Thomas Werner

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Thomas Werner

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 2, 2020

Military

Years of service

1993 - 1995

Personal

Birthplace

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Thomas Werner (Republican Party) ran for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 6. He lost in the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.

Werner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Thomas Werner was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He served in the United States Army from 1993 to 1995. Werner pursued his undergraduate education at Colorado Technical University. He serves as the executive director of Neighbors United of the Sioux Empire.

Elections

2020

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 6 (2 seats)

Ernie Otten Jr. and Aaron Aylward defeated Cody Ingle in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 6 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ernie Otten Jr. (R)	45.1	9,504
✔		Aaron Aylward (R)	30.8	6,504
	Submit photo	Cody Ingle (D)	24.1	5,084

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,092
= 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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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Cody Ingle advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 6.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 6 (2 seats)

Ernie Otten Jr. and Aaron Aylward defeated Nathan Block and Thomas Werner in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 6 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ernie Otten Jr.	37.9	1,551
✔		Aaron Aylward	26.8	1,098
	Submit photo	Nathan Block	26.0	1,064
		Thomas Werner	9.4	384

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 4,097
= 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

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Thomas Werner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Werner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hello! I'm Thomas Werner. I am born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD. I am a father of 6 children ages 22-5. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America. I am a youth mentor, coach, and referee for Tea Flag Football and USA Taekwondo. I am a business owner and non-profit leader. My occupation is a Medical Specimen Transport Specialist for the VA.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Trusted Community Advocate
• Family Oriented
• Modern Solutions

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am running to be able to better advocate for our local nonprofits and our community. Many nonprofits in the State of South Dakota face many hurdles in trying to help our community at all levels of government The last few years we have faced many challenges like flooding, tornadoes, and most recently a pandemic and our state is currently ranked 40th in emergency preparedness*. I want to help local non-profits be able to better help us without burdensome government interference.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/06/states-most-and-least-prepared-for-a-disaster/39544679/

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I try to live by the 5 tenants of Taekwondo which I am a black belt of and they are - Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a naturally born leader. I have always been one to try new things and strive to always be the best I can possibly be at them.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I would like to leave is to better prepare the State of South Dakota in the field of Emergency Management. SD is currently ranked 40th in the nation for Emergency Management and I know we can do better.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that is burned into my memory was on Tuesday, January 28th, 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take off killing all souls on board. I was 10 years old and what was supposed to be a joyous day as the first teacher went into space turned into tragedy. This event taught me something that I have always remembered and lived by for the rest of my life. The lesson learned is that it is not a tragedy if you die doing something that you love. You will be missed and your loved ones will grieve naturally but it's also a celebration of life lived to it's fullest. One cannot live by fear. If you try and live with fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of rejection, etc... you will never be able to live at all. For those that are fearless that makes them unstoppable and relentless and that makes them a hero.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book of all time is probably Pilgrims Progress. The values and teachings that the book represents will stay with you forever.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

King Arthur

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I don't often get a song stuck in my head but I do prefer dance music and upbeat mixes.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have survived many struggles in my life. I have survived both parents passing away. I have survived being married more than once. I have survived the struggles of being a single parent of multiple children. There is nothing that this world can throw at you that you can't survive the outcome just may not be the one that you desire.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I feel that I would be the strongest and most passionate in the State Affairs, Transportation, and Retirement Laws committees. I have a lot of experience in these fields and would bring a lot of energy and new ideas to them.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would very much like to someday be a majority leader.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I would very much like to run for U.S. Congress in the future.

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

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Current members of the South Dakota House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Jon Hansen

Majority Leader:Scott Odenbach

Minority Leader:Erin Healy

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas Fosness (R)

Logan Manhart (R)

District 2

David Kull (R)

John Sjaarda (R)

District 3

Al Novstrup (R)

Brandei Schaefbauer (R)

District 4

Dylan Jordan (R)

Kent Roe (R)

District 5

Josephine Garcia (R)

Matt Roby (R)

District 6

Aaron Aylward (R)

Tim Czmowski (R)

District 7

Roger DeGroot (R)

Mellissa Heermann (R)

District 8

Tim Reisch (R)

Tim Walburg (R)

District 9

Tesa Schwans (R)

Bethany Soye (R)

District 10

Bobbi Andera (R)

Erin Healy (D)

District 11

Brian Mulder (R)

Keri Weems (R)

District 12

Amber Arlint (R)

Greg Jamison (R)

District 13

John Hughes (R)

Jack Kolbeck (R)

District 14

Tony Kayser (R)

Taylor Rehfeldt (R)

District 15

Erik Muckey (D)

Kadyn Wittman (D)

District 16

Karla Lems (R)

John Shubeck (R)

District 17

Chris Kassin (R)

William Shorma (R)

District 18

Julie Auch (R)

Mike Stevens (R)

District 19

Jessica Bahmuller (R)

Drew Peterson (R)

District 20

Jeff Bathke (R)

Kaley Nolz (R)

District 21

Jim Halverson (R)

Marty Overweg (R)

District 22

Lana Greenfield (R)

Kevin Van Diepen (R)

District 23

Spencer Gosch (R)

Scott Moore (R)

District 24

Will Mortenson (R)

Mike Weisgram (R)

District 25

Jon Hansen (R)

Leslie Heinemann (R)

District 26A

Eric Emery (D)

District 26B

Rebecca Reimer (R)

District 27

Elizabeth May (R)

Peri Pourier (D)

District 28A

Jana Hunt (R)

District 28B

Travis Ismay (R)

District 29

Terri Jorgenson (R)

Kathy Rice (R)

District 30

Tim Goodwin (R)

Trish Ladner (R)

District 31

Mary Fitzgerald (R)

Scott Odenbach (R)

District 32

Steve Duffy (R)

Nicole Uhre-Balk (D)

District 33

Phil Jensen (R)

Curt Massie (R)

District 34

Heather Baxter (R)

Mike Derby (R)

District 35

Tina Mulally (R)

Tony Randolph (R)

Republican Party (64)

Democratic Party (6)