Dan served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and State Senate from 2008 to 2015. As a State Representative, he sponsored legislation to make schools safer, lower property taxes, and add accountability to the investment of state employee retirement funds. As a State Senator, he provided new opportunities in the financial sector by rewriting captive insurance laws to promote new investments in South Dakota banks, while growing high-paying jobs. By working with the Division of Insurance and industry leaders, Dan helped make South Dakota competitive in the captive insurance market.

Dan has worked on numerous political campaigns at the state, local, and federal levels across South Dakota. Lederman attended the University of Iowa, majoring in fine arts and minoring in religion. He also served with the Iowa Army National Guard as a combat medic.