Thor Bardon
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Thor Bardon (Republican Party) ran for election to the South Dakota State Senate to represent District 15. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Bardon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bardon's professional experience includes working as an aviation instructor and table games dealer. He attended Colorado Technical University. Bardon is affiliated with Minnehaha Lodge #5.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: South Dakota State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Dakota State Senate District 15
Incumbent Reynold Nesiba defeated Thor Bardon in the general election for South Dakota State Senate District 15 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Reynold Nesiba (D) | 54.7 | 4,127 |
 | Thor Bardon (R)  | 45.3 | 3,411 | |
| Total votes: 7,538 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Burge (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Reynold Nesiba advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota State Senate District 15.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Thor Bardon advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota State Senate District 15.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brenda Lawrence (R)
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Thor Bardon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bardon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My name is Thor Bardon. I am excited to be your next State Senator for District 15 in South Dakota. I am a moderate conservative, open-minded, and a strong community advocate.
- Moderate Conservative
- Open-Minded
- Community Advocate
I am personally passionate about social services, ethical government, and transportation.
The best way to understand my political philosophy is to ask me. I sincerely appreciate questions and civil discussion about any topic as it relates to the position.
Integrity and not pandering. I have a lot of respect for someone who is willing to tell me that they disagree with my point of view and still be able to have a civil conversation. I act in this fashion as well because I have learned that people who take the time to listen, will be best informed on their opinion.
I believe my honesty, integrity, and ability to keep an open mind would make me a successful officeholder.
I believe the core responsibilities for someone elected to State Senate are to act in a fashion that is fitting of the office and that this person remembers that they are not being elected a leader, they are being elected a person to represent the people.
I want a legacy that shows I knew how to serve the people when I leave office.
A lot of events that have happened since 1988 are important. The one I remember best is when the terrorist attacks happened on September 11, 2001. I was in grade school and I remember that this was the first time that I learned about what terrorism is and how strong communities can make us safer.
My favorite book is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I can remember the first time I read the book, I was just in awe of the world that came to life in the pages of that book. I will never forget it.
If I could be any fictional character it would probably be Harry Potter. He grew up tough, but ended up making a significant impact for the betterment of his community and the world as a whole. He wasn't perfect, but he did almost everything he could to help other people.
Can't Get It Out of My Head by Electric Light Orchestra
I am an abuse survivor and autistic. My childhood was really tough, but it tough me perseverance and I use my experience to advocate for children that go through the foster care system and other social service missions. Social skills used to be really difficult for me, but just like everyone else, as long as we work hard towards our goals, we will be successful in our ventures.
I feel that the most important difference between the two chambers is that the State Senate also has the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs committee. Other than this difference, both legislative chambers share an incredible responsibility to ensure that they are doing their best to represent the people in their district and our state as a whole.
Yes! It is incredibly beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics. I ran for office two years ago for Central District Sioux Falls. During my campaign and since, I have had the amazing opportunity to build relationships with many current and former state legislators. Getting things done in the capital requires there to be healthy relationships. This is by far what I believe to be the biggest reason why I should be elected over my opponent.
I believe our state's greatest challenge will be to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. After facing significant impacts from the trade war, the pandemic added even more obstacles to building a stronger South Dakota. While finances are a large part of the impact, I think we should focus even more on the mental and physical impacts that affect our residents as a result of the added stressors of dealing with the pandemic.
The ideal relationship to me is that the legislators are viewed as representatives of their district, and the governor is the administrator of state government that is a representative of the state as a whole. Everyone should be working for the people.
Yes, without a doubt. You must be able to work professionally with your peers. That would be incredibly difficult without establishing that relationship with them, regardless of the party they are registered with.
Senate Health and Human Services
Senate State Affairs
Senate Transportation
As a first time State Senator, I'm not sure that I would be prepared to be in party leadership. I want to be a representative of the people and if they elect me to leadership, I would be incredibly humbled.
I want to model myself off of the political stylings of Jack Kolbeck and Steve Haugaard. I have spoken with both of these legislators and they are well liked by everyone and are amazing listeners even if you have an opinion that differs from theirs.
I would love an opportunity to serve as a State Senator first before considering any further political offices.
When I was running for city council a couple years ago, I had a young gentleman talk to me about his journey to come to South Dakota from Africa. He waited 12 years and finally won the lottery to immigrate from his country to the US. He came to Sioux Falls, worked hard to achieve all of his goals, and is now a branch manager for a bank. I feel incredibly grateful that our amazing state is where so many immigrants come to forge their new free lives and live the "American Dream".
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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 19, 2020
Current members of the South Dakota State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Jim Mehlhaff
Minority Leader:Liz Larson
Senators
District 1
Michael Rohl (R)
District 2
Steve Kolbeck (R)
District 3
Carl Perry (R)
District 4
Stephanie Sauder (R)
District 5
Glen Vilhauer (R)
District 6
Ernie Otten (R)
District 7
Tim Reed (R)
District 8
Casey Crabtree (R)
District 9
Joy Hohn (R)
District 10
Liz Larson (D)
District 11
Chris Karr (R)
District 12
Arch Beal (R)
District 13
Sue Peterson (R)
District 14
Larry Zikmund (R)
District 15
Jamie Smith (D)
District 16
Kevin Jensen (R)
District 17
Sydney Davis (R)
District 18
Lauren Nelson (R)
District 19
Kyle Schoenfish (R)
District 20
Paul Miskimins (R)
District 21
MyKala Voita (R)
District 22
Brandon Wipf (R)
District 23
Mark Lapka (R)
District 24
Jim Mehlhaff (R)
District 25
Tom Pischke (R)
District 26
Tamara Grove (R)
District 27
Red Foster (D)
District 28
J. Marty (R)
District 29
John Carley (R)
District 30
Amber Hulse (R)
District 31
Randy Deibert (R)
District 32
Helene Duhamel (R)
District 33
Curt Voight (R)
District 34
Taffy Howard (R)
District 35
Greg Blanc (R)
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (3)
