District 1 State Representative Logan Manhart has received criticism and responded to said criticism regarding a now deleted post on his Instagram account some have called racist. Manhart posted “Its white boy summer and the boys are back in charge” along with the hashtag “Maga” in the now deleted post.
In response to the pushback, Manhart posted on his social media account, accusing left-wing members of the legislature of using his post to boost their own online presence. He went on to claim the same people attacking him have spent their entire career criticizing and chastising white men.
The South Dakota Democrat caucus in the legislature has sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Hanson and Majority Leader Scott Odenbach requesting a formal apology from Manhart.
“We are writing today as members of the South Dakota House Democratic Caucus to address a deeply offensive and harmful comment made by Representative Logan Manhart. In a public post, he stated that “it’s white boy summer and the boys are back in charge.” This is not a joke. It is a direct expression of racism and sexism, rooted in white supremacy and patriarchal power. For an elected official to celebrate the return of “white boys” being “in charge” is a disgraceful signal that our government should belong to a narrow, privileged group—rather than to all South Dakotans.”
“We are calling on Representative Manhart to issue a meaningful public apology—not a deflection, not a ‘sorry if you were offended,’ but a clear and direct acknowledgment of how his comment was wrong, who it hurt, and how he intends to grow from this moment. We also urge legislative leadership to address this with the seriousness it demands. Dismissing these remarks or sweeping them under the rug would send a chilling message that hate and exclusion are welcome in our Capitol,”
Manhart represents district 1 which encompasses almost all of northeast South Dakota, and a sliver of Brown County and Aberdeen.
