On June 28, Governor Kristi Noem appointed Mark Vargo, Pennington County state’s attorney, as the acting attorney general of South Dakota to serve the remainder of former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s term. Vargo will hold the position until the next elected attorney general takes office in January 2023. Former Attorney General Marty Jackley is running on the Republican ticket. The Democratic Party is holding its convention on July 8 and 9.

Vargo, who acted as lead prosecutor in Ravsnborg’s Senate impeachment trial in late June, previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and assistant state’s attorney. He attended Princeton University for his undergraduate studies and earned his law degree from Georgetown Law.