James Arnold Bradford (October 18, 1933November 16, 2020) was a rancher, teacher, politician and 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 Li ...

, representing the 27th district between 2009 and 2017. He first was elected to office in 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 ...

. He was an

Oglala Sioux The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

Career

Bradford had a career as a public school teacher before deciding to run for office. He lived on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

, where he also had a ranch.

Political career

Bradford was first elected to office as a Democratic member of the state

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. In 2008, he switched parties to the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

after having lost the Democratic primary to the incumbent Democratic senator Theresa Two Bulls. No Republican opposed him, and he narrowly won the election over Two Bulls by 277 votes. A year after winning re-election to the state senate, Bradford switched back to the Democratic Party.

References

External links

South Dakota Legislature - Jim Bradford
official SD House website
Project Vote Smart - Representative James 'Jim' Bradford (SD)
profile * ''Follow the Money'' - Jim Bradford *
200820062004
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campaign contributions 1933 births 2020 deaths 21st-century American politicians Members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Native American state legislators in South Dakota South Dakota Democrats South Dakota Republicans South Dakota state senators People from Pine Ridge, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-politician-stub