{{Short description|American politician (born 1975)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Paula Hawks |office = Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party |term_start = March 23, 2019 |term_end = October 23, 2019 |predecessor = Ann Tornberg |successor = Randy Seiler |state_house1 = South Dakota |district1 = 9th |term_start1 = January 11, 2013 |term_end1 = January 10, 2017 |predecessor1 = Bob Deelstra |successor1 = Michael Clark |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|9|11}} |birth_place = Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |education = South Dakota State University (BS) }} '''Paula Hawks'''<ref name="PVS">{{cite web |url= http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/143006 |title= Paula Hawks' Biography |publisher= Project Vote Smart |accessdate= January 14, 2014}}</ref> (born September 11, 1975) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 9 from January 11, 2013 to January 10, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sdlegislature.gov/Historical/Legislator/Profile/3852|title=Legislator profile|work=South Dakota Legislature|access-date=February 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name="SDL">{{cite web |url=http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/MemberDetail.aspx?Member=503 |title=Representative Paula Hawks |publisher=South Dakota Legislature |location=Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate=January 14, 2014}}</ref> Hawks grew up on a farm near Flandreau, South Dakota.<ref name=tupper/> Hawks is a bank training specialist and a former high school science teacher.<ref name=tupper>{{cite news|last1=Tupper|first1=Seth|title=Five questions with Democratic U.S. House candidate Paula Hawks|url=http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/five-questions-with-democratic-u-s-house-candidate-paula-hawks/article_32ad7c42-e31b-5ba5-9db0-dd4bae8db122.html|accessdate=2 October 2015|publisher=Rapid City Journal|date=17 August 2015}}</ref> She has three children with her husband, Steve.<ref name=tupper/>
==Elections== *2012 To challenge District 9 incumbent Republican Representatives Bob Deelstra and Steve Hickey, Holly Boltjes-Johnson ran in the June 5, 2012 Democratic primary but withdrew prior to the November 6, 2012 general election; Hawks replaced Boltjes-Johnson for the four-way general election, where incumbent Republican Representative Hickey took the first seat and Hawks took the second seat with 3,965 votes (26.04%) ahead of incumbent Republican Representative Deelstra and fellow Democratic nominee Mark Anderson,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=LEG&map=DIST |title= Official Results General Election November 6, 2012 |publisher= Secretary of State of South Dakota |location= Pierre, South Dakota |accessdate= January 14, 2014}}</ref> who had run for the seat in 2010. *2016 To challenge incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Kristi Noem. In the 2016 election cycle, Hawks challenged sitting Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem for South Dakota's lone seat in the United States House of Representatives. Noem criticized Hawks for her support of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while Hawks criticized Noem for supporting Donald J. Trump. In a live televised debate, Hawks shared her experience of being a survivor of sexual assault and how she could not understand supporting Trump after all of his comments about women and allegations of assaulting women. Hawks also criticized Noem's decision to give up South Dakota's longtime seat on the House Agriculture Committee and instead to take a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee. In the November election Congresswoman Noem defeated Hawks.
==Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party== On March 23, 2019, Hawks was elected party chair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com/news/government-and-politics/4590078-paula-hawks-elected-chair-sd-democratic-party|title=Paula Hawks elected Chair of S.D. Democratic party|website=prairiebusinessmagazine.com|date=March 26, 2019|accessdate=October 23, 2019}}</</ref>
On October 23, 2019, Hawks (and Executive Director Stacey Burnette) resigned amid party financial struggles that showed approximately $47,000.00 in debt.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.keloland.com/keloland-com-original/south-dakota-democratic-party-leadership-resigns-amid-financial-struggles/|title=South Dakota Democratic Party Leadership resigns amid financial struggles|website=keloland.com|date=October 23, 2019|accessdate=October 23, 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/MemberDetail.aspx?Member=503 Official page] at the South Dakota Legislature * {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=143006 | fec= | congress= }}<!-- Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template: * [http://ballotpedia.org/Paula_Hawks Biography] at Ballotpedia * [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/uniquecandidate.phtml?uc=1417817 Financial information (state office)] at the National Institute for Money in State Politics * -->
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Ann Tornberg}} {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party|years=2019}} {{s-aft|after=Randy Seiler}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawks, Paula}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Schoolteachers from South Dakota Category:American women educators Category:Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Category:People from Flandreau, South Dakota Category:People from Hartford, South Dakota Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Women state legislators in South Dakota Category:State political party chairs of South Dakota Category:21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature
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