Daniel Paul Ahlers is an American businessman and politician who was the Democratic nominee for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

in the 2020 election, which he lost to

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 ...

incumbent

Mike Rounds Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota ...

. Ahlers was a Democratic member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...

(2006–08 and 2017–19) and 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 Li ...

(2008–10), representing District 25, which encompasses Dell Rapids and areas north and northeast of

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

Early life, education, and business career

Daniel "Dan" Paul Ahlers was born in

Dell Rapids, South Dakota Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,996 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is known as "The Little City with the Big Attractions." The city to ...

, on November 14, 1973. His family moved to Rapid City and

Gillette, Wyoming Gillette (, '' jih-LET'') is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The town was founded in 1891 as a major railway town on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The population was estimated at 32,030 a ...

, before returning to Dell Rapids when he was in high school. He graduated from

Dell Rapids High School Dell Rapids High School is a high school located in Dell Rapids, South Dakota Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,996 at the 2020 census. It is known as "The Little City with the Big Att ...

, where he participated in concert and jazz band, newspaper, basketball, and cross country. Ahlers was an assistant manager at

Menards Menards is an American home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Menards is owned by founder John Menard Jr. through his privately held company, Menard, Inc. It has 335 stores in 15 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

from 1992 to 2001. He graduated from

Augustana University Augustana University is a private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The university identifies 1860 as the year of its founding, the same as its Rock Island, Illinois Swedish-heritage sister school, Augustana College. It derives ...

in 1997 with a Bachelor's of Arts in government and international affairs. In 1999, Ahlers opened Video Plus, a video rental store in Dell Rapids. He also opened Video Plus stores in Hartford, South Dakota and

Tea, South Dakota Tea is a city in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States and is a suburb of Sioux Falls. The population was 5,598 at the 2020 census. Tea was laid out in 1894. The name "Tea" was selected on account of its brevity. Geography Tea is located ...

, selling both in 2005. The Dell Rapids Video Plus closed in 2019. Ahlers has been a substitute teacher in the Dell Rapids School District. He also owned Jabberwock Coffee House from 2008 to 2011. Ahlers has served community organizations as a Kids Voting South Dakota board member, a Carroll Institute board member, president of the Haven before & after school program, and president of the Dell Rapids Community Fund. As of June 2020, Ahlers is president and interim administrator of the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce.

South Dakota State Legislature

Ahlers served in the

in 2007–08, in the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 2009–10, and again in state house in 2017–18. He narrowly lost his 2018 reelection bid, receiving 101 fewer votes than

Tom Pischke to represent the district in 2019–20.

U.S. Senate campaign

On September 24, 2019, Ahlers filed a Statement of Organization to form a committee to run for the

. Ahlers was the Democratic nominee for

in the

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

election, which he lost to Republican incumbent

Personal life

Ahlers is married to Amy. They have two children.

References

External links

South Dakota Legislature - Dan Ahlers
government website
Campaign website
*''Follow the Money'' - Dan Ahlers
20082006
campaign contributions , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlers, Dan 1973 births Living people Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives People from Dell Rapids, South Dakota Augustana University alumni 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2020 United States Senate elections