Bethany Soye

Bethany Soye

Republican Party

South Dakota House of Representatives District 9

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Michael Saba

Compensation

Base salary

$13,436/year

Per diem

$166/day for legislators who reside more than 50 miles away from the capitol

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

North Central University-Minneapolis, 2013

Graduate

College of William & Mary, 2017

Law

College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe Law School, 2017

Personal

Birthplace

Chadron, Neb.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Bethany Soye (Republican Party) is a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 9. She assumed office on January 12, 2021. Her current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Soye (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 9. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Soye completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bethany Soye was born in Chadron, Nebraska. Soye earned an undergraduate degree from North Central University in 2013, a master's degree in public policy from the College of William & Mary, and a J.D. from the College of William & Mary in 2017. Her career experience includes working as a lawyer in anti-money laundering compliance.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Soye was assigned to the following committees:

• House Education Committee
• House Judiciary Committee

2021-2022

Soye was assigned to the following committees:

• House Education Committee
• House Judiciary Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Tesa Schwans and incumbent Bethany Soye defeated Beverly Froslie Johnson in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tesa Schwans (R)	38.5	6,560
✔		Bethany Soye (R)	38.0	6,473
	Submit photo	Beverly Froslie Johnson (D)	23.5	4,003

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,036
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Beverly Froslie Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Bethany Soye and Tesa Schwans defeated Kristi Golden and Daryl Christensen in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bethany Soye	35.5	978
✔		Tesa Schwans	27.7	764
		Kristi Golden	20.4	563
		Daryl Christensen	16.3	450

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,755
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Soye in this election.

Pledges

Soye signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Bethany Soye and Kenneth Teunissen defeated Nick Winkler in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bethany Soye (R)	40.7	5,034
✔		Kenneth Teunissen (R)	33.5	4,142
	Submit photo	Nick Winkler (D)	25.8	3,183

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,359
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Nick Winkler advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Bethany Soye and Kenneth Teunissen defeated Jesse Fonkert in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bethany Soye	38.7	1,268
✔		Kenneth Teunissen	31.7	1,039
		Jesse Fonkert	29.6	970

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,277
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Rhonda Milstead and Bethany Soye defeated incumbent Michael Saba and Toni Miller in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rhonda Milstead (R)	32.7	7,656
✔		Bethany Soye (R)	28.7	6,720
		Michael Saba (D)	20.0	4,679
		Toni Miller (D)	18.6	4,368

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,423
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Michael Saba and Toni Miller advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)

Incumbent Rhonda Milstead and Bethany Soye defeated Michael Clark in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 9 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rhonda Milstead	49.4	1,150
✔		Bethany Soye	25.5	594
		Michael Clark	25.1	583

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 2,327
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bethany Soye completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Soye's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Bethany Soye is your proven conservative voice in Pierre. Bethany currently serves on the House Education and Judiciary Committees. She is a uniquely qualified Representative holding both a J.D. and a Master of Public Policy from the College of William & Mary and has experience working in banking compliance. While Bethany is now happily working as a full-time mom, her previous job included interpreting federal and state regulations and guiding the business through an ever-changing regulatory landscape. Her experience also includes drafting legislation in the U.S. Senate, writing memos for a State Supreme Court Justice, and researching criminal justice reform programs at the National Center for State Courts. Bethany is proud to use her extensive experience to benefit the people of South Dakota.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Family Values: The family is the bedrock of a free society. Bethany is a full-time mom committed to promoting policies that strengthen families and increase opportunity. As a strong pro-life advocate, she actively fights to protect the sanctity of life at all stages.
• Pro-Second Amendment: The right to keep and bear arms is essential to a free society. Bethany supports policies that protect this right against federal intrusion.
• Limited Government: The government should only provide services that cannot be offered by the private sector. Bethany advocates for lower taxes because individuals can spend their own money better than the government.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Parental rights, educational choice, reducing government spending, lower taxes

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

It is important for an elected official to adhere to a strong moral code so that he or she can see through clouded issues to the Constitutional question at hand.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember following the confirmation hearings for Justice Samuel Alito with my family as a teenager. We prayed for him daily and it helped instill in me the importance of being engaged and praying for those in authority.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our greatest challenge is deciding if we will hold true to our conservative principles or continue to grow government programs. Do we really believe that the private market is the best approach or will the government pick winners and losers in the private sector? This is a slow change that seeps into our daily lives if we are not vigilant to protect against it. As Founding Father Benjamin Franklin stated we have "a Republic, if you can keep it."

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes, the legislative branch should provide oversight on the use of emergency powers to ensure the powers are not abused to take away our Constitutional Rights.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

NRA Endorsed, 100% SD Right to Life Rating, 100% SD Family Voice Rating, Conservative Achievement Award from the American Conservative Union, Endorsed by Make Liberty Win.

What committees interest you?

