Helene Duhamel

Helene Duhamel (born July 13, 1962) is an American politician and journalist serving as a member of the South Dakota Senate from the 32nd district.

Career After graduating from college, she worked as a news anchor for KDUH in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. In 1989, she returned to Rapid City.

Duhamel was appointed to the Senate by Governor Kristi Noem in 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Alan Solano. Duhamel had previously served as a television news anchor for KOTA-TV and as the public information office for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

Electoral history In 2020, Duhamel ran for re-election to the South Dakota State Senate to represent District 32; she was unopposed in the Republican primary. Duhamel beat Democratic challenger Michael Calabrese by 64% to 36%. Calabrese was a small business owner and served on the Rapid City Board of Parks and Recreation.

Legislative History

2020 Legislative Session After her appointment to the State Senate, Duhamel represented District 32 during the 2020 South Dakota Legislative Session. +Senate Committee MembershipPositionCommitteeVice-ChairLocal Government MemberHealth and Human Services Duhamel also served on the Local Government Interim Committee and as the Vice Chair of the Health and Human Services Interim Committee. +Duhamel's 2020 Prime Sponsored Legislation Bill NumberBill TitleHB 1056revise drone surveillance protectionsSB 60adopt the Physical Therapist Licensure CompactSB 61revise certain provisions regarding a municipal office nominating petitionSB 70revise the offenses for which an order for interception of communications may be granted In 2020, all four pieces of legislation that Duhamel prime sponsored were passed into law and signed by the Governor Kristi Noem.