James Bialota

James Bialota is a 48-year-old Piedmont Republican, disabled combat veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and small-business owner of Dead on Surplus in Rapid City, which sells military surplus, precious metals, and sporting goods. He holds a paralegal certification and previously served on the board of the West Dakota Water Development District, including as director. He qualified for the June 2, 2026 Republican primary for South Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat with approximately 2,576 valid signatures.

Prior legal matter: In 2021, Bialota was convicted of simple assault after physically taking down a 12-year-old boy on a Rapid City playground. Bialota told police he believed he was defending his son from a group of middle-school children and claimed immunity under South Dakota's "stand your ground" law, but Judge Scott Bogue rejected the immunity claim at a pretrial hearing — ruling that Bialota's response was "unreasonably harsh" and that "a threat from the 12-year-old did not justify the grown man's actions." Bialota received a 90-day suspended sentence and a $346 fine. Source: South Dakota Searchlight.