In my interview with Amanda Potter, Democratic candidate for South Dakota House District 9, we talked not just about policy, but about the personal experiences that shaped why she’s running.
Potter moved to Sioux Falls from North Dakota in 2005 and has now spent more than 20 years building her life in South Dakota. She is raising a son, works in health care, and has experience as a nonprofit grant writer focused on child care and education. That background came through clearly in our conversation, especially as she spoke about the pressures facing working families and the need for government to be more responsive to everyday people.
A major focus of her campaign is affordability. Potter pointed to rising property taxes, grocery bills, gas prices and child care costs as some of the biggest burdens facing households in District 9. She argued that when the state has a surplus, residents should actually feel the benefit of it, especially in areas like education and child care that directly affect families and workforce stability.
Education was one of the clearest through-lines in our discussion. Drawing on her grant-writing experience, Potter criticized block grant-style funding approaches that can leave smaller communities at a disadvantage and create uncertainty for schools and child care providers. She also pushed back on what she sees as political overreach into curriculum, saying education policy should be shaped by teachers, experts and people with real experience in the field.
We also talked about her broader message of transparency, bipartisanship and public trust. Potter said she wants government to focus less on division and more on practical, win-win solutions. That included discussion of voting access, gun violence as a public health issue, and the need for accountability when it comes to hyper-scale data center development in South Dakota.
One of the more personal points she made is that she does not see politics as a lifelong career path. She said she wants to serve for a limited time, keep her day job, stay close to family life, and remain grounded in the same realities her constituents face.
At the center of her campaign is a simple idea: people in District 9 deserve to feel heard, respected and represented.
Special thanks to the IBEW 426 for allowing us to use their space.
