Senator Jim Stalzer Contact information

James Bruce Stalzer (born July 7, 1946) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he has been a member of the South Dakota Senate, representing District 11 since 2017. Prior to that, Stalzer served as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 11 from 2013 to 2017.

In 2012, when incumbent Republican Representative Lora Hubbel ran for the South Dakota Senate, leaving a District 11 seat open, Stalzer entered the four-way June 5, 2012 Republican Primary. He secured second place with 447 votes, ahead of incumbent Representative Mark Willadsen. In the four-way November 6, 2012 General election, fellow Republican nominee Christine Erickson won the first seat, and Stalzer secured the second seat with 5,124 votes (27.88%). His opponents in that election were Democratic former Representative Darrell Solberg and Jim Larson, who had previously run for the seat in 2010.

In 2016, Stalzer ran for the South Dakota Senate District 11 seat after incumbent David Omdahl decided not to seek re-election. Stalzer was unopposed in the Republican primary, as was his Democratic counterpart, Tom Cool. Stalzer emerged victorious in the general election, defeating Cool with 6,944 votes (60.78%) to 4,481 votes (39.22%). He secured re-election in 2018, defeating Kevin Elsing with 6,190 votes (60.4%) to 4,058 votes (39.6%).

Stalzer has faced criticism. In 2015, Sioux Falls police demanded that he apologize after making controversial remarks regarding concealed weapons. Stalzer defended his position, asserting that he compared the honesty and integrity of concealed weapons and their holders, and therefore had nothing to apologize for.

Senator Jim Stalzer continues to serve in the South Dakota State Senate, representing District 11, and his current term is set to end on January 14, 2025.