RAPID CITY, SD— This last weekend, amid the noise and heat of the “No Kings” day protest, I sat with Robert Arnold, the 19-year-old hopeful for South Dakota governor.
Arnold describes himself as a “Young, energetic Progressive”, and is running as a Democrat following his positions as a Legislative Page in 2023 and a Legislative Intern in 2025. If elected he would not only be South Dakota’s first Native governor, but the youngest governor in state history and the first sitting Democratic governor since 1979.
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Fiona Ton: So can you give me a little bit of who you are in your own words, and what got you interested in politics?
Robert Arnold: So who I am at my core is someone who really is just fed up, and has the energy to actually do something about it. Growing up, I was a boy scout, and I learned what it meant to serve your community, and I know what it takes. I just saw our elected officials, the people in power now not doing what needs to be done, and in some places, feel like they’re doing the direct opposite of what people want.
I got involved in politics around COVID, I started paying attention to online politics, and I really got invested in how we can change the system. I got involved with an online political activism group called Progressive Victory, and I became the South Dakota State Lead. We didn’t really do much organizing in South Dakota by happenstance of just being pretty red, but I was able to visit other states and do work. It really showed me that there are people who care, there is movement, and we just haven’t had that movement in South Dakota yet.
There’s an opening now. Some people think there’s going to be a blue wave, and I think that I can make my mark here and really make a difference. And it doesn’t matter what the outcome is, I’m still going to give my best every day. I know it’s an uphill climb, but we’ll take it hard every day and win ground as much as we can.
Ton: I’ve noticed in the statements you’ve given previously, there was a lot of community focus. And I get the sense that that is like a big focus of what you want to promote from that answer.
Arnold: We have seen the rise of what I consider and what everyone should consider fascism in our country, and I believe in the quote “community is the antithesis of fascism”. Fascism is an ideology based off of hate, they need to keep hating a group of people in order to continue to exist in their ideology. If we promote community and social wellbeing, that ideology will die out. And I think the reason why it’s grown so much is because of lack of connection. People have apathy, people have retreated to online spaces, they get into echo chambers. The barrier between screens, instead of face to face contributes a lot.
Ton: So what we’ve seen so far from you is a bit of coverage of policy; the social progress side and the small business side. Could you expand on ideas for both?
Arnold: the social issues and the economic issues are in tandem, right? If we make the state more affordable, that will promote community. If we promote community, people will want to spend their money in state, making it more affordable, keeping our money in, instead of buying from big box stores like Walmart, where the money just gets shipped out.
Ton: So what exactly have you been doing up until this point in preparation for this?
Arnold: So I’ve been really learning a lot of the process. For me specifically, I’ve been learning and helping others who are on the ground. I’ve applied myself right in South Dakota. Before, I was a legislative page in 2023 and the legislative intern this last session. And I learned a lot. I learned what South Dakota politics is about, really, how it operates. And I guess I’ve just started to see where I can put myself in, and I think this is my time to really publicly put a spotlight on what I’m doing.
I guess I didn’t really say what I’ve been doing! So, specific example: I went to New York in 2024 just last year, and I door knocked for Jamal Bowman in Yonkers. It was a great experience. I learned a lot. I… god it’s so hot up there. It was a lot. But I met people, and I know I’ve really grown my speaking skills, and I’ve learned to talk to people and get on people’s level.
I guess most of it has been kind of building knowledge and relationships. Progressive Victory as an online activism group, but it’s also a community, and I feel like I’ve grown to be part of that community, and it has shaped me, and I believe I’ve shaped it. So I think a lot of what I’ve done has been just learning from others, taking in others’ experiences, dabbling in the basic processes, whether it be interning or paging, and now it’s time to really, just make an impact, I guess.
Ton: Why run for governor?
Arnold: Why governor is because no one else is stepping up to the plate. There’s no discussion about it, there’s just nothing from our side. I was told by a couple other reporters that they didn’t even think a Democrat was going to run.
We need a progressive to stand up. We need to do something different. We need to change the equation, because we keep losing, as progressives and people who care about social outcomes, we’ve been losing since, really, 2008 we haven’t honestly been putting up a good fight. I think I really want to have a primary in this. I want to get people’s attention and get people involved, show that we’re more of a purple state than people realize.
I think just a change of his perspective, at the very least, would be helpful.
Ton: It’s the idea of trying to shift the paradigm.
