
The Race…
to the Election
Hello!! I am Matt Rosburg, and I am sitting down to write something I thought I would never have to write, because this is something I never thought I would do. I am running for South Dakota House District 15 in Sioux Falls.
Quite honestly, I never envisioned myself becoming involved in the political world. I enjoyed following political happenings at all levels, and was content to be “entertained” and sometimes even frustrated by what I would see happening.
Slowly, I became involved with non-profit political groups working on issues related to lower taxes, Veterans’ benefits, opening up the gig economy for people to take advantage partnering with companies like lyft and Uber in SD, removing burdensome occupational licensing requirements for workers, and keeping federal spending in check.
I was excited about all I was learning and helping to accomplish in these areas, and then I went to vote in November 2018. I was surprised to see that the South Dakota House AND Senate races were all uncontested, one-party races. At the very least, I thought the people of District 15 deserved to have choices for their representation and I started looking for someone willing to run for office.
Over the next legislative session, I really started paying attention to the representation in my district, and becoming more vocal, communicating with my Representatives and Senator on bills that I was passionate about. Many times, those votes coming from District 15 were disappointing.
While still looking for people to run for office, I kept hearing the voice of one of my mentors in my head, “If there is something that you think needs to be done, it’s probably up to you do do it.” It was a slow process, and I had a short list of four people I made appointments with, and I was expecting each of them to agree to help look for someone to run. Each of them ended up being very encouraging, and every one of them thought that this was something that I could not only do, but do well.
So, here I am many months later, excited about representing the people of District 15. The excitement has only grown. Since I decided to run, District 15 has since had another candidate join me in the House race, and we also have a Senate candidate, giving the Republicans a full ballot for the first time since I started paying attention, anyway.
Matt