South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden fends off GOP challenger in primary runoff
Rhoden won the runoff after no candidate reached 35%, and the Republican nominee will face Democrat Dan Ahlers in November.
- On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Governor Larry Rhoden defeated challenger Toby Doeden in South Dakota's first gubernatorial runoff, securing the Republican nomination and advancing to face Democrat Dan Ahlers on November 3.
- Because no candidate reached the 35% threshold in the June 12, 2026, primary, the state's first-ever gubernatorial runoff was triggered, extending the campaign timeline and forcing Doeden and Rhoden to compete again.
- Despite Doeden's $4 million in self-funding compared to Rhoden's $1 million, a July 23 KELO poll showed 62% of likely voters supporting the incumbent versus 32% for Doeden.
- Governor Rhoden refused to debate his opponent ahead of the runoff, citing "outrageous, false claims," prompting both candidates to shift strategies to negative advertising and media sparring instead.
- The Republican Party gained more than 7,300 new registered voters between the June primary and the July runoff, providing Rhoden a consolidated base as he heads toward the November general election against Ahlers.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Rhoden Wins Republican Nomination To Seek His Own Term After Succeeding Noem
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden won the Republican Party’s nomination for governor Tuesday in a runoff election, earning the chance to seek his own four years in office after filling out the remainder of former Gov. Kristi Noem’s last term.
Runoff Saves SDGOP from Unpopular Candidate; Prevent Future Doedenism by Upping Primary Nomination Threshold to Simple Majority
Back in June, when Toby Doeden won only 30.6% of the GOP primary vote and had to face second-place primary finisher Gov. Larry Rhoden in a runoff, Doeden called the runoff requirement “silly” and “ridiculous”. Doeden’s crushing defeat in yesterday’s runoff shows that South Dakota’s rarely used runoff rule exists for a very good reason: to prevent a widely unpopular candidate from winning a party’s nomination. SDCL 12-6-51.1 requires that, in pri…
Dan Ahlers prepares campaign against Rhoden
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- After witnessing a historic runoff election on Tuesday, the 2026 South Dakota governor’s race is far from over. The winning republican candidate, current governor Larry Rhoden, will face Democratic candidate Dan Ahlers in the general election on November 3, 2026. As election results were counted on July 28, Ahlers joined [...]
Incumbent Rhoden Wins South Dakota Republican Primary for Governor
South Dakota Republicans on Tuesday opted to nominate incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden over challenger Toby Doeden, a businessman, in the gubernatorial runoff. The Associated Press declared Rhoden the winner shortly after polls closed; the candidate leads by double digits. As of 10:30 p.m. ET, Rhoden had over 71 percent of the vote. The race between the two candidates represents the first time South Dakota has ever held a gubernatorial primary runoff…
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