Harms, Ekstrum win Lincoln County Commission Primaries

Two newcomers are poised to join the Lincoln County Commission following victories in the June 2 primary election, bringing new faces to the county’s governing board.

In the District 3 race, Amy Harms defeated incumbent Commission Chair Tiffani Landeen, earning 930 votes, or 63 percent of the vote, compared to Landeen’s 543 votes, or 37 percent. A total of 1,473 ballots were cast in the race, with all six precincts reporting.

Harms, a local marketing manager and current chairwoman of the Lincoln County Republican Party, will take Landeen’s seat on the five-member commission, which oversees one of South Dakota’s fastest-growing counties.

In District 5, Joni Ekstrum secured victory over Mike Mathis, receiving 1,208 votes, or 58 percent, to Mathis’ 861 votes, or 42 percent. The race drew 2,069 total votes across all six precincts.

Ekstrum serves as executive director of South Dakota Biotech and will succeed longtime Commissioner Jim Schmidt, who chose not to seek re-election after serving on the commission for 28 years.

Schmidt announced earlier this year that he would retire from public service at the conclusion of his current term, ending nearly three decades of service on the county board.

Harms and Ekstrum are expected to assume their positions during Lincoln County Commission’s first meeting in January of 2027.