Russell Graeff
Russell Graeff (Democratic Party) ran for election to the South Dakota State Senate to represent District 19. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Graeff completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Graeff was a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 19 of the South Dakota State Senate. Stace Nelson defeated Graeff in the general election.
Biography
Russell Graeff earned a bachelor's degree from Ashbourne College in 2004.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for South Dakota State Senate District 19
Incumbent Kyle Schoenfish defeated Russell Graeff in the general election for South Dakota State Senate District 19 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kyle Schoenfish (R) | 82.3 | 7,906 |
 | Russell Graeff (D)  | 17.7 | 1,702 | |
| Total votes: 9,608 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Daniel Brandt (D)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Daniel Brandt advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 19.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kyle Schoenfish advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 19.
2016
Elections for the South Dakota State Senate 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. Incumbent Bill Van Gerpen (R) did not seek re-election.
Stace Nelson defeated Russell Graeff in the South Dakota State Senate District 19 general election.[2][3]
| South Dakota State Senate, District 19 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Stace Nelson |
78.20% | 8,636 | |
| Democratic | Russell Graeff | 21.80% | 2,408 | |
| Total Votes | 11,044 | |||
| Source: South Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Russell Graeff ran unopposed in the South Dakota State Senate District 19 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| South Dakota State Senate, District 19 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Russell Graeff (unopposed) | |
Stace Nelson defeated Caleb Finck in the South Dakota State Senate District 19 Republican primary.[4][5]
| South Dakota State Senate, District 19 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Stace Nelson |
57.72% | 1,552 | |
| Republican | Caleb Finck | 42.28% | 1,137 | |
| Total Votes | 2,689 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Russell Graeff completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Graeff's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Born in Williamsport, PA, was mostly raised / schooled in So. Calif., met Joni, (married >25yrs. now Dec.), moved and developed businesses in central CA, AZ and IN. We adopted our son in 1996 after a lengthy process attempting to conceive naturally.
When Dan Brandt, (our ONLY "D" candidate for any State 2002 office in District 19) needed to withdraw, the D-19 Central Committee Board nominated that I would be his replacement on the ballot for 2022, occurring at the meeting on 08-03-2022.- The biggest issue I see for South Dakota is the single party leadership which needs to be at least more balanced in Pierre. There should never be a wanton disregard for ballot initiatives/initiated measures brought forth by the people of SD, stomped on & ignored for legally already decided upon / voted upon issues, nor try to sneak in new Constitutional changes (i.e. "C" on 06-07-0722) when so few would see or notice. Then, why would only 32% of voters turn out to eradicate this? We, the PEOPLE need to show up & vote! In BIG numbers!
- For the two upcoming Ballot measures for all of S.D,: We have Constitutional Amendment "D" on the ballot for expanding Medicaid benefits (YES, again) Then we also have Initiated Measure "27" which decriminalizes Marijuana in S.D, but has restrictions. This again, has already been previously voted on and approved by the People of South Dakota. (YES) I am Pro Life...always have been (in my careers), saved and proteced lives. However, I also respect the choices of patients who could refuse a treatment or procedure...that's Their RIGHT. (Perhaps I'm pro-choice?) If it were not for "choice", the birth mother of our adopted son would have received an abortion. (That was HER choice). So, isn't it interesting we now have new laws and regulations
- Please make the effort to vote. Vote for a change. Elections and Voting have a huge pricetag. Since the State and your local County have invested in providing & protecting your right to vote, please utilize this investment, already paid for.
Initiated Measure "27" An initiated measure legalizing the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana. Vote Yes.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 28, 2022
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Candidate List," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 South Dakota Secretary of State, "State primary results," accessed June 7, 2016
