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Chris Nelson
2011 - Present
2029
14
Chris Nelson (Republican Party) is a member of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. He assumed office on January 8, 2011. His current term ends on January 2, 2029.
Nelson (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Biography
Nelson began his career in public service working as the uniform commercial code supervisor for two years beginning in 1987 and then state election supervisor from 1989 to 2002. Both roles fell under the supervision of the South Dakota secretary of state.[1] After 13 years of service in the secretary of state's office, he was elected secretary of state himself and served in that post for two terms. In October 2009, Nelson announced that he would be challenging state Representatives Kristi Lynn Noem and Blake Curd for the Republican nomination in the race for the 2010 United States House of Representatives seat.[2] He failed to receive the party nomination after placing second in the primary contest, garnering nearly thirty-five percent of the vote. After he completed his second term as secretary of state, he was appointed to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in 2011. [3]
Nelson has also served in the following roles:
- Member, National Governors Association
- Representative, National Governors Association, United States Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors, 2005.
Education
- White Lake High School
- B.S., Animal science, South Dakota State University (1978)
Political career
Public Service Commission (2011-Present)
Nelson was appointed to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission by Gov. Dennis Daugaard on January 8, 2011, to fill a vacancy left when Dusty Johnson left the commission to become Daugaard's chief of staff. He won re-election in 2016.[3]
Secretary of State (2002-2010)
Nelson is a former Republican South Dakota secretary of state, first elected to the statewide position in 2002 and subsequently re-elected to the office in 2006.
Elections
2022
See also: South Dakota Public Utilities Commission election, 2022
General election
General election for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
Incumbent Chris Nelson defeated Jeff Barth in the general election for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chris Nelson (R) | 68.7 | 227,167 |
| Jeff Barth (D) | 31.3 | 103,384 | ||
| Total votes: 330,551 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic convention
Democratic convention for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
Jeff Barth advanced from the Democratic convention for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on July 9, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Jeff Barth (D) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican convention
Republican convention for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
Incumbent Chris Nelson advanced from the Republican convention for South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on June 25, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Nelson (R) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Incumbent Chris Nelson defeated Henry Red Cloud in the South Dakota public utilities commission election.
| South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Chris Nelson Incumbent |
75.38% | 268,927 | |
| Democratic | Henry Red Cloud | 24.62% | 87,841 | |
| Total Votes | 356,768 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Support for the Dakota Access Pipeline
In an interview with KELO radio, Nelson said that he supported the Dakota Access Pipeline, which crosses several rivers in South Dakota and was the source of protests in 2016. Protesters cite environmental concerns over the pipeline, particularly over access to clean water.
The Public Utilities Commission is responsible for approving or disapproving of projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline. Nelson's opponent, Henry Red Cloud (D) said that he opposed all oil pipelines in the state, and said that if he were elected, he would only approve the construction of water pipelines.[4]
2012
Nelson announced on February 17 that he would seek election to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in 2012. While terms on the commission are for six years, Nelson was appointed in January 2011 and state election law requires election be held for the remaining four years of the term.[5] He was officially nominated at the state Republican convention in June.[6]
Nelson defeated one challenger, Democrat Nick Nemec, in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7]
| South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Seat 1 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chris Nelson Incumbent |
67% | 226,508 | |
| Democratic | Nick Nemec | 33% | 111,405 | |
| Total Votes | 337,913 | |||
| Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2010
| 2010 Race for United States House of Representatives - Republican Primary[8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Kristi Lynn Noem
|
56.2% | |
| Republican Party | Chris Nelson | 34.6% | |
| Republican Party | Richard Blake Curd | 23.3% | |
| Total Votes | 82,041 | ||
2006
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary and General Election
- Chris Nelson ran unopposed in both contests, the first time this has occurred in the state's history.[9]
| South Dakota Secretary of State, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chris Nelson Incumbent |
100% | 217,518 | |
| Total Votes | 217,518 | |||
| Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2002
- 2002 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary
- Chris Nelson ran unopposed in this contest
On November 5, 2002, Chris Nelson won election to the office of South Dakota Secretary of State. He defeated Kate Looby (D) and Alex Martin (L) in the general election.
| South Dakota Secretary of State, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chris Nelson |
56.2% | 181,571 | |
| Democratic | Kate Looby | 41.4% | 133,886 | |
| Libertarian | Alex Martin | 2.4% | 7,878 | |
| Total Votes | 323,335 | |||
| Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Nelson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Nelson lives in Pierre, South Dakota, with his wife, Penny, and his daughter, Rebekah. He maintains a part-time cattle operation.
Awards
- Excellence in South Dakota Municipal Government Award (2003)
- Hazeltine and Taylor Award (2004)
- Election Center’s Professional Practices Program State Award (2009)
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Nelson for Public Utilities Commission, " About Chris," accessed March 7, 2013
- ↑ South Dakota War College, "BREAKING NEWS: And then there were three! Chris Nelson jumps in the Congressional Race" October 2, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brandon Info, "Chris Nelson appointed to South Dakota Public Utilities Commission," January 11, 2011
- ↑ KELO, "State PUC candidates differ on Dakota Access," accessed Nov. 17, 2016
- ↑ Brandon Info, "Nelson seeks re-election to PUC," February 17, 2012
- ↑ Business Week, "SD Republicans nominate Nelson, Fiegen to PUC," June 22, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedgenelec - ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State - Election Information 2010
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State - Election Information 2006
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission 2011-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
South Dakota Secretary of State 2002-2011 |
Succeeded by Jason Gant (R) |
| |||||||||||||||||
