CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. (KELO) — 44-year-old Terry Gleason of Chamberlain acknowledges the uphill battle he faces.
“I am an unknown,” Gleason said Saturday. “Not very many people know me, and so it is a long shot, but I feel at the same time, some of the other candidates are also long shots. I think I have just as much to give to South Dakota as any other candidate.”
Gleason is a registered Republican running as an independent for governor of South Dakota in 2026. KELOLAND News interviewed him in person on Saturday in Chamberlain and discovered while preparing this report on Monday that Gleason is on the state’s sex offender registry; he was convicted in 2000 of raping a 15-year-old girl. In a phone conversation Monday with KELOLAND News, Gleason denied raping the girl and says his status as a sex offender should not prevent someone from voting for him.
Part of his motivation to run for governor, Gleason says, is to provide an example.
“To show my kids that even though an independent has little chance to actually win in the state, go for it,” Gleason said. “If you have a dream, go for it.”
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Where do I send my donation!
Convicted in 2000…..he was 19. Which means his offense probably took place when he was 18….. against a 15 year old. If I lived in his state, I would probably vote for him! Good luck.
If the charge is true, I want to say people can rehabilitate and be a productive member of society. If the charge is not true, I want to say he incurred injustice. Either way, kudos for him for standing up. I bet he and his family receive thousands of death threats and I hope he is prepared for that.
He may have to do what I did when I was on the ballot for mayor and registered – make a public announcement that I was dropping out (even though legally I was still on the ballot and received enough votes to keep the most corrupt candidate from winning and caused him to lose his city job) because the government threatened to physically harm my children and threatened to put me in prison if I stayed in the mayoral race. The gov made a good faith effort at the latter threat but failed thanks to the protection of God.
I give it until the end of the week that some idiot claims that he wants to legalize sex with minors.
Sounds like he’d be perfect for ” Great Places, Great Faces” South Dakota. I admire him for running and I hope South Dakota gives him a chance.
You were convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl but still deny it. I don’t know, Terry. Some of them religious folks want to hear you own up for your sins. Then they might forgive you 😊They may not vote for you or want you within a mile of their children, but they’ll still probably forgive you