Pam Cole
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| name = Pamela Merchant Cole
| caption =
| state_senate=South Dakota
| state=South Dakota
| district = 7th
| term_start = 2009
| term_end = 2011
| preceded = Orville B. Smidt
| succeeded = Larry Tidemann
| constituency =
| majority =
| party = Democrat
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|12|18}}{{cite web |title=Pamela K. Merchant |url=https://sdlegislature.gov/historical/legislator/profile/3815 |website=South Dakota Legislature |access-date=16 July 2022}}
| birth_place = Walhalla, North Dakota{{cite web |title=About Me |url=http://www.merchantforsenate.com/aboutme.html |website=Merchant for Senate |access-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830174158/http://www.merchantforsenate.com/aboutme.html |archive-date=30 August 2010}}
| birth_name = Pamela Merchant
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| alma_mater = Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
South Dakota State University
| profession = Graphic designer
| residence =
| religion =
| website =
}}
Pamela Merchant Cole (born December 18, 1967) is a graphic designer and former Democratic member of the South Dakota Senate who represented the 7th district from 2009 to 2011. She was also the executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party from 2020 to 2021.{{cite web |title=Cole named new SDDP director |url=https://brookingsregister.com/article/cole-named-new-sddp-director |website=The Brookings Register |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=27 February 2020}}{{cite web |title=Executive Director of SDDP to leave position at end of February |url=https://sddp.org/executive-director-sddp-leave-position-end-february/ |website=South Dakota Democratic Party |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=9 February 2021}}
Career
Cole was elected to the 7th district state senate seat in the 2008 election, beating Republican Orville B. Smidt. She served on the Commerce Committee, the Health and Human Service Committee and the Taxation Committee. She lost her seat at the 2010 election, being beaten by Larry Tidemann.{{cite web |title=Pam Merchant |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Pam_Merchant |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=16 July 2022}}
In 2016, she moved from Brookings to Sioux Falls. She was made the executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party in February 2020,{{cite web |title=South Dakota Democratic Party hires new executive director |url=https://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/South-Dakota-Democratic-Party-hires-new-executive-director-568216621.html |website=KEVN |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=26 February 2020}} after the party leadership had resigned due to the party misstating its finances and finding itself in debt.{{cite web |author1=Lisa Kaczke |title=South Dakota Democratic Party leadership resigns amid financial woes |url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/23/south-dakota-democratic-party-leadership-resigns-paula-hawks-stacey-burnette-randy-seiler/4077394002/ |website=Argus Leader |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=23 October 2019}} In September 2020, Cole announced that the party had been "extremely frugal" in its recent spending and was once again financially stable.{{cite web |author1=Lisa Kaczke |title=Last year, S.D. Democrats were in the red. With new leadership, the party now moves on. |url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/03/south-dakota-democratic-party-leaders-say-party-back-track-after-financial-woes/3436091001/ |website=Argus Leader |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=3 September 2020}} She resigned in February 2021 for personal reasons.
In 2022, Cole filed to run for the at-large B seat on Sioux Falls city council as incumbent Christine Erickson was term limited. She lost to Rich Merkouris, a local pastor.{{cite web |author1=Trevor J. Mitchell |title=Local pastor, non-profit leader Rich Merkouris files to run for At-Large B council seat |url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/2021/10/12/rich-merkouris-sioux-falls-city-council-seat-at-large-b-seat/8422261002/ |website=Argus Leader |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=12 October 2021}}{{cite web |author1=Trevor J. Mitchell |title=Former executive director of South Dakota Democratic Party files for At-Large B council seat |url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/2022/01/10/former-director-south-dakota-democratic-party-pamela-cole/9164204002/ |website=Argus Leader |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=10 January 2022}}{{cite web |title=2022 Election Results |url=https://siouxfalls.org/council/city-clerk/election-information/2022 |website=City of Sioux Falls |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=12 April 2022}}
Electoral history
=2008=
{{Election box begin no change| title = 2008 South Dakota Senate election: District 7 Democratic primary{{cite web |title=South Dakota State Senate elections, 2008 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_State_Senate_elections,_2008 |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=16 July 2022}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Pam Merchant
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 1,128
| percentage = 52.03
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Craig A. Tschetter
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 1,040
| percentage = 47.97
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 2,168
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change| title=2008 South Dakota Senate election: District 7 general election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Pam Merchant
|votes = 4,940
|percentage = 51.16
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = Orville B. Smidt
|votes = 4,716
|percentage = 48.84
|change =
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 9,656
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link no change|
|winner = Democratic Party (US)
|loser = Republican Party (US)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2010=
{{Election box begin no change| title=2010 South Dakota Senate election: District 7 general election{{cite web |title=South Dakota State Senate elections, 2010 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_State_Senate_elections,_2010 |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=16 July 2022}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (US)
|candidate = Larry Tidemann
|votes = 4,289
|percentage = 54.15
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (US)
|candidate = Pam Merchant
|votes = 3,631
|percentage = 45.85
|change =
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 7,920
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link no change|
|winner = Republican Party (US)
|loser = Democratic Party (US)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2022=
{{Election box begin no change| title=2022 Sioux Falls City Council election: At-large district B general election{{refn|group=note|Candidates for Sioux Falls City Council must run without a party designation.{{cite web |title=Candidates/Political Committees |url=https://siouxfalls.org/council/city-clerk/election-information/candidates-p-committees |website=City of Sioux Falls |access-date=16 July 2022}}}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate no change|
|party = no description
|candidate = Rich Merkouris
|votes = 14,493
|percentage = 56.99
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate no change|
|party = no description
|candidate = Pam Cole
|votes = 10,936
|percentage = 43.01
|change =
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 25,429
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box end}}
Personal life
Cole married her husband Mike in 2018 and together they have a blended family of five adult children.{{cite web |title=News: Cole to seek Sioux Falls At Large B city council seat |url=http://www.coleforcouncil.com/news/ |website=Pam Cole for Council |access-date=16 July 2022 |date=10 January 2022}}
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Pamela}}
Category:American graphic designers
Category:American women graphic designers
Category:South Dakota State University alumni
Category:Democratic Party South Dakota state senators
Category:Women state legislators in South Dakota
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature
{{SouthDakota-politician-stub}}