| Will Mortenson, Republican estate planning attorney and part-time cow hand, announced his candidacy for the state House of Representatives District 24 at an event held in Pierre on Wednesday, November 13.
“I am invested in the future of central South Dakota. I grew up here, started a career and family here, and want our community to remain a great place for decades to come,” said Mortenson.
Over one hundred friends, community leaders, and curious voters gathered at the St. Charles lounge for Mortenson’s kickoff event. At the event, Mortenson emphasized the need to build the kind of state and the kind of communities we want for ourselves and our kids.
“No one is going to do it for us. We have to be self-reliant. I want to help build the future we want for our state and for central South Dakota,” Mortenson said.
Mortenson is a common sense, conservative Republican. He listed his bedrock issues as education and agriculture. He is focused on low taxes, protecting constitutional rights, and addressing mental health and addiction issues.
Mortenson, 31, is an estate planning, business, and ag law attorney at a small firm in Fort Pierre. He also works part-time as a cow hand on the family’s cow-calf operation in northern Stanley County. Mortenson grew up in Fort Pierre, graduated from Riggs High in Pierre, and earned degrees from USD and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before law school, he worked in Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s administration on education, workforce, and criminal justice policy. He and his wife, Shuree, live in Pierre and have a two-year-old son, Augie. Mortenson is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Mortenson plans to attend events in Onida, Highmore, and Fort Pierre in the coming months as well. Both seats in District 24 House are vacated by Rep. Mary Duvall and Rep. Tim Rounds, both of whom are term limited. District 24 includes Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, and Sully counties. |
