Larry Rhoden, the incumbent GOP governor of South Dakota, successfully defended his position in the state's first gubernatorial primary runoff held on Tuesday, July 29, 2026. Rhoden faced businessman and Bitcoin advocate Toby Doeden after neither candidate surpassed the 35% vote threshold required to win outright in the initial primary.

The Associated Press called the race for Rhoden shortly after 9:00 p.m. local time. Rhoden, who assumed office in early 2025 following Kristi Noem's departure to join the Trump administration, will now advance to the November general election.

During the campaign, Doeden positioned himself as an outsider challenging South Dakota's entrenched political class, asserting after the June primary that "the career politicians told me" an outsider could not break through against longtime officeholders. Rhoden responded to this characterization by calling it "such a warped viewpoint" and accused Doeden of trying to "make hay" out of labeling him a career politician in an interview with South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Rhoden was also publicly acknowledged by former President Trump during remarks at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2026, although the governor’s race was not specifically mentioned.

This runoff election marks a new chapter in South Dakota's electoral process, as state law mandates a runoff between the top two candidates when no contender achieves the required vote percentage to win outright in a primary.

Sources