Businessman Toby Doeden and incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden will face each other in a runoff for the South Dakota Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The outcome signals a divided GOP primary in a state where the Republican nomination is typically the decisive step toward winning the general election. The runoff creates a high-stakes confrontation between an established incumbent and a challenger from the business community.
The primary election took place on June 3, 2026. According to state law, a candidate must receive more than 35 percent of the vote to win the nomination outright [1]. Because no candidate reached that threshold, the top two finishers must compete in a second round [1].
Toby Doeden failed to receive more than 35 percent of the vote in the primary [1]. He and Rhoden emerged as the leading candidates among a field that included other contenders, such as Johnson and Hansen.
The runoff election is scheduled for July 28, 2026 [2]. This secondary contest will determine who secures the Republican party's nomination for the governor's office. The transition from a multi-candidate field to a head-to-head matchup often shifts campaign strategies, forcing candidates to appeal to voters who supported eliminated opponents.
Both candidates now face a short window to consolidate support before the July date. The incumbent Governor Rhoden must defend his record, while Doeden seeks to leverage his business background to argue for a change in leadership in the U.S. state.
“No candidate received the required >35% of the vote to win the nomination outright”
The requirement for a 35% plurality prevents a candidate from winning with a small fraction of the vote in a crowded field. By forcing a runoff, South Dakota law ensures that the eventual nominee has a broader mandate from the party base, though it also prolongs the internal GOP conflict and increases the financial cost of the campaign.
