PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota Republicans will choose between a longtime county prosecutor, a broadly endorsed Yankton attorney and the head of the state Senate judiciary committee in deciding their candidate to face an experienced Democratic former U.S. attorney in the race for state attorney general.
The attorney general contest is the main show for Republican delegates selecting candidates Saturday at their state convention in Pierre. Lawrence County State’s Attorney John Fitzgerald, Yankton lawyer Jason Ravnsborg and state Sen. Lance Russell are the Republican hopefuls.
The winner will face former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler, whom Democrats nominated last week, in November. Republicans dominate in South Dakota politics, but Seiler is viewed as a solid contender because of his long career as a federal prosecutor.
They seek to replace outgoing Attorney General Marty Jackley, who lost the GOP primary for governor, as the state’s chief lawyer and law enforcement officer.
The high-profile office has served as a frequent springboard for gubernatorial hopefuls and takes on the state’s top legal cases, such as South Dakota’s recent successful push to get the U.S. Supreme Court to allow states to make online shoppers pay sales tax.
Fitzgerald, the Lawrence County state’s attorney since 1995, called Seiler a “formidable opponent.” Fitzgerald is touting his own prosecutorial experience, saying he could apply his attorney’s skills to addressing cyber threats, public corruption and keeping people safe from drug cartels.
“When you’ve been a prosecuting attorney for almost four decades, you really have distinguished yourself from anybody,” said Fitzgerald. He said a 1968 mob car bombing in Massachusetts that maimed his father led him to become a prosecutor, “standing up for the rights of victims and trying to keep the place where I live and I love safe.”
Fitzgerald has claimed that Ravnsborg - a deputy state’s attorney for Union County and partner at a Yankton law firm- has “never actually tried as a prosecutor a jury trial.” Ravnsborg didn’t immediately return a telephone message requesting comment from The Associated Press.
Ravnsborg told AP in May that he has a strong background to address South Dakota’s drug problem, and his campaign website lists endorsements from a slew of county sheriffs and other officials. He’s proposed expanding programs that allow lower-level prisoners to work while serving their sentences and establishing a meth-specific prison and a mental health facility in the western part of the state.
The Yankton resident is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
“I thought that I brought a unique set of skills to the race, and so hopefully it’ll work out,” Ravnsborg said in May.
Ravnsborg, the top Republican fundraiser, reported roughly 64,300 in the bank in May. Fitzgerald had $12,400 and Russell $8,100.
Seiler, the Democrat, had more than $61,000.
Russell enjoys an endorsement from Senate President Pro Tempore Brock Greenfield, who said in a statement that he has a “record of defeating Democrats.” A wrinkle in the campaign was a choice Russell faced: withdrawing from the race for his state Senate seat by Friday afternoon to seek the attorney general nomination.
Russell didn’t immediately comment to AP, but Secretary of State Shantel Krebs said Friday he withdrew from the Senate race.
A former state’s attorney and current chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Russell said in May that he wants to be attorney general to address rising crime and improve government transparency.
He said then that South Dakota should have a broader public records law that’s like the federal Freedom of Information Act.
“I want to give back to the community and the state that has given so much to my family for a number of generations,” Russell said at the time. “I decided that I would run for an office that I believe that I’m qualified for at the highest level.”
The state Supreme Court censured Russell in 2011 over his handling of controversial situations when he was Fall River County state’s attorney, the Rapid City Journal reported .
Republicans on Saturday are expected to name candidates for other offices including Larry Rhoden for lieutenant governor; Steve Barnett for secretary of state; Josh Haeder for state treasurer; Rich Sattgast for state auditor; Ryan Brunner for commissioner of School and Public Lands; and Kristie Fiegen for Public Utilities commissioner.
Party Finance Director Dave Roetman said more than 400 delegates are likely to attend.
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