The sad news comes that Jim Beddow, the 1994 Democratic nominee for governor, passed away on Sunday. Beddow, a native of Woonsocket, was a Ph.D. historian who served for thirteen years as the president of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell.
Beddow’s 1994 bid for governor was his only foray into electoral politics although his wife, Jean, served three terms in the State House from Mitchell from 1987-93. His son-in-law, Brendan Johnson, is the son of former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson.
Beddow entered the 1994 Democratic primary as a frontrunner after several more prominent candidates, including former U.S. Senator Jim Abourezk, Kneip Chief of Staff Ted Muenster, and 1986 nominee Lars Herseth declined to run. He easily won the Democratic primary against State Senator Red Allen of Yankton and Jim Burg, a public utilities commissioner from Wessington Springs. Beddow’s running mate was Jim Abbott, a former Yankton legislator who would go on to serve as president of the University of South Dakota.
Like many campaigns in South Dakota, the Beddow campaign was a family affair, as Bob Mercer wrote in the Rapid City Journal:
Beddow came from a household where involvement in government was part of the family. His father was mayor of Woonsocket, and his mother was the first woman elected to the local school board.
Beddow and his wife, Jean, and their two children immersed themselves in this campaign. Jean, a former state House member, has her own schedule of daily events on behalf of her husband. The couple spent their wedding anniversary apart because they were in separate parts of the state. Son Jay runs the Rapid City campaign office. Daughter Jana coordinates the voter turnout program.
Beddow has tried to turn his government inexperience into an asset. “We need some new ideas in Pierre,” he tells audiences.
On the Republican side, the 1994 campaign had pitted Governor Walter Dale Miller, who had succeeded to office upon the death of George S. Mickelson, against former Governor Bill Janklow. Janklow won that primary by eight percent. Beddow, seeking to capitalize on the hard feelings from the Republican primary, sought to portray himself as a future-looking candidate, in contrast to a return by Governor Janklow. It wasn’t enough to prevail, as Janklow won by about fifteen percent.
Beddow’s gubernatorial campaign focused on rural economic development, and he would continue to focus on that work for the rest of his life.
Steve Hildebrand, who managed Beddow’s 1994 gubernatorial campaign, wrote the following on Facebook:
Jim was a passionate progressive, advocating for equality for all people and never questioning the idea of it. He was passionate about education at all levels and cared deeply about children having every opportunity to get the best education. He cared about good wages for hard-working people. And, he cared about people being treated with dignity, giving a level playing field and always having every chance to get ahead in life.
Writing on Twitter, Congressman Dusty Johnson wrote: “This is a true loss. Jim Beddow was a remarkable South Dakota leader, friend, and human being.”
Beddow’s death is the latest in a string of high-profile Democratic figures in the state. The aforementioned Red Allen died just over a year ago in May 2022. Governor Harvey Wollman, the state’s only living Democratic governor, died in October 2022. Senator Abourezk and 2006 gubernatorial nominee Jack Billion died in February 2023. And Randy Seiler, the SD Democratic Party chairman, died suddenly in April. Like Beddow, each was a public servant who made important contributions to our state.
With Beddow’s passing, there remain seven living Democratic gubernatorial nominees: Lars Herseth (1986), Bernie Hunhoff (1998), Jim Abbott (2002), Scott Heidepriem (2010), Susan Wismer (2014), Billie Sutton (2018), and Jamie Smith (2022).
KELOLAND News has an excellent story on Beddow, which includes an interview with his 1994 running mate, Jim Abbott. Tom Lawrence has another very nice post on his blog, South Dakota Standard. You can also read Beddow’s obituary here.
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