'I'm not done yet': Gov. Rhoden's candidacy sets up South Dakota GOP showdown

Former lieutenant governor, longtime legislator leans on ranch roots, governing tenure in campaign kickoff in Rapid City

RAPID CITY — He’s in.

Gov. Larry Rhoden vowed to let his policies drive his politics in his bid for another four years as South Dakota state government’s top executive, touting his lifelong South Dakota roots, his western South Dakota agriculture background and he and his family’s legacy of military service during a Tuesday morning campaign kickoff.

“When I’m done being governor, whenever that is, I hope the people look back on my time as governor and say he left South Dakota a place that was built to last,” he said. “But I’m not done yet.”

Speaking to a crowd of supporters at the Alex Johnson Hotel in downtown Rapid City, Rhoden pointed to administrative accomplishments in the 10 months since he became governor after having served as lieutenant governor under Kristi Noem since 2019.

He specifically noted a recently approved penitentiary replacement effort that coalesced legislative support around a $650 million prison project in Sioux Falls that’d been highly contentious among state lawmakers for years. That South Dakota has maintained its strong financial standing and continued to protect conservative governing should appeal to South Dakotans who like where they live, said the Union Center rancher, who also served nearly two decades in the state Legislature.

“Let’s keep it that way,” said Rhoden, who joins House Speaker Jon Hansen, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden and Congressman Dusty Johnson in the upcoming June primary election that will determine who will represent the GOP on the general election ballot in the fall of 2026.

Rhoden said his time not just in government but working cattle, fields and metal — the 66-year-old smith’s branding irons — gives him a leg up when it comes to connecting with South Dakotans and a “real-world” perspective on governing.

“I’ve proven that I’m an effective governor. It’s much different being one of 435 … than being one of one,” he said when asked why voters should prefer him living in the governor’s mansion over Johnson. “My background makes me much more qualified, my experience in the Legislature and my experience prior to the Legislature in the real world, living on the ranch.”

In a message to The Dakota Scout, Johnson said: “Gov. Rhoden has been a worthy caretaker for South Dakota. However, the next 20 years could be the best in our state’s history. That is going to take energy, vision, and a real plan. That is what I’m offering in this race.”

Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen said the governor’s leadership style, his ability to connect with legislators and everyday South Dakotans makes him uniquely suited to help navigate South Dakota through a time where chasms are often widening over politics, business and culture.

“He is exactly what South Dakota needs right now: a steady, responsible governor who protects what’s working, fixes what isn’t, and never forgets where he comes from,” said Venhuizen, who introduced the governor before his campaign kickoff speech. “He’s South Dakota forged and built to last.”

The primary election is June 2.