Bernie P. Hunhoff (born September 5, 1951 in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the

South Dakota Senate The Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district; it meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''92nd Legislature (2019)'' Officers L ...

representing District 18 from 1993 to 1999 and 2015 to 2017. Hunhoff was also a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for District 18 from 2009 to 2015. He served as the House minority leader during that time. Hunhoff is also a writer and journalist. He wrote for the '' Madison Daily Leader'' and the ''

Watertown Public Opinion The ''Watertown Public Opinion'' is published in Watertown, South Dakota, United States, serving eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. The fourth largest newspaper in South Dakota publishes in the afternoon, Tuesday through Friday. Hist ...

'' in South Dakota before starting his own weekly paper, the '' Missouri Valley Observer'', in 1978. In 1985 he founded '' South Dakota Magazine'', a bimonthly journal that explores the history, culture and geography of the state. He has also authored and co-authored several books, including ''Uniquely South Dakota'', ''South Dakota Curiosities'' and ''South Dakota's Best Stories''. He married Myrna Mulloy in 1974. They have two children, Katie and Christian, and four grandchildren. They live in Yankton.

Education

Hunhoff attended University of South Dakota-Springfield and earned his BA from

Mount Marty College Mount Marty University is a private Benedictine university in Yankton, South Dakota. Athletics The Mount Marty athletic teams are called the Lancers. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), pr ...

in 1974. He is a 1969 graduate of Yankton High School and attended rural country schools.

Elections

*2012 When incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Representative Nick Moser left the Legislature and left a District 18 seat open, Hunhoff ran in the June 5, 2012 Democratic Primary; in the four-way November 6, 2012 General election, Hunhoff took the first seat with 5,589 votes (31.4%) and Republican nominee Mike Stevens took the second seat ahead of Republican nominee Thomas Stotz and Democratic nominee Charlie Gross. *1992 When Senate District 18 incumbent Republican Senator Elmer Bietz left the seat open, Hunhoff ran in the June 2, 1992 Democratic Primary and placed first by 8 votes with 1,074 votes (50.2%), including an

election recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...

that did not change the result; and won the November 3, 1992 General election with 6,349 votes (68.94%) against Republican nominee Clifford Groseth. *1994 Hunhoff was unopposed for both the June 7, 1994 Democratic Primary and the November 8, 1994 General election, winning with 7,024 votes. *1996 Hunhoff was unopposed for both the 1996 Democratic Primary and the November 5, 1996 General election, winning with 7,103 votes. *1998 To challenge incumbent Republican

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

Bill Janklow William John Janklow (September 13, 1939January 12, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician and member of the Republican Party who holds the record for the longest tenure as Governor of South Dakota: sixteen years in office. Janklow had the t ...

, Hunhoff won the 1998 Democratic Primary, but lost the November 3, 1998 South Dakota Gubernatorial election to Governor Janklow and his running mate

Carole Hillard Carole Kay Hillard (née Rypkema; August 14, 1936 – October 25, 2007) was the first woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. Personal Hillard was born in Deadwood, South Dakota, August 14, 1936 to Edward Rypkema and Vernell ...

. Hunhoff's running mate was Elsie Meeks, the first Native American woman to be a nominee for statewide office in the state. *2008 When House District 18 incumbent Republican Representative Charlotte Gilson left the Legislature and left a District 18 seat open, Hunhoff ran in the June 3, 2008 Democratic Primary; in the four-way November 4, 2008 General election Hunhoff took the first seat with 6,014 votes (34%) and Republican nominee Nick Moser took the second seat ahead of incumbent Democratic Representative and former Senator

Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS network ...

and Republican nominee Daniel Rupiper. *2010 Hunhoff ran in the June 8, 2010 Democratic Primary; in the four-way November 2, 2010 General election, incumbent Republican Representative Moser took the first seat and Hunhoff took the second seat with 4,957 votes (31.9%) ahead of former Representative Charlotte Gilson and fellow Democratic nominee Jay Williams. *2014 Hunhoff ran unopposed in the June 3rd, 2014 Democratic Primary. Hunhoff than ran for the District 18 Senate seat, which was held by his sister-in-law Republican Jean Hunhoff. In the November 4, 2014 General election, Hunhoff defeated Republican nominee Matt Stone; Hunhoff won with 4,300 votes.

References

External links

Official page
at the

South Dakota Legislature The South Dakota State Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, whic ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunhoff, Bernie 1951 births Living people People from Yankton, South Dakota Democratic Party South Dakota state senators University of South Dakota–Springfield alumni Mount Marty College alumni 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists