HURON – Established as a resistance movement the day after the November election, South Dakota Forward is a growing, nonpartisan organization of progressive, like-minded thinkers, a member from Pierre said Thursday.
Amanda Thronson, a young mother of two children, a school teacher and chair of the Hughes County Democratic Party, said for the next year and a half the group will work to recruit and elect legislators and statewide office seekers whether they are Democrats or not.
“We are willing to support any candidate that shares our values,” she said at the District 22 Democratic Forum.
With its Facebook page and website, South Dakota Forward is attracting more and more people from around the state and even out of state, she said.
“It’s a place to discuss, without judgment and to receive support, with a whole host of people,” Thronson said.
“This group, in the few short months that we have existed, we have organized marches and meetings and sent letters to the editor and made phone calls and sent emails to state legislators and members of Congress,” she said.
One of its main goals is to never see another race in South Dakota where only Republican candidates are on the ballot.
“From school boards to governor, we want to make sure we’ve got somebody going against the establishment in every single race,” Thronson said.
Along with its public Facebook page, South Dakota Forward has also created a secret one.
“We are keeping the private group private because there are some people who have jobs that don’t allow them to be out of the closet as Democrats,” she said.
But while they are registered Republicans, they support Democrat candidates, she said.