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Matthew Michels
Matthew Michels (b. 1960 in Pierre, South Dakota) was the 38th lieutenant governor of South Dakota, serving from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he was first elected in November 2010 on a ticket with Dennis Daugaard (R). He won re-election in 2014.[1]
Michels previously served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006. He was speaker of the House from 2003 to 2006, making him the first legislator to serve two terms as speaker since the 1950s.[1]
Biography
Michels was born in Pierre and raised in Vermillion. He graduated from Vermillion High School and went on to earn a nursing degree, a bachelor's degree in health services administration, and a law degree from the University of South Dakota.[1]
After law school, Michels was commissioned into the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corp. He served for four years before returning to South Dakota with his wife. He began working in a law practice with Don Bierle focusing on health care and hospital law. He later became a partner with the law firm Michels & Associates, Prof. LLC and served as general counsel for Avera Health.[1]
Education
- Nursing degree (1980)
- B.S. in health services administration, University of South Dakota (1982)
- J.D., University of South Dakota (1985)[1]
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (2011-2019)
Michels was elected lieutenant governor of South Dakota in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014.[1]
After taking office, Michels began serving full-time as lieutenant governor, a position that is traditionally part-time.[2] As such, Michels became the second full-time lieutenant governor in the state's history. However, in April 2012, he announced he would reduce his role to part-time for health and family reasons.[3]
South Dakota House of Representatives (1999-2006)
Michels represented District 18 in the South Dakota House of Representatives for eight years. He served for two years as speaker pro tempore and for four years as speaker of the House.[1]
Elections
2018
Matthew Michels was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2014
Michels ran for re-election as South Dakota Lieutenant Governor in 2014.
Results
General election
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dennis Daugaard/Matthew Michels Incumbent |
70.5% | 195,477 | |
| Democratic | Susan Wismer/Susan Blake | 25.4% | 70,549 | |
| Indpendent | Mike Myers/Lora Hubbel | 4.1% | 11,377 | |
| Total Votes | 277,403 | |||
| Election results via South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2010
Sharing a ticket with Dennis Daugaard, Michels defeated Ben Arndt (D) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| Governor/Lt. Governor of South Dakota, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dennis Daugaard/Matthew Michels |
61.5% | 195,024 | |
| Democratic | Scott Heidepriem/Ben Arndt | 38.5% | 122,010 | |
| Total Votes | 317,034 | |||
| Election results South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
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.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Matthew + Michels + South + Dakota + Lieutenant + Governor"
See also
| South Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Office of the South Dakota Governor, "Matt Michels biography," accessed March 30, 2012
- ↑ Rapid City Journal, "Does South Dakota need a full-time lieutenant governor?" January 10, 2011
- ↑ Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, "Michels Moves To Part-Time Lt. Gov. Role," April 18, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dennis Daugaard (R) |
Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota 2011-2019 |
Succeeded by Larry Rhoden (R) |
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State of South Dakota Pierre (capital) |
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