HURON – As Democrats seek their newest White House contender, who they hope can unify deep divisions in the wake of the 2016 election, South Dakota party members must find ways to attract new and young people to their camp, their national committeewoman said.
Deb Knecht of Houghton, a veteran of many campaigns who calls herself a political junkie, said she feels a sense of optimism.
“The political wind seems to be changing,” she said at the District 22 Democratic Forum on Thursday.
While she said she doesn’t want to get the hopes of the party faithful up, it will take everyone working together to be successful in the 2018 election.
“We no longer have the luxury of taking a pass and letting somebody else do the work,” Knecht said. “It’s up to us. If we ever are going to be engaged, the time is now.”
Defeating a male incumbent in her first election, she went on to serve 12 years on the Brown County Commission. She became active in Democratic Party politics when Lars Herseth unsuccessfully ran for governor in the 1980s.
She has held a number of party positions over the years, and ran former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s regional office in Aberdeen for one of her elections.
Even after seeing Democrats come out on the losing side in a succession of statewide elections, Knecht said she soon gets back to work.

Democrats are Democrats because they care about people, have compassion for those in need, help the ones who can’t help themselves and welcome everyone into the party tent, she said.
But a more complicated question is what Democrats are going to do nationally and in South Dakota to turn the tide of election losses, Knecht said.
“We’ve tried to change the outcome of our elections,” she said. “We’ve had good candidates. We’ve had great candidates. And for some reason we still get beat.”
Knecht thinks Democrats must brainstorm ways to do things differently, to come up with fun fundraisers and find ways to attract young people.
The young hate to go to meetings, so she suggests a coffee shop gathering where there is no agenda, but merely name tags.
People will want to talk about politics, she said, “and our president gives us something to talk about every day.”
Young people want to be engaged, so Knecht believes one idea is a march for gun safety, for example, or a protest. They like to use their phones, so why not pick a current issue and text their legislators about their thoughts?
“One problem that is in South Dakota and across the nation is the many new people registered independent,” she said.
At the Brown County Fair this summer, 46 people registered to vote at the Democrat booth. Forty were independent and six were Democrat.
“We’re hoping that those 40 independent lean Democrat,” she said. “But how do you build a party with independents?”
Still, Knecht is upbeat going into the 2018 election cycle. Democrat candidates will need money, and as hard as those calls are to make, they must be made, she said.
“There’s a new enthusiasm out there and we just can’t let it get away from us,” Knecht said.

Photo:

Deb Knecht, South Dakota’s national committeewoman, shared her optimism with the Democrats of District 22 Thursday at the Huron Event Center.

Photo by Roger Larsen/Plainsman