Billie Harmon Sutton (born March 16, 1984) is an American former professional bronc rider and politician. He was a member of the

South Dakota Senate The South Dakota Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district. It meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''99th Legislature (2025)' ...

from 2011 to 2019, served as Minority Leader, and was the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Democratic nominee for Governor of South Dakota, which he narrowly lost to Republican nominee

Kristi Noem Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( ; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving as the 8th United States secretary of homeland security since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the 33rd ...

in the general election.

Early life, education, and rodeo accident

A fifth-generation South Dakotan, Sutton grew up in Burke, South Dakota, on his family ranch, where his interest in

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

began. Sutton went to college at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

and became a successful rider as the university's all-time leader in rodeo points. He graduated in May 2008 with a degree in finance. Sutton competed professionally on the PRCA circuit, reaching a top 30 worldwide ranking. In 2007, Sutton was paralyzed from the waist down when his horse flipped upside down in the chute prior to a bronc ride at a rodeo in

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

. He was 23 years old at the time of the accident. After the accident and completion of his college degree, Sutton returned to Burke to work as an investment consultant at a bank.

Political career

In 2010, Sutton was elected to the South Dakota Senate, representing District 21. He served as Senate Assistant Minority Leader from 2013 to 2015. He was succeeded in this position by Troy Heinert from District 26. In 2015, Sutton became the

's Minority Leader. In May 2017, Sutton announced his candidacy for Governor of South Dakota in

at his family ranch in Burke, SD. Michelle Lavallee of Sioux Falls, a former Republican, was the lieutenant governor candidate on Sutton's ticket. Sutton lost in the 2018 South Dakota gubernatorial election, 51.0 to 47.6 percent, in the closest gubernatorial election in South Dakota since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

Endorsements

The Sioux Falls

Argus Leader The ''Argus Leader'' is the daily newspaper of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is the largest newspaper by total circulation in South Dakota. It is owned by Gannett and part of the USA Today Network. History The ''Argus Leader'' traces its h ...

and

Rapid City Journal The ''Rapid City Journal'' (formerly the ''Black Hills Journal'' and the ''Rapid City Daily Journal'') is the daily newspaper of Rapid City, South Dakota. As of 2021, it is the largest newspaper in South Dakota by total subscriptions, according ...

endorsed Sutton for South Dakota Governor in 2018. Sutton was also endorsed by a number of prominent Republicans, including former U.S. Senator

Larry Pressler Larry Lee Pressler (born March 29, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from South Dakota who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1979, and United States Senate from 1979 to 1997, as a Republican. He remained ...

, former

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

Majority Leader Dave Knudson, former

state treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

Dave Volk, former mayor of

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

Rick Knobe, and current Lincoln County Commissioner Jim Schmidt, among others.

Political views

Sutton is a "pro-Second Amendment" moderate Democrat with an anti-corruption focus.

Personal life

While the accident ended Sutton's rodeo career, it did not quell his love of horse riding, an activity he still enjoys alongside his wife Kelsea. Sutton and his wife have three sons. A daughter, Lenore, was born July 8, 2020, but died a week later. In August 2022, a community splash pad in

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

named Lenny's Lily Pad was opened to honor their daughter.

Electoral history

References

External links

Official campaign website

Biography
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Billie 1984 births American politicians with disabilities Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Living people People from Burke, South Dakota Politicians with paraplegia Democratic Party South Dakota state senators University of Wyoming alumni 21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature