Democratic U.S. House of Representatives candidate Nikki Gronli and Republican candidate Marty Jackley participated in a debate on Oct. 1, 2026, in Sioux Falls. During the event, Jackley criticized Trump’s approach to beef imports, stating it was the wrong approach. Gronli, a small-business owner and former South Dakota director of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, lambasted Trump’s tariffs and tariff threats, saying they have created a chaotic environment for the state’s farmers.
Jackley said he largely agrees with Trump on tariffs, which are taxes paid by companies importing foreign goods. However, he said Trump’s push to import Argentinian beef to ease high consumer prices earlier this year was the wrong approach. Jackley argued that removing tariffs would open the flood market for foreign beef. Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden and Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who ran unsuccessfully in June for the Republican nomination for governor, have also criticized Trump’s beef import plan. South Dakota’s Republican U.S. senators, John Thune and Mike Rounds, have also criticized it.
Jackley said tariffs on Chinese goods are important tools for balancing what the Republican candidate described as that country’s unfair trade practices. He said targeted tariffs are necessary to promote American jobs and ensure fair trade. Gronli repeatedly criticized Trump’s approach to tariffs, saying they have cost families dearly and created a chaotic environment for the state’s farmers. She pointed specifically to tariffs on Canada, South Dakota’s top trading partner, as an example.
Gronli also pointed to the war in Iran, which has disrupted global oil shipments, as a Trump administration policy that has done damage to South Dakota’s farms, families, and small businesses. She noted that diesel prices have climbed higher than $6 a gallon, making it difficult for farmers to plan. Jackley said he believes the war in Iran needs to wind down now that the U.S. has addressed the nuclear capabilities of that country. However, he attributed high prices at the pump and at the grocery store to the slowdown of fossil fuel development during President Biden’s time in office.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 put $50 billion toward rural healthcare in the coming years, while cutting federal funding for healthcare through work requirements for Medicaid recipients, among other changes. Trump championed the bill, and all three members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation voted for it. South Dakota has been given $189 million so far under the bill.
