as speaker pro tempore. Taylor Rehfeldt of Sioux Falls takes the role of majority leader, becoming the first woman to hold that specific position in the chamber. Drew Peterson of Salem is designated as assistant majority leader.

The majority whip team includes Nick Fosness of Britton, Mellissa Heermann of Brookings, Brian Mulder of Sioux Falls, Matt Roby of Watertown, and Mike Weisgram of Fort Pierre. Rehfeldt previously held the post of assistant majority leader. She lost that position following the 2024 elections when a faction opposed to a carbon-capture pipeline defeated 14 incumbents.

The 2024 shift brought new leaders who restricted the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines. They also moved to reduce state involvement in economic development and blocked incentives for large data centers. Rehfeldt spent this year’s primary cycle recruiting candidates aligned with her views.

Her group, South Dakota Republican Forward, spent approximately $670,000 to influence the June legislative primaries. The committee received $675,000 from a federally registered entity of the same name. Funding came from sources including the Poet biofuels company, Midcontinent Media Inc., and First Premier Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse.

The Senate mirrored the House changes. Republicans nominated Tim Reed of Brookings as president pro tempore on Friday. Casey Crabtree of Madison was selected as majority leader, and Amber Hulse of Hot Springs as assistant majority leader. The majority whips are Randy Deibert of Spearfish, Helene Duhamel of Rapid City, Jim Mehlhaff of Pierre, and Stephanie Sauder of Bryant. Deibert and Mehlhaff are the only remaining members from the previous Senate leadership team.

Democrats also finalized their rosters. Eric Emery of Rosebud leads the House Democrats as minority leader. Kadyn Wittman of Sioux Falls serves as assistant minority leader. Nicole Uhre-Balk of Rapid City and Sonja Mentzer of Sioux Falls are the minority whips. In the Senate, Liz Larson and Erik Muckey, both of Sioux Falls, serve as minority leader and assistant minority leader, respectively.

These leaders will appoint committee members, assign bills, and set daily agendas. The 38-day session begins on Jan. 12 in Pierre. The chamber composition includes 92 Republicans, 12 Democrats, and one independent. Republicans hold a 33 to 2 advantage in the Senate and a 59 to 10 advantage in the House.