Runoff to decide GOP nominee in reliably red state
South Dakota Republicans will pick their candidate for governor in a primary runoff Tuesday, choosing between the sitting governor, Larry Rhoden, and businessman Toby Doeden after neither secured enough votes to win the nomination outright in the June 2 primary.
Rhoden was serving as lieutenant governor when he took over the state’s top office in early 2025 following then-Gov. Kristi Noem’s departure to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. The contest gives primary voters a chance to select Rhoden for a full term or to instead tap Doeden, who ran as an outsider.
The initial primary field included five candidates. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and state House Speaker Jon Hansen also ran but did not advance to the runoff. State law requires candidates to surpass a 35% vote threshold to win the primary without a runoff; neither Rhoden nor Doeden met that mark.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will enter the general election as the strong favorite. South Dakota has not had a Democratic governor since the 1970s and is considered a reliably Republican state. Democratic nominee Dan Ahlers, a former state senator, will appear on the November ballot.
Polls are scheduled to close Tuesday evening.