Live results: Rhoden fights to hang on to South Dakota governor’s mansion in GOP primary runoff
South Dakota Republicans are voting in a runoff to choose their gubernatorial nominee between incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden. The contest matters because the Republican nominee is expected to be strongly favoured in the November election in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since the 1970s.
Rhoden became governor in early 2025 after Kristi Noem left office to join Donald Trump’s cabinet. In the 2 June primary, Doeden won 30.6% of the vote and Rhoden 25.2%, but neither reached the state’s 35% threshold required to avoid a runoff; the winner will face Democrat Dan Ahlers in November.
- Rhoden and Doeden compete for South Dakota’s Republican gubernatorial nomination.
- Neither candidate cleared 35% in June’s primary.
- The runoff winner is favoured for November.