Dick Werner
Dick Werner is a former Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 22 from 2013 to 2017.
Werner was a 2016 Republican candidate for District 23 of the South Dakota House of Representatives. He was defeated in the Republican primary.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Werner served on the following committees:
| South Dakota committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Transportation |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Werner served on the following committees:
| South Dakota committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Joint Appropriations |
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
2026
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Republican primary
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Incumbent Spencer Gosch (R), Amber Werdel (R), and Dick Werner (R) are running in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Spencer Gosch | |
| Amber Werdel | ||
 | Dick Werner | |
| ||||
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Endorsements
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2016
Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016. Incumbents Justin Cronin (R) and Michele Harrison (R) did not seek re-election.
Spencer Gosch and John Lake were unopposed in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 general election.[1][2]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 23 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Spencer Gosch |
53.81% | 7,099 | |
| Republican | John Lake |
46.19% | 6,094 | |
| Total Votes | 13,193 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
John Lake and Spencer Gosch defeated Charles Hoffman and incumbent Dick Werner in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 23 Republican primary.[3][4]
| South Dakota House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | John Lake |
31.16% | 2,466 | |
| Republican | Spencer Gosch |
26.98% | 2,135 | |
| Republican | Charles Hoffman | 21.55% | 1,705 | |
| Republican | Dick Werner Incumbent | 20.31% | 1,607 | |
| Total Votes | 7,913 | |||
2014
Elections for the South Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Incumbent Peggy Anne Gibson and Joan Wollschlager were unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Dick Werner was unopposed in the Republican primary. Gisbon and Werner defeated Wollschlager in the general election. Dennis Kruse was running as an independent candidate, but withdrew before the election.[5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peggy Gibson Incumbent |
38.3% | 4,248 | |
| Republican | Dick Werner Incumbent |
37.2% | 4,125 | |
| Democratic | Joan Wollschlager | 24.6% | 2,726 | |
| Total Votes | 11,099 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2012
Werner won re-election in the 2012 election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 22. Werner advanced past the Republican primary on June 5 and won re-election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peggy Gibson Incumbent |
30.6% | 5,299 | |
| Republican | Dick Werner |
25.1% | 4,344 | |
| Democratic | Dale Hargens | 23.4% | 4,061 | |
| Republican | Jay Slater | 21% | 3,634 | |
| Total Votes | 17,338 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Dick Werner |
34.7% | 725 |
| Jay B.K. Slater |
34.6% | 724 |
| David McGirr | 30.7% | 643 |
| Total Votes | 2,092 | |
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2014
Werner's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[10]
Education
- Excerpt: "A quality education system allows for our local businesses and industries to have access to a highly trained workforce. I will do my part to assure our youth have the opportunity to have a rewarding career in South Dakota and for them to raise their families and develop roots in our local communities."
Economic Development
- Excerpt: "A key component to assure that South Dakota can continue to have a balanced budget and support the necessary state programs, such as education and healthcare, is a proactive economic development plan. A sound economic development vision allows our economy to grow and helps our local communities create and retain jobs. I bring to the table the background and experience from my years in banking and as a financial consultant in economic development."
Local Decisions
- Excerpt: "I understand the importance of the local decision making process through my years of service as a county commissioner. State government should be there to assist local governments perform their duties and not tie their hands with unnecessary controls or regulations."
Agriculture
- Excerpt: "The agriculture industry has been the backbone of South Dakota since our statehood and the demands for a growing food supply in developing countries will continue the prominence that agriculture plays in our state. I’m proud to be able to own and operate my family farm and feel it is important that legislators understand this rapidly changing industry. Advances in technology and genetics will continue to provide opportunities in the ag industry and legislators need to understand and be positioned to leverage these opportunities. I bring that knowledge and background to the table."
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.
Scorecards
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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Dakota State Legislature in 2016.
- American Clarion — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Family Heritage Alliance — Legislators are scored on if they voted for/against FHA's position.
- Family Voice Action — Legislators are scored on bills related to family 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.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Dakota State Legislature in 2015.
- Family Heritage Alliance — Legislators are scored on if they voted for/against FHA's position.
- Family Voice Action — Legislators are scored on bills related to family issues.
- South Dakota Freedom Coalition — Legislators are scored by the South Dakota Freedom Coalition on their votes on the "'top ten' issues affecting your freedom."
- 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.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Dakota State Legislature in 2014.
- South Dakotans Fighting Animal Cruelty Together — Legislators are scored on their votes on animal protection bills.
- 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.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Dakota State Legislature in 2013.
- South Dakota Freedom Coalition — Legislators are scored by the South Dakota Freedom Coalition on their votes on the "'top ten' issues affecting your freedom."
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| Dick Werner | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Delegate |
| State: | South Dakota |
| Bound to: | Donald Trump |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Werner was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from South Dakota. All 29 delegates from South Dakota were bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.[11] As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately 1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.
Delegate rules
Delegates from South Dakota to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected at a state convention in March 2016 and allocated after the South Dakota presidential primary election on June 7, 2016. All delegates from South Dakota were bound by state party rules on the first ballot at the national convention to support the candidate to whom they were allocated.
South Dakota primary results
| South Dakota Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
67.1% | 44,867 | 29 | |
| Ted Cruz | 17% | 11,352 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 15.9% | 10,660 | 0 | |
| Totals | 66,879 | 29 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
South Dakota had 29 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, three were district-level delegates (representing the state's single congressional district) and 23 served as at-large delegates. South Dakota's district and at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's district and at-large delegates.[12][13]
In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[12][13]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Dick + Werner + South + Dakota + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Candidate List," accessed August 21, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Official Results State Canvas," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "State primary results," accessed June 7, 2016
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Current Candidates for Primary Election," May 2, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Primary Election - Official Results," accessed June 4, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results - November 4, 2014," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official election results for 2012," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," June 25, 2012
- ↑ Dick Werner campaign website, "Platform," accessed September 25, 2014
- ↑ South Dakota GOP, "SDGOP elects Delegates and Alternates for the Republican National Convention," March 21, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "rollcallvote" defined multiple times with different content
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim White (R) |
South Dakota House of Representatives District 22 2013–2017 |
Succeeded by Bob Glanzer (R) |
