South Dakota Republican Runoff Decides Gov. Larry Rhoden vs. Toby Doeden
South Dakota Republicans will hold a runoff election on Tuesday, July 28, to choose their nominee for governor. The contest pits incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden, who assumed office in early 2025 after Kristi Noem left for the White House, against businessman Toby Doeden. Neither candidate reached the 35% threshold required to win outright in the June 2 primary, where Doeden led with roughly 31% of the vote and Rhoden followed with about 25%; Dusty Johnson and Jon Hansen trailed with 23% and 21% respectively.
Doeden’s primary strength came from Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, while Rhoden secured key counties in central and north‑western South Dakota, including Meade, Lawrence and Hughes County (which contains the state capital, Pierre). The runoff winner will advance to the November general election to face Democratic former state senator Dan Ahlers, a race considered favorable for the GOP in the reliably Republican state.
Entities: Christine Erickson · Dan Ahlers · Kristi Noem · Larry Rhoden · Toby Doeden
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Key counties in the runoff include Minnehaha (home to Sioux Falls) and Pennington (home to Rapid City), together accounting for about a third of registered Republicans. (multiple sources)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Larry Rhoden became governor in early 2025 after Kristi Noem resigned to join President Donald Trump's cabinet. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The runoff is between incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The runoff winner will face Democrat Dan Ahlers in the November general election. (multiple sources)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Sioux Falls Mayor Christine Erickson endorsed Larry Rhoden in the runoff. (article 0)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Primary vote percentages were approximately 31% for Doeden, 25% for Rhoden, 23% for Dusty Johnson and 21% for Jon Hansen. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] South Dakota Republicans will hold a runoff election on Tuesday, July 28 to select their gubernatorial nominee. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Neither candidate achieved the 35% vote threshold in the June 2 primary, triggering the runoff. (multiple sources)
- [● 3 SOURCES] South Dakota will hold a Republican gubernatorial nomination runoff on July 28, 2024. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Neither Larry Rhoden nor Toby Doeden secured the required 35% threshold in the June 2 primary. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The runoff winner will face Democratic former state Sen. Dan Ahlers in the November general election. (All three articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] In the June primary, Toby Doeden received about 31% of the vote. (All three articles)