Mark Mowry
Mark Mowry (Republican Party) ran for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 31. He lost in the Republican primary on June 4, 2024.
Mowry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Mark Mowry was born in Valentine, Nebraska. Mowry earned a bachelor’s degree from Black Hills State University in 1981.[1][2] His career experience includes working as a musician, an educator, and the director of Dakota Education Services.[1][3][4]
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 31 (2 seats)
Incumbent Scott Odenbach and incumbent Mary Fitzgerald defeated Victoria Greenlee and Shana McVickers in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 31 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Scott Odenbach (R) | 38.1 | 9,100 |
| ✔ |  | Mary Fitzgerald (R) | 32.5 | 7,768 |
 | Victoria Greenlee (Independent)  | 16.7 | 3,986 | |
 | Shana McVickers (Independent) | 12.8 | 3,049 | |
| Total votes: 23,903 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 31 (2 seats)
Incumbent Scott Odenbach and incumbent Mary Fitzgerald defeated Mark Mowry in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 31 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Odenbach | 43.9 | 2,321 |
| ✔ | | Mary Fitzgerald | 29.5 | 1,559 |
 | Mark Mowry | 26.6 | 1,406 | |
| Total votes: 5,286 | |||
| = 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 Mowry in this election.
2022
See also: United States Senate election in South Dakota, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. Senate South Dakota
Incumbent John Thune defeated Brian Bengs and Tamara Lesnar in the general election for U.S. Senate South Dakota on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Thune (R) | 69.6 | 242,316 |
 | Brian Bengs (D) | 26.1 | 91,007 | |
 | Tamara Lesnar (L) | 4.2 | 14,697 | |
| Total votes: 348,020 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Clayton Walker (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Brian Bengs advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota
Incumbent John Thune defeated Bruce Whalen and Mark Mowry in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate South Dakota on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Thune | 72.2 | 85,613 |
 | Bruce Whalen | 20.3 | 24,071 | |
| Mark Mowry | 7.4 | 8,827 | |
| Total votes: 118,511 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate South Dakota
Tamara Lesnar advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate South Dakota on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Tamara Lesnar (L) |
| ||||
| = 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
Mark Mowry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mowry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a musician, songwriter, educator, laborer, gig worker, entrepreneur; with all this going on in my 67 years of living, I haven't much time to be a politician, but now I'm just managing to squeeze it in.
The last comment was meant to be humor.- I am happy to think of myself as a Conservative. Our big mistake has been to veer away from our Conservative values in the first place.
- The values that Conservatives embrace are immortal. Even if the USA were to be snuffed out, still the values set forth by our Constitution will never be snuffed out. But if we fail to 'conserve' the values set forth by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we no longer have an America.
- I intend to legislate according to the six objectives stated in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution: To form a more perfect Union, To establish justice, To insure domestic tranquility, To provide for the common defense, To promote the general welfare, and To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our prosperity. These objectives serve as a template whereby I measure proposals that are brought before my jurisdiction, within my district, and throughout South Dakota.
I have many heroes, but I'm far enough in years to know that every person has clay feet.
Seriously, when I ask people what their favorite law is I rarely get an answer. I believe that most political activism should originate and be generated from the constituents, but all too often it is generated from lobbyists/legislative research councils and their ilk.
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
Mark Mowry completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mowry's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Proud to be an American from the great state of South Dakota! - Choosing to be on the right side of this battle for our nation regardless of the cost. - Ranch-raised on the White River south of Presho - Married 40 years to Paula Sack - Four grown children - Professional Musician, Award-Winning Journalist/Writer, Educator, Entrepreneur -Built a
Private Limited Education Company in India
- Have seen the drastic changes that have been made to this Constitutional Republic and feel the
need to stand up and speak up.
- Surrendered my life to Christ, 1986 What matters most to me is that faith, family, and freedom are protected in my homeland as established by our Constitution. I believe that we are a NOW people – Not Over-Whelmed! I believe that has always been a key to America’s greatness. There are far too many issues facing us today that simply are not acceptable in a free society, yet we are not overwhelmed. I am not over-whelmed!
- I am running on an 'America First' platform typified with Faith, Family, and Freedom! The moorings of our republic are built on the strength of family. I will not vote in a manner that compromises the strength of the nuclear family.
- I prefer small federal government, smaller federal regulatory. I welcome reduced bureaucracy, more local control and local setting of standards -- liberty!
- I support the rule of law. I do not support defunding law enforcement. I believe in the thorough law enforcement and the strong protection of our borders.
I believe in keeping our nation’s best interests foremost in our international policy decisions, etc. We need to hold the line against a takeover of our Republic from sinister forces.
Among the historic and celebrated, I admire Mark Twain's wry sense of humor, Joseph Heller's cryptic insights, Harper Lee's powerful story telling. I admire good writing and good writers.
I admire musicians and songwriters, especially musicians talented enough to actually "speak" through their instruments (SRV, Django Reinhardt come first to mind) and songwriters who "take you there" with their descriptions. I admire the music and the heroic struggle of Blind Willie Johnson.
I am honest with myself to recognize that I can be judgmental, pretentious, and vain. I have a sense of humor about it.
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 website
Mowry's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Where do I stand on the issues?
“We are in the final showdown for either a Constitutional Republic or a socialist regime. It’s time to choose.” I think I will be readily labeled Conservative in my political stance – I believe in the sanctity of life from conception onward, I am immediately suspicious of any type of gun legislation, I believe in thorough and pervasive law enforcement and the strong protection of our borders, I believe in keeping our nation’s best interests foremost in our international policy decisions, etc. I can speak rallying points for conservative values just like many others, but finally I think those rallying points are not effectively holding the line against a takeover of our Republic from sinister forces. Fact is, the Legislative Branch has become a shrinking part of national policy while the Executive and Judicial (in other words ‘government’) have expanded. Haven’t you noticed that while government gets big and bigger, our states (We the People) have become small and smaller in terms of making our own decisions? Here’s how I see it: The battle being fought is that of Globalism vs. Nationalism. Conservatives are feeling hedged in and threatened because they are seeing globalist/Marxist forces calling the order of the day. They see what it’s costing our national identity (and pocketbook!). States are also feeling the same way. That’s why we feel defiled when the government shoves a $1,400 pacifier in our mouths to suppress our objections to lock-downs and mask mandates. Here’s how I will vote: I will vote AGAINST any proposal that smacks of globalism -- I will vote FOR any proposal that strengthens our states while augmenting our national unity. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to read bills all the way through, and if they are too long to read before a deadline, I’m going to demand that they be shortened so that my colleagues and I are able to read them. I will resist the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ wherever it is evidenced, I will refuse to ‘just go along’ with the so-called greater good when it is balanced against the inherent virtues of faith, family, and freedom that are ideal to the American character. As with our forefathers, the choices we make in the days ahead will determine how we will have lived for Destiny.[5] |
” |
| —Mark Mowry's campaign website (2022)[6] | ||
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 28, 2021
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 23, 2024
- ↑ Facebook, "Mark Mowry," accessed June 25, 2022
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 23, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mark Mowry for U. S. Senate, “Issues,” accessed June 18, 2022
