Emily Meier withdraws as District 3 candidate

The lone Democrat running for one of two available seats in District 3 has withdrawn her petition.

Emily Meier, 25, of Aberdeen, withdrew her petition Aug. 2, according to records on the South Dakota Secretary of State's website. That's the last day candidates can withdraw from the November ballot. 

Meier works as a server and is a Northern State University student.

"This summer I've had quite a bit of health problems and have decided to prioritize dealing with that," Meier said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Meier said she had a surgery earlier this summer that she thought would resolve some medical issues, but it ended up being the the start of more medical procedures to come.

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But, she doesn't discount the option of pursuing politics in the future.

"I still love Aberdeen and South Dakota and feel like the people in Aberdeen deserve balanced representation," she said.

While her campaign sites remain active, Meier said she's in the process of disabling them.

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The local Democratic Party had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to find a replacement candidate, but Party Vice President Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, of Aberdeen said no replacement candidate was found.

Meier was one of three candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot. Also running are Republicans Carl Perry and Brandei Schaefbauer, both of Aberdeen. Perry and Schaefbauer were the top two candidates in a four-way race in the June primary. District 3 predominantly covers the city of Aberdeen and Bath. With Meier's withdrawal, Schaefbauer and Perry are now unopposed in November.

Perry, 69, is a retired businessman and member of Hub City Capital. Schaefbauer, 48, is a former real estate broker who has recently been a stay-at-home mom.