Rhoden and Doeden to Meet in July GOP Runoff for South Dakota Governor
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden will face businessman Toby Doeden in a July 28 GOP primary runoff for a full term after neither cleared 35% in Tuesday’s vote. Doeden led with about 31%, Rhoden had 25%, followed by Rep. Dusty Johnson at 23% and former House Speaker Jon Hansen at 21%. Trump did not endorse; Doeden markets himself as a political outsider and Trump ally, while Rhoden touts property tax cuts and crime reductions. The Republican nominee is favored in the general election in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat governor since the 1970s, and Trump carried SD by 29 points in 2024.