Arnold: Yeah, definitely. Shift what we’re talking about– We’re talking about, like, trans bathroom bills and niche, topics like random property tax, things that basically, people don’t get involved in, and there’s nothing that’s actually addressing the root problem, which is South Dakota is supposed to be affordable, and they’re not addressing how To make it affordable for the everyday citizen.
Ton: So going into that, how would you approach making it a more affordable place to live?
Arnold: There’s a lot. So it’s really hard to give a straight answer. I will have more concrete policies later, once I can have more time to really look at it, but we have to advocate for the community involvement that comes in with this. Because, again, like I mentioned before, if we shop local, local stores will get their business, and the big box stores that don’t really pay property taxes that profit off of us.
Ton: Everything is interrelated.
Arnold: Yes, very much! And that’s why it’s hard to give a straight answer, because I’ll answer, “how does social change help economics” by talking about the community, which doesn’t make obvious sense, but when you look at it, it does have an impact. I think it’s really investing in the community. We need to put money into our programs that whether it’s small business subsidies or, you know, increasing minimum wage by giving subsidies to small businesses that can’t pay the increased minimum wage, there’s a discussion to be had there, and it’s complicated, and I just want us to be talking about it, at the very least.
A lot of it, you can kind of see in the basic stuff that you would want, the basic policies that you would want to apply to, say, the reservations, I’m Native, and I care. I definitely really care about my roots, the native communities and the reservations. If we put not only money but our time and effort in building them up by putting incentives to get businesses in the reservations, providing job opportunities that alone will increase the economic output of those communities, and they’ll be uplifted because of that, just by creating a path forward.
Ton: So to some extent it’s about opening those paths forward for people. I feel like that’s a pretty big shift from someone like Governor Noem.
Arnold: Definitely. What’s funny, actually, is her maiden name is Arnold, and I’ve had people ask me, or they thought I was Rob Arnold, her brother. I’m not related at all. So to put the record straight.
Ton: I’ll make sure to note that down! Is there anything else you want to talk about here?
Arnold: A large criticism of me is that I might not have the right amount of experience for everybody, and I understand that I’m not coming in as a career seasoned politician. I’m coming in with someone who has the energy and the willpower to bring ideas and learn where my shortcomings are and improve from that every day I will be improving, and that’s why I started early, so I can have more time.
Ton: Honestly I’m just curious. You’re coming into this as a blue politician in what is, historically, a red state and with a legislature that’s largely red: how are you planning on dealing with the odds and the apparent disparity in this state?
Arnold: So when it comes to just the odds against me, I like a challenge. I believe in our people. I believe in the ability to get an outcome. Even if we don’t win, we’ll still inject energy into the system, into the positions that we’re in, and we’ll come back again. I think in the past we’ve seen people run for governor and then not run again, and regardless of what happens here, I will commit to continue my efforts through the next administration, whether that be as the head of it, or, you know, as just someone.
As for… I know there’s been harassment of other candidates in the past. I think I have some pretty thick skin when it comes to the outlandish things that some people can say. I, really just laugh to myself, I’ve seen comments already, you know,
Ton: I was going to ask if you heard anything yet.
Arnold: Yeah, It’s largely been positive. It’s like, when you see a post with about 100 likes, let’s say it’s about 60-70 people liking and hearting or whatever, maybe 20 or something laughing. That’s been the usual emoji that they use on Facebook at least. And then they make jokes and say that this is a one party state, but I think that they’re underestimating, I think that they don’t see how bad of a position their candidates are in– You have Dusty Johnson, who has a terrible voting record, and everyone can see it. That’s what these protests are about. He’s one of the DC three, and he’s not doing his part to stand up for us. And when it comes to Larry Rhoden, well, there’s a lot of baggage with Noem.
Ton: So I suppose to just give some perspective, for people with these progressive beliefs in this state, who kind of do see it as a one-party place: What sort of assurance would you want to give them?
Arnold: So I’m going to be a little analytical here. When it comes to voter registration, for example: a lot of people register as Republicans when they’re in business, because if they’re a Democrat, they’ll be shunned, right? A lot of people register as independents, but would actually vote for a Democrat. And I think that when you look at the polling, when you look at the issues, it is really close to actually 51%/49% instead of this, 50 some percent Republican, 25-and-25 of the other.
When it comes to the emotional aspect, look at the protests. If you’re a progressive here in South Dakota, look at how many people are dedicated to seeing change happen. People have energy, they want change. They want to see a better world. I believe in our people, and I think that every progressive in South Dakota should as well.
