Why would a Republican endorse a Democrat in a statewide race? Is it Trump derangement syndrome or being a sore loser? In South Dakota, it seems more like the latter, as outgoing Secretary of State Monae Johnson has publicly said she hopes Democrat Terrance Davis succeeds her. It comes after she lost reelection at the state convention (via The Hill):
South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson (R) said Saturday she supports Democratic candidate Terrence Davis in the race to succeed her, breaking with her party’s backing of Republican nominee Heather Baxter.
Johnson lost the GOP nomination to Baxter at the state’s Republican convention in June
“The secretary of state must consider the law, the information available, the effect on county officials, the security of statewide systems, the rights of voters, the cost and workload created by a change, and whether the proposal can be implemented within the deadlines the law requires,” she wrote in a column published by the conservative blog South Dakota War College.
Johnson added that the job “also requires a willingness to review new information and change course when the evidence supports doing so.” She wrote that Davis’s background includes experience working in law enforcement, a criminal justice degree, a master’s degree in public policy and the pursuit of his doctoral work in law and policy.
“He has publicly identified transparency, voting rights and making government systems work for the people who use them as priorities of his candidacy,” she continued. “Those areas have a direct connection to the work of the secretary of state’s office.”
Needless to say, Republican candidate Heather Baxter is not pleased. Yet, I don’t think she has to worry too much, as South Dakota is a ruby red state.