{"id":10484,"date":"2020-08-12T23:47:39","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T04:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/ahlers-makes-bid-for-u-s-senate-against-mike-rounds\/"},"modified":"2020-08-12T23:47:39","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T04:47:39","slug":"ahlers-makes-bid-for-u-s-senate-against-mike-rounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/ahlers-makes-bid-for-u-s-senate-against-mike-rounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Ahlers makes bid for U.S. Senate against Mike Rounds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Senate Candidate Dan Ahlers<\/strong>, a Democrat, will go up against former governor and incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds<\/strong>, a Republican, in November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s been twelve years since South Dakota elected a Democrat for the United States Senate.<\/p>\n

Dan Ahlers is hoping to change that in November. Ahlers is attempting to win the Senate seat in a conservative state that hasn\u2019t elected a Democratic Senator since 2008 when Tim Johnson defeated Joel Dykstra.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to electability, don\u2019t tell the Dell Rapids businessman that he doesn\u2019t have more than a decent shot of defeating incumbent Mike Rounds.<\/p>\n

Ahlers is a three-time South Dakota legislator representing District 25, one of the more conservative districts in the state. But despite that disadvantage of campaigning in a gerrymandered district that covers northern Minnehaha County and wraps Sioux Falls metro to include the wealthy southern portion of the city, Ahlers found success. He\u2019s the only Democrat to win in that district in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

His approach to winning in that district was a simple one, and it\u2019s what he said he\u2019s banking on in November to unseat Rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just went out and met people and talked to them. That\u2019s how I got elected three times in a district where I shouldn\u2019t have been able to win,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to make yourself available, and what it really comes down to is customer service. Making sure people are heard \u2013 no matter if they\u2019re mad at me \u2013 or if they just need help. That\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahlers owned three Video Plus locations in Dell Rapids, Hartford and Tea. He\u2019s been a community leader in southeastern South Dakota ever since graduating from Augustana University in 1997 with a degree in Government International Relations, serving on the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the Hartford Development Corporation, the Dell Rapids Community Fund and the Dell Rapids Haven program.<\/p>\n

He said one thing that has served him well, both as a business owner and as a state representative, is accessibility to his customers. He was known as one of the few representatives in Pierre to list his cell phone number on the state\u2019s website. Should he win in November and head to Washington, that policy won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy cell number is already out there, and it\u2019s not like it\u2019s going to change,\u201d he said with a chuckle. \u201cAfter I was elected, I always made sure that I showed up to as many coffees as I could, answered every question I could and answered every email that I possibly could.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a policy he said that will trickle down to his staff in Washington. Even though his constituent list would grow if he defeats Rounds, things won\u2019t change when it comes to communication with those he serves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can guarantee you that everyone who works for me will know that the first time I don\u2019t get a message that I should get, there\u2019s going to be a problem. You have to have those interactions, good and bad,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to help a lot of people over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahlers said he\u2019s the first to admit that running as a Democrat in such a conservative state brings certain challenges. But, he said, it\u2019s working for the public that makes it worthwhile.<\/p>\n

He said working in the state legislature was a natural extension after being a small business owner and community leader. \u201cEver since I was a kid, I heard people voice their frustrations about how the government isn\u2019t working for them and people aren\u2019t listening to them. I want people to believe in their government,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you hear people being really negative about the people in Washington and they feel they aren\u2019t being represented, it\u2019s a call-to-action for those of us that enjoy serving.\u201d<\/p>\n

In early 2019, Ahlers said he hadn\u2019t given the U.S. Senate run a lot of thought. But the recent unrest in Washington bothered him, and he said \u201cenough is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even though the current climate in Washington is a volatile one, Ahlers said it\u2019s the main reason he chose to run. \u201cI\u2019m so tired of the partisanship. It\u2019s us vs. them. It\u2019s either this way or that way. Life isn\u2019t like that. We have to be able to look at things from multiple perspectives and different angles to get a full picture of what is going on around us,\u201d he said. \u201cI can guarantee people aren\u2019t going to agree on everything, but if we\u2019re having a conversation, we\u2019re going to learn what we have in common. That\u2019s how we move things forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahlers said many of his friends in the state legislature were Republicans. There were many bills, he said, in Pierre that needed bi-partisanship in order to pass. He said he\u2019s proud of his work with colleagues across the aisle.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who say that working together and across the aisle doesn\u2019t work, certainly don\u2019t know me very well,\u201d Ahlers said. \u201cThey don\u2019t know how hard I\u2019m willing to go to work. Talk to anyone I\u2019ve worked with in the legislature or within the community, they will tell you that once I\u2019m committed to something, I give it everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points to the Affordable Care Act, which was passed in 2010, as a prime example of Washington not communicating and working together. That act was passed by one party, and over the past 10 years, the other party has been slowly picking at it, slowly trying to dismantle everything that was done.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t ever have lasting change unless we can do it together,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the past 10 years of the Affordable Care Act, those two sides haven\u2019t been able to come together to find a solution. That\u2019s reckless and irresponsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only is Ahlers relying on his work ethic and background to help him for a potential win in November, he\u2019s also quick to point out flaws in his opponent.<\/p>\n

Ahlers said a $127 million South Dakota structural budget deficit when Rounds was governor still has him troubled. That deficit led to cuts in services to health care facilities and education. He also points to two financial scandals in Pierre that cost state taxpayers millions of dollars, and a federal deficit that continues to balloon when Rounds promised fiscal responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Mike Rounds had to run on his record and didn\u2019t have an \u2018R\u2019 behind his name, would you vote for him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Tom Savage is a freelance writer and Magazine Editor. His work has appeared in national media outlets from coast-to-coast)<\/p>\n

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Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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U.S. Senate Candidate Dan Ahlers, a Democrat, will go up against former governor and incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican, in November. It\u2019s been twelve years since South Dakota elected a Democrat for the United States Senate. Dan Ahlers is hoping to change that in November. Ahlers is attempting to <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> August 12, 2020<\/p>\n

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