South Dakota's top Democrats attend holiday party at White House

Nesiba, Lesmeister latest state legislators hosted by Biden administration

South Dakota’s highest-ranking Democrats got into the holiday spirit by rubbing elbows with President Joe Biden last week.

South Dakota Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba and House Minority Leader Oren Lesmeister were in Washington, D.C. Thursday, along with their wives Erika and Tracy, where they attended a Holiday Reception at the White House hosted by the president and First Lady Jill Biden.

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Part of a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with officials from other states as well as Native American tribes to discuss areas of successes and challenges, Nesiba said in a statement that the festive event was one of appreciation.

“President Biden’s main message was simply ‘thank you.’ He said that city, county, state and tribal leaders are on the front line of meeting constituent needs,” Nesiba said. “The President said he wanted the federal government to ‘be helpful, not hurtful’ in helping us do the work we do.”

Nesiba and Lesmeister are the latest cadre of South Dakota Democrats to visit the Beltway as part of a push by the Biden administration to gather supporters in highlight of presidential initiatives and flagship legislation.

In July, South Dakota House Assistant Minority Leader Erin Healy, Rep. Linda Duba and Sen. Liz Larson were among nearly 100 state lawmakers, governors and public officials from across the United States who attended a summit hosted by Biden’s administration on childcare affordability.

And just last month, the White House hosted a handful of legislators and economic development boosters from the Mount Rushmore State as well as North Dakota and Nebraska for a “Communities in Action” summit where leaders discussed the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

Lesmeister said the trip was one of the greatest highlights of his legislative career so far.

“Once inside, I found myself staring more and more at the architecture and the paintings and pictures on the walls of former presidents and first ladies, and thinking to myself about how many world leaders have been in the same area I was standing in,” he said.