Biography
Russell Graeff is the Democratic candidate for South Dakota State Senate District 19 in the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces incumbent Kyle Schoenfish (R).[1][2] In a 2022 Ballotpedia survey, he described himself as semi-retired from the health care sector.[3]
Russell Graeff earned a bachelor's degree from Ashbourne College in 2004.[2] In a 2022 Ballotpedia survey, he said he was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was raised mostly in Southern California, and worked in health care as an emergency medical technician, in ambulance and fire department emergency medical services, and as a licensed respiratory care practitioner.[3]
Graeff was the Democratic nominee for South Dakota State Senate District 19 in 2016, when he lost to Stace Nelson (R) with 21.8 percent of the vote.[2] He was nominated by the district Democratic central committee to replace a withdrawn candidate in 2022 and lost to incumbent Kyle Schoenfish (R), receiving 17.7 percent.[2][3] In the 2022 survey, he said that the biggest issue he saw for South Dakota was single-party leadership, and he supported Constitutional Amendment D on Medicaid expansion and Initiated Measure 27 on marijuana.[3]
- 1.South Dakota State Senate elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Russell Graeff - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Russell Graeff, Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey (2022) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
South Dakota Senate District 19
Russell Graeff is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for South Dakota Senate District 19 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.