Val Parsley

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

Val Parsley

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

South Dakota State University, 1974

Graduate

University of South Dakota, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Madison, S.D.

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Val Parsley (Democratic Party) ran for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 8. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Val Parsley was born in Madison, South Dakota. She obtained a bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University in 1974 and a master's degree from the University of South Dakota in 2002. Her professional experience includes working as a secondary teacher of English and German. She is involved with Rotary International and Habitat for Humanity.

Elections

2020

See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 8 (2 seats)

Incumbent Marli Wiese and incumbent Randy Gross defeated Val Parsley and John Kessinger in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marli Wiese (R)	35.5	7,029
✔		Randy Gross (R)	32.0	6,327
		Val Parsley (D)	21.5	4,260
	Submit photo	John Kessinger (D)	10.9	2,162

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,778
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joan Stamm (D)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Val Parsley and Joan Stamm advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 8.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Randy Gross and incumbent Marli Wiese advanced from the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 8.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Val Parsley is married and has three adult children and one grandson. She is a retired teacher and school administrator who is active in community and church. She spends much of her retirement time doing volunteer work which includes valet parking at a hospital, delivering Meals on Wheels, and working on Habitat for Humanity projects locally and abroad. She is a member of Rotary International. Her favorite pastimes are being with her family and friends, traveling, gardening, and reading. Parsley believes that government should serve the people.

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?

• The purpose of a representative form of government is to serve all the people of our state.
• All children should have access to pre-school provided by local districts, so that they have a solid foundation going into kindergarten.
• All people who need affordable healthcare should be guaranteed they have access to it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

It is the responsibility of government to take care of its citizens. All policy that promotes the welfare of its people is what interests me most.

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

An elected official needs to be a person of integrity who is trustworthy and works to accomplish meaningful goals.

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

I am a compassionate person. I believe all people should be treated equitably and legislation should never discriminate against any of its citizens.

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

The assassination of JFK. It was a very sad time-I was 11.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee discussed social issues that were not often dealt with during the time period in which the story takes place.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Many state legislators are elected without having had previous political experience. It is up to each legislator to do their best to become knowledgeable about the issues that affect their constituents. A background in government and / or politics is helpful but not necessarily essential.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is imperative that legislators build relationships with other legislators, so that opposing sides can better be able to compromise on bills. Legislators of all parties need to work together for the common good. Legislators who are knowledgeable on certain topics can share their information and / or expertise with other legislators.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Creating an independent redistricting committee is the fairest process. None of the parties should have a major influence.

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

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

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)

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 (63)

Democratic Party (6)