Candidate · November 3, 2026
Dan Ahlers
On the ballot for Governor · South Dakota
- issues with public statements
- 5
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | Governor · South Dakota1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | DEM1 |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Dan Ahlers has lived in Dell Rapids for more than 20 years and has owned and operated a small business there.2 He has served as president of the Haven Before and After School Program, the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the Dell Rapids Community Fund.2 He represented District 25 in the South Dakota Legislature for six years and served on its Appropriations Committee.2,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running because families are being squeezed by rising costs and politics too often gets in the way of practical solutions, and that he wants to make South Dakota more affordable and safer and bring people together around common goals.2,
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitedanahlers.com3,
6 - Facebookfacebook.com/DanAhlersforSD3
- Instagraminstagram.com/danahlersforsd3
- X (Twitter)x.com/ahlers_dan3
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Education
His campaign website says he would invest heavily in public education, recruit and keep teachers, strengthen rural schools and invest in school buildings.5
Family and Social Policy
His campaign website says he would expand access to early childhood education and child care.5
Housing
His campaign website says he would support local solutions to increase housing and work with state and local leaders to reduce barriers to responsible housing development.5
Technology, Privacy and AI
His campaign website says he would modernize roads, bridges and broadband to keep rural communities connected.5
State Government
His campaign website criticizes state leaders for working to undo voter-approved ballot measures and for making it harder to get issues on the ballot.4
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.
Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: Campaign finance reports search — South Dakota Secretary of State.7