Dawn Marie Johnson (Sioux Falls School Board At-large, South Dakota, candidate 2023)
Dawn Marie Johnson ran for election to the Sioux Falls School Board At-large in South Dakota. Johnson won in the general election on May 16, 2023.
[1]
Click here to learn more about the 2023 election.
Biography
Johnson received a bachelor's and master's degree in social work from the University of South Dakota. She managed operations at the Summit School District from 2016 to 2020 before becoming the career and technical education and community outreach coordinator with the Sioux Falls School District. At the time of the election, Johnson was the director of leadership and culture with the South Dakota Afterschool Network.[2]
Elections
General election
General election for Sioux Falls School Board At-large
Dawn Marie Johnson defeated Brian Mattson and Nick Zachariasen (Unofficially withdrew) in the general election for Sioux Falls School Board At-large on May 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dawn Marie Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 70.6 | 5,405 |
 | Brian Mattson (Nonpartisan) | 29.1 | 2,226 | |
| Nick Zachariasen (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew) | 0.3 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 7,651 | |||
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About this race
Dawn Marie Johnson defeated Brian Mattson and Nick Zachariasen in the general election for the Sioux Falls School District on May 16, 2023. This at-large election was for a three-year term.[3] Incumbent Cynthia Mickelson did not run for re-election.
The 7,651 voters who cast ballots in this election represented 6.2% of all registered voters in the Sioux Falls School District.[4]
Sioux Falls Simplified's Megan Raposa wrote, "The Sioux Falls school board oversees a district with nearly 25,000 students, 1,800 teachers and an annual budget of over $300 million," adding that "whoever is elected will have a direct impact on thousands of people in the community."[5]
While this race was officially nonpartisan, meaning candidates appeared on the ballot without party labels, Ballotpedia collected endorsement information from organizations and individuals who weighed in on the race and found:
- Johnson primarily received endorsements from liberal endorsers, including state Rep. Kadyn Wittman (D) and the Sioux Falls Education Association, the local branch of a statewide teacher's union.[6][7]
- Mattson received endorsements from conservative endorsers, including the Minnehaha County Republican Party and Patriot Ripple Effect, which describes itself as "a grassroots, America-loving organization ... working to ensure and promote constitutional liberty in South Dakota."[8][9][10]
Johnson was the director of leadership and culture for the South Dakota Afterschool Network, before which she worked as a career and technical education and community outreach coordinator in the school district.[11]
Mattson, a Marine Corps veteran, was a self-employed investor.[12] Mattson also served as an elected precinct committeeman with the Minnehaha County Republican Party.[13]
Zachariasen, an attorney and IT manager, filed to run but later withdrew and endorsed Johnson, though his name still remained on the May 16 ballot.[14]
Debates and forums
This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.
May 4 candidate forum
- On May 4, 2023, Johnson and Mattson participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls League of Women Voters.[15]
- Click on the link below for a summary of the event:
Campaign finance
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Sioux Falls School District. Click here to access those reports.
Endorsements
Johnson received the following endorsements.
- State Rep. Tyler Tordsen (R)
- State Rep. Kadyn Wittman (D)
- Frmr. Sioux Falls Mayor Rick Knobe (Independent)
- Sioux Falls Education Association
- Change Agents of South Dakota
- Minnehaha Democratic Forum
- Sioux Falls Democratic Socialists of America
- South Dakota District 11 Democrats
- John Cunningham (D) - Frmr. State Treasurer candidate
- Sharon Schulz Elsing - State Dem. Party Exec. Board member
- Rick Weiland (D) - Frmr. U.S. Senate candidate
- Nick Zachariasen (Nonpartisan) - Frmr. Sioux Falls Sch. Brd. cand.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dawn Marie Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Election office, "Candidate list," April 28, 2023
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Dawn Marie Johnson," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ Keloland, "New law will realign future school board elections," May 12, 2023
- ↑ Sioux Falls School District, "Election Results," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ Sioux Falls Simplified, "Meet the Sioux Falls school board candidates," May 10, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "Rep. Kadyn Wittman," April 3, 2023
- ↑ Facebook, "Sioux Falls Education Association," April 19, 2023
- ↑ Facebook, "Minnehaha Republicans," April 6, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "Patriot Ripple Effect," May 6, 2023
- ↑ Patriot Ripple Effect, "Home," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Dawn Marie Johnson," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ Sioux Falls Simplified, "Meet the Sioux Falls school board candidates," May 10, 2023
- ↑ Facebook, "Brian Mattson for Sioux Falls School Board," April 15, 2023
- ↑ Keloland, "Candidate supporting opponent for Sioux Falls School Board," April 13, 2023
- ↑ YouTube, "2023 Sioux Falls School Board Candidate Forum," May 4, 2023
