South Dakota's Republican Elections Chief Endorses Democrat Successor

In a moment that speaks to the quiet unraveling of old political certainties, South Dakota's Republican Secretary of State Monae Johnson has chosen to endorse the Democrat seeking her office — a crossing of party lines that would have been nearly unthinkable in recent election cycles. Her decision joins a pattern of GOP incumbents stepping away from the conservative candidates their party has elevated, as the gravitational pull of Trump's influence appears to be loosening its hold on established officeholders. The race to administer South Dakota's elections now carries a deeper question: when