Sioux Falls Showed Up
We came for a party. We left with something more. Here's what happened at DaDa on May 1st — and the energy we're carrying into June.
I've been to a lot of events in this city. I've hosted them, organized them, performed in them. But there was something different about walking into DaDa that night.
The room was full. Longtime friends who have been in my corner for years. New faces who had never heard my name before May 1st. People who had been following the campaign from a distance and were finally ready to show up in person. All of them in the same room, on the same night, for the same reason.
That doesn't happen by accident. That's Sioux Falls doing what Sioux Falls does.
Sioux falls supports its own.
Before the music started, Cham Phan took the stage to introduce me.
He reminded everyone that Sioux Falls supports its own. Then he told a story I hadn't heard him tell publicly before: the moment we both decided, at the same time, to walk away from our corporate jobs and bet on ourselves as entrepreneurs. Two guys who believed in this city enough to build something in it.
That's the spirit I'm running on. And Cham put it into words better than I ever could have.
The Music Didn't Just Entertain. It Energized.
Daniel Brunz, Christian Holman, and James1stGen didn't just perform that night — they set a tone that carried through every conversation, every handshake, every moment in that room.
Daniel's storytelling draws people in and holds them there. Christian's sets kept the energy moving. James brought something raw and real to the stage — music rooted in a journey that Sioux Falls should be proud to call its own.
These are artists who said yes before I ever had to ask twice. That means everything.
The Real Work Happening Off Stage
While the music played, something just as important was happening at a table near the door.
Our friend Tove Hoff Bormes was on hand helping guests with voter registration — walking people through the new proof of citizenship requirements that took effect this year, making sure no one left without knowing exactly what they needed to do before June 2nd.
Samantha Chapman from the ACLU of South Dakota gave the room an honest update on the voter law changes and what's at stake — including the need for volunteers to help watch the polls. If you weren't aware of that need before May 1st, you were after.
Sul Asked the Question the Night Needed
Instead of a big speech, my friend Sul Dibba — who emceed the entire evening with the kind of warmth and energy that makes every room feel like home — brought me up for a live podcast Q&A.
The theme was showing up.
Not just what I've done in my career or why I'm running. But what showing up actually means — and why we have to encourage more people to do it if we want this city to truly work for everyone.
After Sul and I wrapped up, a young man named Zach found me in the crowd. He'd come for the concert. He didn't know much about the race going in.
Before he left, he pulled me aside and said that he felt hopeful that we could have a voice in our local government.
Then he signed up to knock doors and distribute literature.
That's the whole campaign in one moment. Someone who showed up for the music and left believing something was possible. That's exactly the kind of energy we're taking into June.
What Showing Up Looks Like
My goal has always been to better engage the community of Sioux Falls. To bridge city government with the people it serves. If we can shift the voting demographics so that more voices are actually heard at the ballot box, we'll consider that a success.
But it starts with showing up. And that looks different for each of us.
For some it's volunteering — with our campaign, or for a community cause that's close to your heart. For others it's checking in on a neighbor. Being more engaged in your kids' school. Following what's on the city council agenda before the vote is already taken.
DaDa was proof that this city is ready to do exactly that.
Now let's take that energy all the way to June 2nd.
It's always been our city, and now is our moment.
Let's rise together. ☀️
— Vince Danh
Candidate, Sioux Falls City Council At-Large | June 2nd, 2026