Democrats nominate PUC candidate at state convention

A Sioux Falls resident votes in the city and school board election at Southern Hills United Methodist Church on April 9, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

South Dakota Searchlight

The South Dakota Democratic Party has nominated Forrest Wilson, of Lead, as its candidate for the Public Utilities Commission in the Nov. 5 general election.

Wilson is the director at the Lead-Deadwood Boys & Girls Club.

“South Dakotans deserve a public utilities commissioner who will advocate for the everyday utility rate payer,” Wilson said in a news release. “Right now, we don’t have that.”

Wilson will face incumbent Republican Kristie Fiegen, who was nominated recently by her party to run for reelection. A Libertarian, Gideon Oakes, has declared his intent to seek his party’s nomination at its state convention later this month.

Democrats held their state convention over the weekend in Oacoma. They also adopted a platform and selected their national committeeman and commiteewoman, Dennis Olson and Deb Knecht, and chose numerous delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August.