Biden wins Democratic Straw Poll at Sioux Empire Fair
The Minnehaha County Democratic Party hosted a straw poll at their booth at the Sioux Empire Fair to gage local preferences for presidential candidates. With an extensive field of Democratic hopefuls there were many to choose from in the unscientific poll.
Of the 243 ballots submitted,
Joe Biden came in the top choice with just over 26% of the vote.
Elizabeth Warren came in second with 18% and
Bernie Sanders squeaked in at third, receiving less than 1% more votes than Pete Buttigieg.
At least one vote was cast for 18 of the Democratic candidates in a field of over 20 trying to make the final cut.
With so many presidential candidates, what can we take away from this straw poll?
“It’s really too soon to tell, but having the poll brought on a lot of good conversations. Having so many candidates has really put a spotlight on the race. Many stopping by wanted to discuss the debates. We also had a larger number of voter registrations this year which tells me folks are paying attention.” – Nikki Gronli, Minnehaha County Democratic Party Chair
As presidential candidates continue to jockey for position, South Dakota Democratic Party voters will wait patiently for their chance to cast a real ballot in June of 2020.
It seems like campaigning starts earlier and earlier all the time. Once we finally get to the primary, we’ll have a lot less candidates to choose from and we’ll hope the best candidate has risen to the top. Who that is, is in the eye of the beholder.
A surprise, write-in entry in the straw poll was for District 14 Representative Erin Healy. The county party agrees it would be great to see this affective legislator as a future candidate for higher office.