2026 Republican gubernatorial primary
On April 24, 2025, Speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives Jon Hansen announced his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2026 South Dakota gubernatorial election.
On May 28, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
On November 18, Rhoden announced his candidacy, joining Hansen, Doeden, and U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson.
From March to June 2026, the Rhoden, Doeden, Hansen, and Johnson campaigns ran various attack ads against one another. In late April 2026, an attack ad specifically targeting Rhoden paid for by an out-of-state company known as Rushmore Principles began to appear on South Dakota television airwaves, which the Rhoden and Doeden campaigns accused the Johnson campaign of creating and spreading. In early May 2026, Rhoden told a group of journalists Johnson had attempted to blackmail him so that he would not enter the gubernatorial race.
In the first round of the Republican primary on June 2, Doeden received 41,791 votes (30.6%), Rhoden 34,379 (25.2%), Johnson 31,925 (23.4%), and Hansen 28,391 (20.8%). As no candidate received 35% of the primary vote, Doeden and Rhoden advanced to a runoff on July 28. The primary runoff was the first in South Dakota history since the provision was enacted ahead of the 1986 South Dakota gubernatorial election.
