The First Bell

People keep asking me why I'm running for South Dakota House. The answer?

I got tired of waiting for someone else to fix it.

I didn’t grow up dreaming about running for office. I became a mom. I became an athletic trainer. I became an educator. I worked in nonprofits and higher education because I believed that helping people and strengthening communities was, meaningful work.

I still believe that.

But somewhere along the way, I realized too many of the decisions affecting our everyday lives were being made by people who weren’t listening to the families living them.

When your property taxes keep climbing, when healthcare becomes harder to access, when our public schools are asked to do more with less, when working families feel like they’re falling behind, well, those aren’t talking points. They’re real problems facing real people.

And I believe government should make everyday life a little easier, not harder.

That’s why I’m running.

I’m running because I want every child to have a strong public school.
Because affordable healthcare shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code.
Because our communities deserve honest leadership that shows up, listens, and does the work.

Will we always agree? Probably not.

But I can promise this: I’ll tell you what I think, I’ll tell you why I think it, and I’ll always remember that this campaign is about the people of District 33.

That’s what The Hall Pass is for.

No political theater. No confusing jargon. Just honest conversations about what’s happening, why it matters, and where we go from here.

Thanks for being here at the beginning.

Until next time... don’t skip civics.

Kari