BROOKINGS — The Democratic candidate for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, now held by Republican Dusty Johnson, grew up in Aurora and now lives in Dell Rapids, where her husband, Brian, is a a cabinet maker.
“I consider Brookings and Aurora jointly my home,” Nikki Gronli, 53, said. She would ride the school bus from Aurora to Hillcrest Elementary .
Nikki (Mersch) Gronli graduated from Brookings High School in 1991. Her mother was one of the first employees — No. 6 — of Larson Manufacturing. More than 40 years. Nikki worked there the summer after she graduated from Brookings High School, putting some money away for college. “My mom wanted me to have that experience.”
She later attended the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis). As a student, she worked in food services and in the computer laboratory. “Back then you didn’t have a laptop; so you had to go to the computer lab to do your work. Having come from Aurora and Brookings and being in this area, you knew everybody. So I got to know a lot of people at the University of Minnesota very quickly, just being in locations where I was meeting all kinds of students.”
She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. In high school she had worked on the student newspaper and the yearbook. She would use these tools in her political pursuits.
“I always loved telling people stories,” Gronli said. “So I think I bring that into the campaign now, because I go out and I visit with folks and I’m hearing firsthand about their struggles, whether they’re having an issue with Medicare, whether they’re dealing with issues with prescriptions and health insurance, moving the goalposts on them year to year on how much they’ll cover and what they’ll cover. And I think that being curious and hearing from people firsthand is a great way to think about how we should be handling policy.”
Gronli noted that she is currently a consultant but has “really pulled back on that to run the campaign.” And prior to being a consultant, she worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture, in rural development, a post she was appointed to by President Joe Biden. Gronli noted that she is a “lifelong Democrat.”
“My grandma was a John F. Kennedy fan,” she said. “I remember as a young girl, the books in her house and reading about ‘Camelot’ and JFK and his movement in the civil rights era and things like that. I always appreciated the work that came from that. Also, just hearing about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She (my grandma), of course, experienced the Depression and the Dirty ‘30s and the things that he took to help people get back on their feet and get the economy going.”
This is Gronli’s first run for an elective office. “I don’t think I ever saw myself running for office,” the candidate explained. “I was always very politically aware; I always kept up to date about what was going on. And I helped some candidates behind the scenes, who have been in the Legislature or are in the Legislature now.
“Along the way, I started having thoughts that I would run. My husband and I, we took five to six months of discussion. And with Dusty Johnson moving to the governor’s race and knowing that there was an open seat, we decided that now would be a good time for us.”
“I think I bring a unique perspective to this (race),” Gronli said, referring to some of her background and experience. “Because of my time with USDA rural development and also because of my time in the broadband industry.
“I’ve been able to work on economic development, and I also understand those areas in South Dakota that the federal government has been very important to them.”
As an example, the candidate cited Lewis and Behavioral Health in Yankton. “The project and its facility had some state funding and some funding of their own,” she explained. “They needed to get a little more funding to finish that facility. … I had a conversation with some of their board members, and I was able to bring about $18 million to that project to make sure we have it to serve South Dakota.”
Gronli noted that the project also has an “economic development piece.” It provides jobs in the health industry to those employees and helps South Dakotans ewith mental health and addiction issues.
She noted that the “state gets more money back invested in South Dakota than dollars we pay out in taxes.” And those federal dollars coming to South Dakota help pay for such things as: fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, mental health facilities and hospitals.
As one key issue of her candidacy, Gronli noted: “We need strong middle class working families in South Dakota that can continue to add to our economy. I want to support our working families, our farmers.”
The above issue has overall ties to the health care industry, both those who provide it and those who receive it. The candidate noted that the No. 1 issue that drives discussion when she meets voters is health care.
“I would say health care is one of the biggest struggles for families in America right now: affording the insurance. And The potential that one bad accident or situation can bankrupt a family, that’s an issue.”
The Gronlis have four grown children and four grandchildren.
— Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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