Phil Jensen

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Phil Jensen
Member of the South Dakota Senate
from the 33rd[1] district
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Preceded by Elizabeth Kraus
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
from the 33rd district
In office
January 2009 – January 8, 2013
Serving with Jacqueline Sly (2009–2013)
Succeeded by Scott Craig
Personal details
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Janet Jensen
Residence Rapid City, South Dakota
Website philjensen.org

Phil Jensen[2] is an American politician from Pennington County, South Dakota who is currently a Republican member of the South Dakota Senate representing District 33 since January 8, 2013. Jensen served consecutively in the South Dakota Legislature from January 2009 until January 8, 2013 in the South Dakota House of Representatives District 33 seat. He supplements his legislative income as a cookware dealer. He is widely regarded as a far-right politician[3][4] and is considered by some to be South Dakota's most conservative lawmaker.[5]

Life and career

Jensen first gained notoriety by using a black marker and a 6-foot chunk of poster board, he taped a sign to the truck's driver's side: 'Moving to South Dakota to Vote Senator Daschle Out.' After to moving to South Dakota from Kansas, he got involved in Republican circles largely due to cross-country stunt. Jensen has been married to Janet Deiss, originally of White River, South Dakota for 25 years. They are both evangelical Christians, and live outside Rapid City near the Hisega Lodge private resort. Jensen is a cookware dealer by profession.

Political controversies and disputes

Jensen attracted attention nationally for his assertion in an interview with the Rapid City Journal that the free market, not government, should be allowed to decide whether or not racial discrimination is acceptable, and that his SB 128 introduced in 2013, which would allow discrimination by business owners, would serve to protect "the constitutional right to free association, the right to free speech and private property rights." (The bill failed, having drawn such reactions as fellow Republican State Senator Mark Kirkeby terming it “a mean, nasty, hateful, vindictive bill.”)[6] Jensen's stance was repudiated by Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard, who issued a press release stating, "I found his comments to be completely out of line with South Dakota values. I don’t agree with him and I haven’t talked to anyone who does.[7] Jensen is uncertain about the assertion that he is South Dakota's most conservative politician, describing himself as simply a true Reagan conservative; but asserts that "too many" members of his own party are Republicans In Name Only.[8]

Elections

  • 2008 When House District 33 incumbent Republican Representative Michael Buckingham ran for South Dakota Senate and incumbent Republican Representative Don Van Etten was term limited and left the Legislature, Jensen ran in the four-way June 3, 2008 Republican Primary and placed second with 830 votes (28.2%),[9] in the four-way November 4, 2008 General election fellow Republican nominee Jacqueline Sly took the first seat and Jensen took the second seat with 4,926 votes (31.4%) ahead of Democratic nominees Jeff Nelson (who had run for the seat in 2006) and Kimberly Henderson.[10]
  • 2010 Jensen and incumbent Representative Sly were unopposed for both the June 8, 2010 Republican Primary[11] and the November 2, 2010 General election, where Jensen took the first seat with 4,920 votes (56.62%) and Representative Sly took the second seat.[12]
  • 2012 When incumbent Senate District 33 Republican Senator Elizabeth Kraus left the Legislature and left the District 33 seat open, Jensen ran in the June 5, 2012 Republican Primary and placed first with 1,128 votes (57.6%) against former Representative Michael Buckingham[13] who had run for the seat in 2008; Jensen won the November 6, 2012 General election with 5,722 votes (57.4%) against Democratic nominee Matt McGrath.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Catalan, Julissa. "Lawmaker: ‘Government Shouldn’t Prevent Racial Discrimination’" diversity.com n.d.
  7. ↑ Simmons-Ritchie, Daniel. "Governor distances himself from state senator's Ku Klux Klan remark" Rapid City Journal March 20, 2014
  8. ↑ Simmons-Ritchie, Daniel. "Phil Jensen: South Dakota's most conservative lawmaker?" Rapid City Journal March 16, 2014
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links


<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Flag of South DakotaPolitician icon

This South Dakota politician-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Phil_Jensen&oldid=719926315"