South Dakota Democratic Party's turmoil getting a lot of media attention, but it’s not the kind that Democrats want

It’s called free media. That means news coverage and other shared information that doesn’t cost a cent.

TV shows, movies, sports teams and politicians all love it. They want as much free publicity as they can get. Well, as long as it’s positive news.

The South Dakota Democratic Party, historically short of cash and eager for all the media it can get without having to pay for it, should welcome press coverage. Unlike the Republican Party, which has deep pockets for its campaigns and candidates, the SDDP is usually struggling to get its message out.

However, in recent weeks, it’s received a lot of unwanted publicity for a family feud that has drowned out any other stories it wants to share. Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, elected chair in a landslide in February, was removed from her position on Aug. 19 in a unanimous vote of the SDDP State Central Committee.

That vote at a Fort Pierre bar and grill came after a weeks-long internal dispute that spilled into the public at the end of July. Slaight-Hansen was engaged in a battle with Executive Director Dan Ahlers, whom she hand-selected to run the daily affairs of the party.

“I am pleased to welcome Dan onboard as our executive director. He has developed relationships across the state and has the skills needed to continue to build our grassroots organization,” she said in May. “Dan understands the political landscape in South Dakota. He knows the work ahead of us to hold Republicans accountable and recruit candidates to replace them. I look forward to all we will accomplish together.”

Well, that didn’t work out.

They banged headed repeatedly, with Slaight-Hansen saying Ahlers (Ahlers and Hansen are seen in the Tom Lawrence photo above) refused to take direction from her, ignoring a request to issue a press release and making it clear he did not consider her his immediate supervisor.

Ahlers said Slaight-Hansen created a hostile work environment and was abusive and foul-mouthed. He handed in his resignation in late July, but has never stopped working for the party.

Instead, Slaight-Hansen was shoved aside. When SDDP leaders huddled on Aug. 14, she was not allowed any input on the agenda. Once the meeting convened, she was removed as the chair for that discussion. She was the chair in name only.

A process to recall her was put in place that night, and a credential and review committee formed to determine who was eligible to vote on the recall. It was chaired by Aaron Matson of Sioux Falls, a former SDDP staffer who was defeated in a bid for state treasurer in 2018 and recently announced plans to run for a state House District 11 seat in 2024, was named chair.

In 2020, he was the campaign manager as Ahlers sought a U.S. Senate seat, losing badly to Sen. Mike Rounds. Then it was on to the vote on Aug. 19.

After the unanimous vote to recall her, with two abstentions, Slaight-Hansen had seven days to file an appeal. She did so, I was told over the weekend.

The SDDP won’t confirm it. Ahlers declined to comment.

“I’m in Rapid City working on a project,” he said in an email. “I do not have any details on the appeal. I would reach out to Shane Merrill.”

Merrill, the interim chair of the party, was reluctant to discuss it with me on Monday.

“I cannot comment on anything about recall or appeals at this time,” he said.

I told him state Rep. Linda Duba of Sioux Falls told me Sunday night that she regrets the entire matter. It was quickly apparent to a lot of Democrats that Slaight-Hansen was not meeting expectations as party chair, Duba said, and a groundswell to remove her from office began to form.

That’s all they wanted, was for her to go quietly.

But Slaight-Hansen, a former Aberdeen City Council member who served as the SDDP vice chair for about a year before becoming chair after the unexpected death of Randy Seiler, did not agree to step down.

Then, an email Ahlers issued explaining his reasons for departure was leaked to the media, and then the whole story played out in public.

That’s just what the Democrats did not want. But here it is, and it continues to drip, drip, drip on their heads. It’s torture for a party that hasn’t won a statewide race since 2008, holds no statewide offices, and is outnumbered 94-11 in the Legislature.

Some are trying to ignore it. I reached out to state Sen. Reynold Nesiba of Sioux Falls, the minority leader of the Senate and one of the most influential members of the party. I requested an interview, and provided a few of the questions.

“We’ve moved on,” is all he said.

Well, not really. The appeal has been filed, although no SDDP officials would confirm that Sunday or Monday, and Slaight-Hansen also declined to answer any questions.

The Dakota Scout, citing access to an agenda, is reporting the SDDP Executive Board will meet Wednesday to consider appointing an appeals committee. It will review the recall and determine if it was handled properly. Merrill will name the members of such a panel.

This is sure to generate more coverage, more stories, more blog posts. It’s free media, but not the kind South Dakota Democrats want.

Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states and contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The  Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets.