Helene Duhamel
Helene Duhamel is a fifth-generation Rapid City resident who spent 35 years as a TV news journalist — most of it as news director and anchor at KOTA-TV — before moving to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, where she has worked in public safety for nine years. Governor Noem appointed her to the South Dakota Senate's District 32 seat in December 2019; voters elected her to the seat in 2020 and again in 2022, and her Senate colleagues have twice elected her Majority Whip. She lives in Rapid City with her husband and is the mother of three and grandmother of two.
Why they’re
Sensible
Duhamel is the kind of state senator you actually want to write checks for: steady, specific, and stubbornly focused on West River problems that Pierre would otherwise ignore. In the 2025 and 2026 sessions she sponsored $23 million in targeted Ellsworth Air Force Base infrastructure (SB 6 and SB 130) and seeded a $3 million long-term water-savings account — legislation that passed the Senate 30–3 — because a West River town that runs out of water doesn't come back. Her public self-description says the quiet part out loud: "Compromise has somehow become a bad word. But it should be part of what we do." Her own caucus agrees — they keep electing her Majority Whip.
Key positions
“We have to secure clean, reliable water for the future of our state.”
“Sponsored SB 130 (2026) transferring $8 million to the Ellsworth Development Authority for roads, after her 2025 SB 6 had already moved $15 million for the same expansion.”
“Compromise has somehow become a bad word. But it should be part of what we do.”
“Nine years on the front lines at the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, carrying that operational experience into votes on drug enforcement and law-enforcement funding.”
“On inflation hitting groceries, gas, housing, and healthcare — supports lower taxes, reduced regulations, and first-time homebuyer assistance.”
Notable votes & actions
Also running for
SD State Senate · District 32
Every other candidate filed for this seat, listed for transparency. Our Sensible slate reflects the full field — not just a single pick.