Phil Jensen

Jensen attracted attention nationally for his assertion in an interview with the Rapid City Journal that the free market, not government, should be allowed to decide whether or not racial discrimination is acceptable, and that his SB 128 introduced in 2013, which would allow discrimination by business owners, would serve to protect "the constitutional right to free association, the right to free speech and private property rights." (The bill failed, having drawn such reactions as fellow Republican State Senator Mark Kirkeby terming it "a mean, nasty, hateful, vindictive bill.")[http://www.diversityinc.com/news/lawmaker-government-shouldnt-prevent-racial-discrimination/ Catalan, Julissa. "Lawmaker: ‘Government Shouldn’t Prevent Racial Discrimination’" diversity.com n.d.] Jensen's stance was repudiated by Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard, who issued a press release stating, "I found his comments to be completely out of line with South Dakota values. I don't agree with him and I haven't talked to anyone who does.{{cite web |last1=Simmons-Ritchie |first1=Daniel |title=Governor distances himself from state senator's Ku Klux Klan remark |url=http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/governor-distances-himself-from-state-senator-s-ku-klux-klan/article_a9dc6cd1-0aae-5419-bc5e-4083f15c3fa4.html |website=rapidcityjournal.com}} Jensen is uncertain about the assertion that he is South Dakota's most conservative politician, describing himself as simply a true Reagan conservative; but asserts that "too many" members of his own party are Republicans In Name Only.[http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/phil-jensen-south-dakota-s-most-conservative-lawmaker/article_4ac9d76a-8226-5ad5-bc40-4d8cf2d51668.html Simmons-Ritchie, Daniel. "Phil Jensen: South Dakota's most conservative lawmaker?" Rapid City Journal March 16, 2014]

In 2022, it emerged that Jensen had been a member of the far-right militia group, the Oath Keepers.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Rep. Phil Jensen confirms 1-year membership in Oath Keepers, 8 years ago |url=https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/rep-phil-jensen-confirms-1-year-membership-in-oath-keepers-8-years-ago/article_fefe8b04-48f8-5fa9-be84-05e3239cf3a0.html |access-date=2022-07-27 |website=Rapid City Journal Media Group |language=en}}

In 2025, Jensen purposed a bill which would have directed the South Dakota Department of Education to withhold money from the Huron School District. Jensen explained to the Argus Leader that the bill was intended to get district leaders to testify in Pierre to explain why "it is allowing boys to go into girls' bathrooms." The bill received statewide condemnation including from fellow Republican lawmakers, leading to Jensen being demoted as Vice Chair of the House Education Committee and withdrawing the bill less than 24 hours.{{Cite news |last=Dausch |first=Dominik |date=February 6, 2025 |title=SD lawmaker has 'no regrets' over demotion for bill targeting Huron schools, trans youth |url=https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/06/south-dakota-phil-jensen-rapid-city-huron-school-district-trans-youth-defund/78264023007/ |url-status=live |work=Argus Leader}}

• 2008 When House District 33 incumbent Republican Representative Michael Buckingham ran for South Dakota Senate and incumbent Republican Representative Don Van Etten was term limited and left the Legislature, Jensen ran in the four-way June 3, 2008 Republican Primary and placed second with 830 votes (28.2%),{{cite web |url= http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=/elections/pastelections_electioninfo08_primarylegislature.shtm |title= 2008 South Dakota Official Primary Election Results June 3, 2008 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140116103442/http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=%2Felections%2Fpastelections_electioninfo08_primarylegislature.shtm |archive-date= January 16, 2014 |url-status= dead }} in the four-way November 4, 2008 General election fellow Republican nominee Jacqueline Sly took the first seat and Jensen took the second seat with 4,926 votes (31.4%) ahead of Democratic nominees Jeff Nelson (who had run for the seat in 2006) and Kimberly Henderson.{{cite web |url= http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=/elections/pastelections_electioninfo08_generalleg.shtm |title= 2008 South Dakota Official General Election Results Legislature November 4, 2008 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140116103400/http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=%2Felections%2Fpastelections_electioninfo08_generalleg.shtm |archive-date= January 16, 2014 |url-status= dead }}
• 2010 Jensen and incumbent Representative Sly were unopposed for both the June 8, 2010 Republican Primary{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?eid=2&type=LEG&map=DIST |title= Official Results Primary Election June 8, 2010 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014}} and the November 2, 2010 General election, where Jensen took the first seat with 4,920 votes (56.62%) and Representative Sly took the second seat.{{cite web |url= http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=/elections/pastelections_general2010_leg.shtm |title= 2010 South Dakota Official General Election Results Legislature November 2, 2010 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140116104333/http://sdsos.gov/content/viewcontent.aspx?cat=elections&pg=%2Felections%2Fpastelections_general2010_leg.shtm |archive-date= January 16, 2014 |url-status= dead }}

• 2012 When incumbent Senate District 33 Republican Senator Elizabeth Kraus left the Legislature and left the District 33 seat open, Jensen ran in the June 5, 2012 Republican Primary and placed first with 1,128 votes (57.6%) against former Representative Michael Buckingham{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?eid=4&type=LEG&map=DIST |title= Official Results Primary Election - June 5, 2012 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014}} who had run for the seat in 2008; Jensen won the November 6, 2012 General election with 5,722 votes (57.4%) against Democratic nominee Matt McGrath.{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=LEG&map=DIST |title= Official Results General Election November 6, 2012 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 24, 2014}}

• In November 2020, Jensen was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives with 10,251 votes along with Taffy Howard who received 7,902 votes, they were uncontested.{{cite news|url=https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/2020GeneralStateCanvassFinal&Certificate.pdf|title=2020 General State Canvass Final Certificate|publisher=sdsos.gov|access-date=August 21, 2021}} In June 2020, Johnson received 2,297 and Taffy Howard received 2,831 votes to win the primary election defeating Melanie Torno who received 1,620 votes.{{cite news|url=https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/2020PrimaryStateCanvassReportandCertificate.pdf|title=2020 Primary State Canvass Report and Certificate|website=sdsos.gov|access-date=August 21, 2021}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20151212151805/http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/MemberDetail.aspx?Member=465 Official page] at the South Dakota Legislature
• [http://www.philjensen.org/ Campaign site]
• {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=104047 | fec= | congress= }}

{{South Dakota House of Representatives}}

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Category:Politicians from Wichita, Kansas

Category:1952 births

Category:Living people

Category:Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives

Category:Politicians from Rapid City, South Dakota

Category:Republican Party South Dakota state senators

Category:21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature