Trump’s South Dakota dominance fuels GOP congressional clash

Crabtree, Jackley make MAGA appeal while courting Republican voters in U.S. House of Representatives race

President Donald Trump’s grip on GOP politics has two South Dakota congressional hopefuls overtly jockeying for MAGA appeal — and potentially even a White House endorsement.

That revealed itself this week when former State Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree joined Attorney General Marty Jackley in the 2026 race for South Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives — both making immediate and unsubtle appeals to Republicans loyal to a president who carried more than 63 percent of the state’s vote in the 2024 presidential election.

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