How one lawmaker swung the South Dakota house speaker race

Sixty-two of 63 members of the state House GOP caucus participated in Saturday's vote.

But for a Sioux Falls lawmaker’s long-planned family vacation, South Dakota might have a different speaker of the house.

In his bid to become house speaker, Watertown Rep. Hugh Bartels earned support from a majority of House GOP caucus members in attendance for Saturday’s leadership votes at the state Capitol, narrowly edging outgoing Speaker Pro Tempore Jon Hansen for the post.

While the votes were cast via secret ballots, both candidates were deadlocked in a 31-31 tie before Bartels claimed victory following a third vote, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Dakota Scout.

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