Candidate Questionnaire: Dylan Jordan, Republican Candidate for State Representative, District 4
Candidate Questionnaire: Dylan Jordan, Republican Candidate for State Representative, District 4
In what community do you live and what is your career?
I live just outside of Clear Lake. I work at a manufacturing plant in Watertown, I also own a DJ entertainment business.
I was born in Watertown and was raised in eastern South Dakota. I now live in Clear Lake. I have worked in various manufacturing and service jobs. I am very active in church and help with the education program and serve on the board.
Briefly describe your prior experience and leadership roles that have prepared you to serve as a state representative. What skills, knowledge and insights do you have that will make you the best candidate to represent the Republican ideals going into the general election in November?
When I was in high school, Obama was inaugurated, the Tea Party movement emerged and I became a political nerd. I watched Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and John Stossel every episode. I read the books, watched the news and believed South Dakota lived those values, for the most part.
When Covid happened, I saw what everyone did to handle that, even in South Dakota. Towns had curfews, businesses closed, churches closed. I decided it was time to get involved in policy making.
I am a Constitutional conservative, meaning the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the South Dakota Constitution will be my guide. I am prolife and pro traditional family, pro states' rights, pro 1st and 2nd Amendment, pro-property rights, pro-election integrity, pro-medical freedom, pro school choice, and most importantly pro freedom.
In many aspects of life, I have had leadership and social skills to get the job/task complete. I am very active at church and on various committees including the council executive committee and the constitution update committee. I am the vice chairman of the Deuel County Republicans. Through those experiences, I have learned most of the parliamentary procedures.
Growing up, I lived in larger towns and smaller communities, larger schools and smaller schools. I have worked with many types of people. From learning the job to training new people in manufacturing, delivering packages, or customizing a customer's wedding/ dance, I take pride in being able to adapt to different situations while being true to myself. I also have been a lifelong Constitutionalist and Republican and have spent countless hours looking into the issues.
Do you believe a legislator’s role is to lead the people or to be reflective of the people’s wishes? How would you go about fulfilling the responsibility indicated in your answer?
I feel the answer is both depending on the situation. America is a Representative Republic. We elect people to represent us because we don’t have the time, energy and resources to be able to pay attention to all the issues. So we “elect” people to represent us. That being said, legislators need to listen to their constituents and also look into resolving and fixing the issues as well.
Describe the dynamic as it currently exists between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party at the state level. Do you see ways to merge the visions of the two for the betterment of life for the state’s populace or do you believe that there must be a clear victor in the ideology that will direct the state’s destiny?
The people of South Dakota lean conservative. Pierre leans moderate. Democrats have a hard time winning elections in South Dakota. One pattern I notice in South Dakota is a lot of people who would typically say they are a Democrat, run as a Republican just to win. In South Dakota, we need to focus on our elected officials being honest about their positions. Until that happens, there won’t be an honest ideology debate about the direction of South Dakota. If you read the two-party platforms, they are worlds apart. We can work together on some, but the debate has to start from the baseline of being honest in what you believe in.
The state’s political scene is ripe for much discussion, debate and potential action in many areas, such as eminent domain, legalization of marijuana for recreational use and civil liberties – ranging from health care to religion. Please contribute a paragraph about each of three issues you think can be settled in the next two years.
Life, Liberty, Property ... that was the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Eminent domain was meant as a last resort, for public use. Not for private gain. You should have the freedom to do almost whatever you want with your property. I will always stand for your private property rights.
I am personally against the use of marijuana. That being said, the voters passed medical marijuana. That’s the law now. I think the first thing that needs to happen is Washington DC needs to bring it back to the states. Then, let every state make a decision. That's the cool thing about Federalism and the 10th Amendment. Right now marijuana is nationally illegal which means the banks won't finance it. States that have legalized it have had many issues with things like sex trafficking increasing afterward. So I feel DC needs to bring it to the states first.
COVID-19 is something that woke most of us up; it woke me up! When I think of civil liberties, I think of how many people's lives got wrecked because of the government's reaction to COVID-19. It was and is evil. Our way of life was and is under attack and things still are not back to how it was. Look at the attendance at your church, look at the state of mental health, and many other things. That's the main reason I am running. To make sure we can keep the American Spirit alive and well.
