Q&A: Peggy Gibson, Mike Stevens

Morgan Fischer: To what do you attribute your political stance?

Peggy Gibson: “Family is always first, my grandfather worked with George McGovern. What George McGovern did for people who were under-served or under-educated, those were the ideals. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

MF: When did you become interested in politics?

PG: “In 2006, I got a call from some members of my community in Huron, asking if I would run for office, and I responded saying, ‘Are you crazy?’ My mother had a stroke in 2005, so I was into family caretaking. I was involved in community volunteer programs and was president of the YWCA; I was out there. I became more visible, and people kept calling and asking me to run. I began looking into politics and saw the need for women involvement in 2006. I thought, ‘You know what? I am going to step out of my box.’  I signed on the very last day I could; my son was in the military and came over from Europe, so I didn’t get my campaign started until September 1, 2006. That gave me two months to campaign.”

MF: Did you attend Girls State? If so, what did you enjoy the most about it?

PG: “I didn’t attend. I looked in my yearbook from 1967 to see who did attend, but in that time, you had to choose from the arts, or debate and government.  I was thinking at that point that I was going to go into music, so I did not attend.”

Molly Graesser: To what do you attribute your political stance?

Mike Stevens: “Ronald Reagan’s understanding and feeling of how government should interact with the citizens.” In his speech: “I first decided what I believed and then decided which political party represented my ideas. For me there was a specific person who motivated me and was able to capture what I believe, Ronald Reagan. I was intrigued by what Ronald Reagan was saying, so I decided I would try to become a Reagan delegate to the GOP National Convention to be held in Detroit.”

MG: When did you become interested in politics?

MS:“I’ve always been interested in politics. When I was in fifth grade I got to meet Barry Goldwater who was running for president against Linden Johnson. Whenever there was a presidential election I used to watch the results on TV and I started to get involved in it in college. When I finished law school that’s when I really started to get involved in local government.”

MG: Did you attend Boys State? If so, what did you enjoy most?

MS: “I didn’t, I don’t even know if they had Boys State in the olden days. My dad worked for the railroad and so we moved every three years and we moved to North St. Paul, Minnesota where I graduated.”

(Photo: South Dakota State Representatives Peggy Gibson, left, and Mike Stevens, right, spoke at Wednesday morning’s general assembly. Both have collaborated together in the South Dakota legislature. Jordann Krouse / Sacajawea Scroll)