UPDATE MARCH 3, 2022:
The South Dakota Democratic Party asked Ryan Ryder to withdraw his candidacy for U.S. House of Representatives.
“The South Dakota Democratic Party has determined it is not appropriate for Mr. Ryder to continue in this race and requested that he end his candidacy, which he has agreed to,” said Executive Director Berk Ehrmantraut.
“These statements from Mr. Ryder do not live up to the values of the South Dakota Democratic Party, and we do not support this type of language,” said SDDP Chair Randy Seiler.
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UPDATE: MARCH 3, 2022:
The Democratic candidate for South Dakota’s congressional seat has withdrawn from the race one day after announcing his candidacy.
In a news release today (March 3, 2022), Ryan Ryder said, “I am withdrawing my candidacy for US House of Representatives. While tweets I have made in the past were a poor attempt at sarcastic humor, I recognize that they appear to cross a line. I regret that I chose to express myself that way. I apologize specifically to the state party and anyone else for whom these tweets reflected badly.”
Ryder, an Air Force veteran and lawyer from Black Hawk, is under scrutiny for tweets he made from his personal account before he considered running for public office. One of Ryder’s tweets suggested that he should make an animated video of Johnson’s family getting killed. Ryder told The Associated Press the tweet was in response to Johnson’s vote against censuring Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar for a violent cartoon video that depicted killing a character that looked like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ryder said the tweets were unprofessional, but he hopes they open the door to transparency.
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UPDATE MARCH 3, 2022:
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A Democratic candidate for South Dakota’s congressional seat is under scrutiny for tweets he made from his personal account before he considered running for public office. Ryan Ryder is an Air Force veteran and lawyer from Black Hawk. He’s running for the seat held by Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson. One of Ryder’s tweets suggested that he should make an animated video of Johnson’s family getting killed. Ryder told The Associated Press the tweet was in response to Johnson’s vote against censuring Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar for a violent cartoon video that depicted killing a character that looked like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ryder said the tweets were unprofessional, but he hopes they open the door to transparency.
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MARCH 2, 2022:
Democrat Ryan Ryder, a veteran and lawyer from Black Hawk, announced today (March 2, 2022) he is running for Congress.
“I’m Ryan Ryder, and I’m running for Congress to serve all of South Dakota. I’m running because our democracy is stronger when South Dakotans have a real choice at the ballot box,” said Ryder.
“While I respect Rep. Johnson and his primary opponent, there are real differences between us. I believe our state and our nation are more important than party politics. Rep. Johnson voted against the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would have strengthened our democracy across the United States. Rep. Johnson also sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but he voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. That was a bad vote for South Dakota. South Dakota deserves a member of Congress who will put people over party every time.”
Ryan moved to South Dakota in 2001 to serve at Ellsworth Air Force Base. During his time in the Air Force, he served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate (JAG). After his term of service ended he worked as a Deputy State’s Attorney for Pennington County. Ryan is a devoted husband and father to five children.
Over the past several years, Ryan has been active in his community as the President of the Children’s House Montessori School Board and has been involved with the South Dakota Parent Connection, Knights of Columbus, and the Autism Society of the Black Hills. He is a member of South Dakota Partners in Policymaking, and he and his family are active members of Blessed Sacrament Church in Rapid City.
You can find out more by visiting ryderhouse.org
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