Aaron Matson
Aaron Matson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 11. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024. The Democratic primary for this office on June 4, 2024, was canceled.
Matson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Aaron Matson was born in Watertown, South Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree from Northern State University in 2002 and a graduate degree from the Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 2008. He also earned a Ph.D. from the University of South Dakota in 2017.
Matson's career experience includes working as a pastor and as an adjunct faculty member at Bellevue University, where he taught political science courses.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
The primary occurred on June 4, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Aaron Matson and Sonja Mentzer are running in the general election for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Aaron Matson (D) | ||
 | Sonja Mentzer (D) | |
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Aaron Matson and Sonja Mentzer advanced from the Democratic primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Incumbent Brian Mulder, John Kunnari, Bill Linsenmeyer, and Keri Weems ran in the Republican primary for South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 on June 4, 2024.
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Endorsements
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2018
- See also: South Dakota Treasurer election, 2018
General election
General election for South Dakota Treasurer
Josh Haeder defeated Aaron Matson in the general election for South Dakota Treasurer on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Josh Haeder (R) | 62.3 | 195,019 |
| Aaron Matson (D) | 37.7 | 117,763 | ||
| Total votes: 312,782 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aaron Matson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Matson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a fourth-generation South Dakotan with deep roots in the state. My parents were public school teachers; from them, I learned important habits like hard work, a love of learning, prioritizing family, and being a good neighbor. They taught me the values that guide me to this day, like integrity, compassion, and humility.
I have spent the last 20 years following my calling as an ordained pastor and have also earned a PhD in Political Science. The habits and values instilled in me as a young person, as well as my training and experiences as a pastor and political science, give me a profound sense of calling to make my community and state the best place to live possible.
- I want to help bring back common values, common decency, and common sense to our state government.
- I’m running because I want to make South Dakota an even better place to live, a place where all South Dakotans have a good quality of life and know the blessings of freedom, opportunity, and security.
- Even more than specific issues, I want to help change the attitude of the state government from a focus on what will get the governor or certain legislators press attention, or cable news interviews, to what we can do together to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
If I'm elected, I will work for a good quality of life for all the people of our state built on common values like freedom, opportunity, and security for all. This means focusing on issues like:
- Affordable, quality child care that pays a living wage,
- Great schools for our kids with great educators who are paid a competitive salary,
- Freedom for every woman to make decisions about her own body and for every person to live without fear of being targeted by their state legislature for who they are or who they love,
- Opportunity for all voters to make their voice heard,
- An economy where entrepreneurs, business owners, and workers thrive, and
- Expanded access to affordable housing, healthcare, and food.
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, Grassroots: The Autobiography of George McGovern
Elected officials should be good listeners and hard workers. They should be people who display honesty and integrity and put the people they serve, their state, and their country above their own ambitions.
I am a hard worker, eager to listen and learn, and be a good neighbor. I have strong core values like honesty, integrity, compassion, and humility. My life experiences growing up in this state, serving as a pastor, and earning a PhD in Political Science have instilled in me a strong sense of public service and a desire to put my skills to work in elected office.
My answer here is similar to the previous question. In addition, they should uphold their office, to, among other things, “support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of South Dakota, and will faithfully discharge the duties of (senator, representative or officer) according to the best of [their] abilities.”
The Doctor from Doctor Who
My answers here are similar to the issues I would focus on if elected – affordable child care, health care, and housing, good schools with good teachers who are paid competitively, restoring and protecting freedoms and equality for all South Dakotans, and building an economy that works for everyone.
Yes. Building relationships with other legislators will help us find common ground with one another and work together better for the sake of the people we serve.
A legislator from the recent past who I admire and would model my service after is Billie Sutton. He worked hard for the people of South Dakota, served with integrity, and built good relationships with members of both parties, which helped him in legislating effectively.
Not at this time.
Commerce and Energy, Education, Health and Human Services, and Appropriations.
Financial transparency and government accountability are essential to good governance on all levels of government. These are areas where South Dakota has fallen short on for too long.
The only changes I would support would be rolling back some of the changes made in the past year by the Legislature, which have made it harder for the people of South Dakota to make their voices heard through the ballot initiative process.
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.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate South Dakota House of Representatives District 11 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 2, 2024
