PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Republican Kristie Fiegen seemed to have the field to herself this fall as she crisscrossed the state campaigning for re-election to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
Neither of her opponents, Democrat Forrest Wilson of Lead and Libertarian Gideon Oakes of Keystone, came close in raising funds or making campaign stops.
Nor did they appear to be anywhere close to beating her on Tuesday night.
With 254 of 691 precincts statewide fully reporting, she looked to be well on the way to a big win. Fiegen, who lives in Sioux Falls, had 85,802 votes. Wilson was in second place, but far back with 28,570. Oakes was even farther back with 5,475.
Fiegen served eight years in the South Dakota House, leaving at the end of 2000. A decade later, she returned to government service, when Governor Dennis Daugaard appointed her to a vacancy on the PUC in 2011.
She won election in 2012 to a full six-year term, defeating Democrat Matt McGovern 187,383 to 140,443. In 2018, she won re-election to six more years, rolling past Democrat Wayne Frederick 206,436 to 108,925.
