Gov. Larry Rhoden (R-SD) decisively fended off his primary challenger in the state’s first-ever gubernatorial primary runoff.
Rhoden became governor in January 2025 after he was promoted from lieutenant governor following former Gov. Kristi Noem‘s appointment as President Donald Trump‘s homeland security secretary. The four-way June 2 Republican primary ended with no candidate reaching the 35% threshold, triggering a runoff between Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden.
On Tuesday, Rhoden won 72.1% of the vote compared to Doeden’s 27.9%, with 77% of the vote counted.
Rhoden’s triumph was made all the more remarkable due to the fact that Doeden beat him by a significant margin last month, taking 30.6% of the vote compared to Rhoden’s 25.2%. That primary was also an upset, after Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) failed to advance despite beginning the race as the presumptive front-runner.
The Rhoden vs. Doeden faceoff was characterized by the narrative of an experienced politician versus an outsider, an image both candidates embraced. Rhoden has been in public office since 2001 and touted this experience as the best pragmatic pick. He argued he had “the proven track record of uniting Republicans from all factions.”
Doeden, in contrast, contrasted himself as a bold outsider conservative, who was seeking to oust a career politician without the constituents’ best interests at heart.
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The race was also characterized by decidedly state-level issues. Doeden claimed he was compelled to run over Rhoden’s ambiguity around opposing eminent domain for carbon pipelines and his plan to build a $650 million prison to replace the state’s main penitentiary that was nearing 150 years old. Doeden derided the project as too luxurious for prisoners, dubbing it the “Ritz-Carlton prison.”
Ultimately, Doeden wasn’t able to expand his base beyond his original enthusiastic supporters. The candidates who failed to advance to the runoff saw the vast majority of their supporters flock to Rhoden, ultimately dooming the political outsider.