Pennington County Democratic Leadership

2025 Elected Officers

  • Ranee McFarland Haglund - Chair

    Ranee' is eager to help expand the party's influence, foster collaborations with various organizations, and build a community founded on equity and resilience. "I have assembled a team of intelligent and engaging individuals, representing diverse factions within Pennington County," she says. She encourages everyone to engage at the local level. She seeks to tap into the pool of strong Pennington County leaders with a record of proven results. "Together, we can achieve greatness."

  • Murray Lee - Vice Chair

    Murray was raised, educated and lives in Rapid City. He graduated in 2016 from Black Hills State University with a double degree and is passionate about community inclusion. He has worked at United Way and is now at NDN as the Community Outreach director. Initiating dialogue and engaging real connections is Murray’s superpower.

  • Lori Armstrong - Secretary

    Lori is writer whose resume includes being a New York Times best-selling author. Lori grew up in Rapid City, and she and her husband have raised their children here. Lori is a dedicated gramma and a fierce feminist. She is an advocate for equal rights and democracy and was instrumental in founding (and building) The Tampon Tuesday Social Club, which gathers free menstrual products to be distributed to public school girls, ensuring unlimited free access to menstrual products both at school and at home.

  • Toni Diamond - Treasurer

    Toni is a native Minnesotan, a state renowned for its progressive politics. Following high school, Toni enlisted in the Marines, serving from 1986-1992, including a deployment in the Persian Gulf War, and is a disabled veteran. She has devoted more than 20 years to humanitarian aid work, both domestically and internationally, with a focus on Africa. She has been secretary for the South Dakota Democratic Party and president of Black Hills Center for Equality. Toni's talent lies in her ability to connect community members with services and opportunities, fostering collaboration between organizations and marginalized sectors.

Central Committeepersons

  • Jay Davis

    Jay is a seasoned public servant who holds this position on the State Central Committee and previously served on the E-board of the South Dakota Democratic Party. His civic engagement extends to memberships in the Sierra Club and the Izaak Walton League. Now retired from his career as an attorney, he accumulated more than 15 years of experience as a public defender in Pennington County. He is married to Susan Kelts, a retired school nurse who sought the office of State Representative in District 32 in 2016 and 2018. Throughout his life, he has contributed to various Democratic campaigns as a volunteer and strives to revitalize a viable two-party system in South Dakota.

  • Cesia Viera

    Cesia is a Hispanic woman born and raised in Texas. She works in marketing in Rapid City. Having moved here for the military, she stayed for the vibes. She is running not only to stand against harmful ideologies locally and nationally, but Cesia advised she wants "to fight for the well-being of my friends and neighbors within this community."

Executive Leadership

(front L to R) Communications Team Sarah McCormick, Chairwoman Ranee McFarland Haglund, Executive Board Member Region 7 Sandy White Shield, and Central Committeewoman Cesia Viera

(back L to R) Secretary Lori Armstrong, Communications Team Jamie Giedd, Vice Chair Murray Lee, Treasurer Toni Diamond, and Central Committeeman Jay Davis

Our team of candidates wants to thank everyone who attended the Pennington County Democratic Party election, both in person and online!

We pledge to work together, as a team, with passion to engage our disenfranchised citizens and create action teams to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We look forward to rebuilding the Young Democrats organization, scouting for good candidates, forming the West River Democratic Alliance to work WITH our neighboring counties and Indian Country, create a Lakota engagement team to represent all Native Americans in SD, and so much more.