I would like to continue serving on the Judiciary and Education Committees.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Bethany Soye did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released April 19, 2020

Bethany Soye completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Soye's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Bethany Soye works as a Compliance Analyst at MetaBank in Sioux Falls. She holds a J.D. and Master of Public Policy from the College of William and Mary. She has been highly involved in the political realm working in the U.S. Senate and on various local campaigns. She is involved in her community through youth softball and hockey and serves on the praise team at her church. Bethany met her husband Ryan playing hockey and loves to challenge him on the ice. Bethany is a Republican because she believes in limited government. She loves South Dakota and wants to preserve our strong communities. Bethany would be honored to serve as the next Representative for District 9.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Family Values: The family is the bedrock of a free society. Bethany is committed to promoting policies that strengthen families and increase opportunity. She will fight to protect the sanctity of life at all stages.
• Local Control: South Dakota is built on close knit communities. The people within these comunities know best what their own neighborhoods need. Bethany is committed to keeping government control as close to the local community as possible.
• Accountability: Bethany believes in a transparent legislative process. She wants to represent the concerns of her constituents and keep them up to date on what is going on behind the scenes in Pierre.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Bethany wants South Dakota to be a national leader in economic growth. She believes the legislature can help create an environment where businesses are drawn to the state by anticipating changing technology and removing regulatory barriers to growth.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

A few of my qualities that would make me a successful representative are hard work, determination, and a love of learning. I will dedicate myself to becoming fully educated on any bills that arise and will work to make the best decisions possible for my district.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A state representative has the responsibility to represent the concerns of his or her district. This includes lobbying for actions that will benefit the district and questioning actions that may cause harm to the district.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was mowing for a lawn maintenance company that my family started. I started working for the company at age 12 and continued through college. I learned a lot about hard work and determination during this time. I also gained practical business skills as I assisted my father with customer service and scheduling.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Deitrich Bonhoeffer is my personal hero. His work in resisting the Nazi regime and ultimatly dying as a martyr is very inspiring.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't think it is necessary for state legislators to have previous experience in government, as long as they have a solid understanding of the legislative process. It is important to have individuals in the state legislature who have or are currently working in industries that are essential to the state. These legislators will bring in a valuable perspective and will be able to educate others on the what will be the real world impact of proposed legislation. One of the top industries in South Dakota is banking and financial services. I would bring this important perspective to the legislature.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Legislators must build solid relationships with other legislators. No one can pass or defeat a bill on their own. It takes a majority of individuals working together to get the job done.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would like to serve on the Health and Human Services Committee, the Commerce and Energy Committee, or the Judiciary Committee. Each of these committees would fit my background well and would allow me to bring valuable insight to the process.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Bethany Soye campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	South Dakota House of Representatives District 9	Won general	$18,800	$0
2022	South Dakota House of Representatives District 9	Won general	$20,529	$0
2020	South Dakota House of Representatives District 9	Won general	$24,610	N/A**
Grand total			$63,938	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in South Dakota

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Dakota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 9 to March 26. Elevate Rapid City Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community. Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes related to business. SD Citizens For Liberty Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. South Dakota Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 27. Elevate Rapid City Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community. Family Heritage Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes related to business. SD Citizens For Liberty Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 28. Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota/New Approach South Dakota/South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws Legislators are scored on their votes related to cannabis. Elevate Rapid City Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community. Family Heritage Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes related to business. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. SD Citizens For Liberty Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. South Dakota Multi-Housing Association Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to housing. South Dakota Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the South Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 29. Americans for Prosperity - South Dakota Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Elevate Rapid City Legislators are scored on their stances related to the Rapid City business community. Family Heritage Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes related to business. SD Citizens For Liberty Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. South Dakota Right to Life Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

South Dakota House of Representatives District 9

Website

Facebook

Officeholder

South Dakota House of Representatives District 9

Website

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the South Dakota House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Jon Hansen

Majority Leader:Scott Odenbach

Minority Leader:Erin Healy

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas Fosness (R)

Logan Manhart (R)

District 2

David Kull (R)

John Sjaarda (R)

District 3

Al Novstrup (R)

Brandei Schaefbauer (R)

District 4

Dylan Jordan (R)

Kent Roe (R)

District 5

Josephine Garcia (R)

Matt Roby (R)

District 6

Aaron Aylward (R)

Tim Czmowski (R)

District 7

Roger DeGroot (R)

Mellissa Heermann (R)

District 8

Tim Reisch (R)

Tim Walburg (R)

District 9

Tesa Schwans (R)

Bethany Soye (R)

District 10

Bobbi Andera (R)

Erin Healy (D)

District 11

Brian Mulder (R)

Keri Weems (R)

District 12

Amber Arlint (R)

Greg Jamison (R)

District 13

John Hughes (R)

Jack Kolbeck (R)

District 14

Tony Kayser (R)

Taylor Rehfeldt (R)

District 15

Erik Muckey (D)

Kadyn Wittman (D)

District 16

Karla Lems (R)

John Shubeck (R)

District 17

Chris Kassin (R)

William Shorma (R)

District 18

Julie Auch (R)

Mike Stevens (R)

District 19

Jessica Bahmuller (R)

Drew Peterson (R)

District 20

Jeff Bathke (R)

Kaley Nolz (R)

District 21

Jim Halverson (R)

Marty Overweg (R)

District 22

Lana Greenfield (R)

Kevin Van Diepen (R)

District 23

Spencer Gosch (R)

Scott Moore (R)

District 24

Will Mortenson (R)

Mike Weisgram (R)

District 25

Jon Hansen (R)

Leslie Heinemann (R)

District 26A

Eric Emery (D)

District 26B

Rebecca Reimer (R)

District 27

Elizabeth May (R)

Peri Pourier (D)

District 28A

Jana Hunt (R)

District 28B

Travis Ismay (R)

District 29

Terri Jorgenson (R)

Kathy Rice (R)

District 30

Tim Goodwin (R)

Trish Ladner (R)

District 31

Mary Fitzgerald (R)

Scott Odenbach (R)

District 32

Steve Duffy (R)

Nicole Uhre-Balk (D)

District 33

Phil Jensen (R)

Curt Massie (R)

District 34

Heather Baxter (R)

Mike Derby (R)

District 35

Tina Mulally (R)

Tony Randolph (R)

Republican Party (64)

Democratic Party (6)