Tonnis Henry Venhuizen was born on October 8,1982 and is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 40th lieutenant governor of South Dakota since 2025.
20 Facts About Tony Venhuizen
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Tony Venhuizen was the chief of staff to two governors of South Dakota: Dennis Daugaard, his father-in-law, and Kristi Noem.
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Tonnis Henry Tony Venhuizen was born on October 8,1982, at the Douglas County Memorial Hospital in Armour, South Dakota.
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Tony Venhuizen's father, Keith, is a dentist and was a school board member for a decade.
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Tony Venhuizen graduated from Armour High School in 2001, where he was included in the National Merit Scholar.
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In eleventh grade, Tony Venhuizen served as a page at the Senate, where he met Dennis Daugaard, then a state legislator, and his daughter, Sara.
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Later, at the 2002 convention for the South Dakota Republican Party, Tony Venhuizen met Sara again and the two began dating, marrying in 2004.
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In 2002, Tony Venhuizen was an employee for the gubernatorial campaign of Mike Rounds.
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Tony Venhuizen helped establish Rounds's office in Rapid City and, at the request of Rounds, remained an employee through the transition.
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Tony Venhuizen was employed as a law clerk for a year for the First Judicial Circuit of South Dakota.
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In November 2014, Tony Venhuizen was selected to be Daugaard's chief of staff, succeeding Dusty Johnson.
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Tony Venhuizen had previously worked as a senior advisor for Noem before resigning in June 2019 to work at a law firm in Sioux Falls.
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Tony Venhuizen left his post as chief of staff on April 23,2021, after Noem appointed him to the South Dakota Board of Regents.
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On February 8,2022, Tony Venhuizen announced his candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives, aiming to represent the 13th district.
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Tony Venhuizen won the primary alongside incumbent Sue Peterson; the two faced no opposition in the general election.
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Tony Venhuizen resigned from his position on the Board of Regents and was inaugurated as a state representative on January 10,2023.
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In early 2023, Tony Venhuizen proposed House Bill 1055, which would increase the amount of money awarded from the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship from $6,500 to $7,500.
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In December 2023, Tony Venhuizen introduced a resolution alongside Casey Crabtree that would allow voters to decide if work requirements should be considered for those enrolled in the Medicaid government program.
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Two days after his inauguration, Rhoden nominated Tony Venhuizen to serve as lieutenant governor.
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Shortly before the announcement, Tony Venhuizen had resigned from his seat in the House.