Steven Joseph Barnett (born September 8, 1978) is an American

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 ...

politician who served as the

Secretary of State of South Dakota The secretary of state of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current secretary of state is Monae Johnson. Divisions The secretary of state's office is composed of three divisions: *ThBus ...

from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as state auditor of

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 ...

from 2011 to 2019.

Biography

Barnett graduated from Roncalli High School in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen ( Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre. The city population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populous ci ...

, from where he is a native. He is the grandson of Joseph H. Barnett, who served as Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives in 1975 and 1976. Barnett graduated with a bachelor's degree from the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship uni ...

and with a master's degree from the

University of Sioux Falls The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private BaptistChristian university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and ...

. He served as a Constituent Services Representative for Senator

John Thune John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005, and as the Senate minority whip since 2021. A member of the Re ...

from 2005 until 2010. Barnett was first elected auditor in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, defeating Democratic state senator Julie Bartling with 61% of the vote. He was reelected in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, defeating Libertarian Kurt Evans with 80% of the vote. Barnett was elected

in 2018. Barnett ran for a second term in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, but lost the nomination at a party convention to

Monae Johnson Monae Johnson is an American politician from South Dakota. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, she is the South Dakota Secretary of State. Johnson worked for the office of the South Dakota Secretary of State for eight years. She anno ...

. Barnett resigned from office early to return to the private sector.https://www.blackhillsfox.com/2022/12/02/monae-johnson-becomes-sd-secretary-state-little-early/

Personal life

Barnett and his wife, Nicole, have 3 children: Emma, Henry, and William.

References

External links

State Auditor website
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Steve 1978 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Politicians from Aberdeen, South Dakota Secretaries of State of South Dakota South Dakota Republicans State Auditors of South Dakota University of Sioux Falls alumni University of South Dakota alumni