Ft. Pierre, South Dakota– At a special SCC meeting in Ft. Pierre this past Saturday, Shane Merrill was named the South Dakota Democratic Party’s interim chair.
“I look forward to working with other members to build a stronger South Dakota Democratic Party.” -Shane Merrill Interim Chair.
Shane is a farmer from Parker, SD. He has been an active Democrat since the age of 18. Shane got his start working on the Stephanie Herseth- Sandlin campaign as well as the Tom Jones for State House campaign. He became active with the Turner County Democrats and was soon elected vice chair.
In 2014, Shane ran for city council in Parker. At age 22, he was elected the youngest council member is Parker’s history. Two years later, Shane ran for state senate, a race he narrowly lost.
Shane has continued to be an active member of the South Dakota Democratic Party serving two terms on the party executive board. He was awarded the Richard Kneip Young Democrat Award in 2022 for his work in grassroots organizing.
“We are excited to have Shane lead our organization.” -Larry Olsen SDDP Treasurer.