Biden to speak at McGovern Day Dinner in Sioux Falls June 5
Former President Joe Biden will be the featured speaker at the 2026 South Dakota Democratic Party George McGovern Day Dinner on Friday, June 5.
The SDDP announced Biden’s acceptance of an offer to speak on Saturday morning. The dinner will be held at the Best Western Plus Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, May 25. They are $950 for a table, $125 for people over 35, $75 for young Democrats under 35 and $40 for kids 12 and under.
“It is an honor to welcome President Biden to South Dakota, especially during such a critical time for our country,” Merrill said in a release.
The party had earlier said its candidates for the three top spots on the November ticket — Executive Director Dan Ahlers, who is running for governor, U.S. Senate candidate Julian Beaudion and U.S. House of Representatives candidate Nikki Gronli — would headline the event. They are still listed as speakers for the event, with Biden added as the keynote speaker.
Biden did not carry South Dakota when he was elected president in 2020 and he and President Barack Obama also failed to do so in 2008 and 2012. Biden did make a previously unscheduled appearance in Sioux Falls in 2012, leaving the campaign trail to speak at George McGovern’s prayer service on Oct. 25.
He called McGovern, whom he served with in the Senate, “the father of the modern Democratic Party” for his efforts to open doors to more women, young people and minorities.
Biden also praised McGovern, a decorated World War II aviator, for his opposition to the Vietnam War.
“The war would never have ended when it did. It would never have ended how it did,” Biden said, speaking directly to McGovern’s daughters. “Your father gave courage to people who didn’t have the courage to speak up to finally stand up. Your father stood there and took all of that beating.”
“It is an absolute privilege to welcome President Biden to South Dakota and have him speak to people from across the state who want a brighter future,” Merrill said. “This is a historic moment for McGovern Day, and we are honored to host someone who knew and served alongside leaders like George McGovern, Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle.”
“President Biden’s administration played a crucial role in helping South Dakota recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Merrill continued. “His policies delivered millions of dollars in investments for rural housing, broadband expansion, infrastructure, and agriculture. As a farmer, I appreciate that President Biden prioritized rural communities, supported sustainable agricultural practices, and worked to strengthen our food supply. I’m excited for President Biden to share his perspective with Democratic candidates and supporters from across South Dakota. This will be an incredible evening as we celebrate the future of our state.”
Biden was just 29 years old when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. Shortly before Christmas, his wife Neilia, 30, and daughter Naomi, 1, were killed, and sons Beau, 3, and Hunter, 2, were critically injured in a car crash.
Biden returned home to Wilmington, Delaware, through his Senate career to spend time with his sons, riding Amtrak and chatting with staff and fellow passengers.
Over 36 years representing Delaware, he played a leading role in addressing major domestic and international issues, including authoring the Violence Against Women Act.
Obama, a relative newcomer to Washington politics in 2008 — he was elected to the Senate in 2004 — selected Biden as his running mate in 2008. The Obama-Biden administration passed the Affordable Care Act, helping millions of Americans gain access to affordable health insurance, and Biden continued to support Obamacare during his presidency.
Biden first planned a run for the White House in the 1988 election but a controversy o over plagiarism in his speeches led him to drop out. He later called the failed campaign “a train wreck,”
Things got even rougher in 1988, when Biden suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms and a subsequent pulmonary embolism. He was absent from the Senate for seven months.
Biden tried for the White House again in 2008 but left the race after a disappointing start, garnering less than 1% of the vote at the Iowa Caucuses. Biden pondered a run in 2016 but the death of his son Beau, and Obama’s reluctance to support his candidacy, ended that effort. Finally, in 2020, Biden ran and defeated President Donald Trump by almost 7 million votes.
He assumed office as the COVID-19 pandemic was causing death, illness and worry across the country. Biden accelerated vaccine distribution, calmed the public and oversaw a return to normal activity.
He was in the Oval Office during a period of economic recovery that created more than 16 million jobs. The Biden administration also made historic investments in communities across the nation — urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal alike. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, roads, bridges, airports, railways, broadband infrastructure, and water systems were modernized and expanded. The CHIPS and Science Act helped revitalize American manufacturing and strengthen domestic semiconductor production.
Biden planned to seek re-election but a poor performance in a June 27, 2024, debate against Trump, followed by calls for him to step aside, caused him to announce his retirement on July 20.#
He endorsed and campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris, who was selected to replace him atop the ticket. But Harris, who picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was defeated by Trump, who became the second president, after Democrat Grover Cleveland, to return to the White House after being defeated.
Since leaving office, Biden, 83, has made some public appearances and worked on both his memoirs and selecting a site for his presidential museum, but he has also battled an aggressive form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones.
He did agree to speak at the SDDP dinner, and party officials were thrilled to announce that this weekend.
Tickets for the McGovern Day Dinner are now on sale.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: President Joe Biden signing a bill, public domain, wikimedia commons
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