SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Family and friends near and far will gather in Sioux Falls tomorrow to pay their last respects to former U.S. Senator Tim Johnson.
During his early childhood and college career, Johnson spent a lot of time in Vermillion.
Johnson also was the last Democrat to serve in statewide office for South Dakota. Mohamed Mohamed, a junior studying political science at the University of South Dakota, is also the president of College Democrats of South Dakota and says Johnson made a huge impact on his party.
“He’s left behind a legacy of hope and a model of leadership that we can all aspire to. And so, as a college Democrat, he is someone that we always will model our character and how we go about seeing the world,” Mohamed said.
Johnson held many campaigns throughout his career, and it wasn’t uncommon for USD students and alumni to be among the staff, including Laura McNaughton.
“Many of them weren’t sure what they were going to do and decided to go into public service because of that. And myself included, I was a social work student and didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but found that public service and public policy was of great interest to me. So that impact is felt in many, many ways,” McNaughton said.