19-year-old at the top of the ticket is no way to build a party

Robert Arnold announces his campaign for governor in June 2025 at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Courtesy of Robert Arnold)

Robert Arnold probably means well. He seems sincere. He’s just aiming too high in his first attempt at elected office. 

Arnold is a 19-year-old Dakota State University student who has announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination for governor (he says he’ll be 21, the minimum legal age for a governor, in time to serve). Now he just needs 1,232 petition signatures from registered voters to get on the 2026 primary ballot. 

Arnold made news after he declared his candidacy by claiming that the leaders in the state’s Democratic Party were not supportive of his effort. In a Dakota Scout story, Arnold said that the party leaders told him they had someone else in mind to run for governor. 

Leaders in the Democratic Party were quick to deny Arnold’s allegation. “The state party does not get involved in primaries and we are actively recruiting candidates up and down the ballot,” said Democratic Party Chairman Shane Merrill. 

The Democratic Party doesn’t get involved in primaries because it doesn’t have that many. On those rare occasions when a Democrat is willing to appear on the ballot, they usually don’t have a fight on their hands from another Democrat. 

Arnold hasn’t said who the party has in mind for the top of the ticket. The real mystery surrounding this incident is not whether Arnold has a chance of winning the governor’s office (he doesn’t) but who Democrats could have in mind to run for governor in 2026. 

With no one from their party in statewide elected offices and just a small handful of legislators, Democrats don’t exactly have what anyone would call a deep bench. The Democrat with the most name recognition is likely state Sen. Jamie Smith, who ran for governor against Kristi Noem in 2022. Smith has decided to take his name recognition and use it in a run for mayor of Sioux Falls. 

Even if Arnold is mistaken about the reaction of Democratic Party leaders, putting teenagers on the ballot is not the way to build a political party. We can all agree that with the Democratic Party outnumbered in this state by independents and people with no party affiliation, the party needs some work. 

Arnold’s best effort, if he really feels like he must run for office, would be to aim local. He should run for city council or school board. Once he has a few years of service and a reputation for electability and trustworthiness, he could aim higher. The next step would be the Legislature, where he could take on statewide issues and get accustomed to the give and take of policymaking. 

Then, and only then, should he consider a run for governor. 

If the Democratic Party is ever going to be more than an asterisk in South Dakota politics, it will need people like Arnold who are willing to serve. But those people need to be willing to help build the party from the ground up, not shoot for the top office right out of the gate. Running for governor may make an interesting topic for Arnold’s “what I did on my summer vacation” essay, but it won’t do the party much good. 

The Democratic Party in this state is in need of seasoned, credible candidates for office. Arnold, as sincere as he may be, is little more than a novelty act.