Dakota
Voter

2026 South Dakota Gubernatorial Race

Larry Rhoden – R

What are your top 2 priorities if elected?
What is the proper role of Government?

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
In what ways do you stand out from  your competitor(s)?

In this Governor’s race, there’s a lot that sets me apart from the other candidates. First of all, I’m the only candidate that’s made my living in agriculture, working the land. I was born and raised on a ranch and have owned and operated that ranch for decades. I’m the only candidate who’s made a living with my hands.

I’m the only candidate who’s served as a volunteer firefighter, something that I’ve done for over 40 years. That’s a crucial role to give back to your local community, especially in rural South Dakota.

I’m the only candidate who’s worn the uniform of the United States military. I served our nation for six years in the South Dakota National Guard. I earned the distinction of trainee leader of the cycle at basic training. My service to our nation prepared me for my role as Commander in Chief of the National Guard. In fact, I’m the first Governor since the legendary Joe Foss to serve as Commander in Chief of the South Dakota National Guard after serving as a guardsman.

But perhaps the most important distinction is that I’m the only candidate who has actually done the job of Governor. The other candidates can tell you how they plan or hope to do the job – but you can see for yourself how I’ve actually done the job. I might not be the flashiest Governor, but I get the work done efficiently and effectively.

I deliver results.

Just look at what we’ve accomplished in the last two legislative sessions to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free. We advanced South Dakota’s pro-life laws, protected our 2nd Amendment rights, and took important steps to keep South Dakota safe. When others thought that it would be impossible to build agreement to get the prison across the finish line, I put the team together that got the job done. And when it looked like we wouldn’t be able to deliver real property tax relief this year, I set politics aside and worked with legislative leadership to deliver the largest property tax cut in South Dakota history.

I might not be the smartest person in the room, but I’m smart enough to put the right people around me to get the job done. And that is how I will continue to lead if I’m given the opportunity to serve for another four years.

Community Endorsement:

(community endorsement not submitted yet)

Learn more about Governor Rhoden by visiting his:

Campaign Website  – Facebook Page – Campaign Finance Reports

Jon Hansen – R

What are your top 2 priorities if elected?
What is the proper role of Government?

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
In what ways do you stand out from  your competitor(s)?

I’m running for governor because I believe the future of South Dakota should be shaped by the people who live here. At its core, this race is about who each candidate is fighting for. I am fighting to put you and your family first again—not distant corporations, out-of-state interests, or big money political insiders.

I’m fighting for families who feel like they’re working harder but still struggling with rising costs. For parents who want to raise their kids in their faith, with freedom, common sense, and stability. And I’m fighting for people and communities that don’t want to be bullied by out-of-state interests into changing their way of life.

The interest of the common South Dakotan is what has guided me throughout my time in the political arena. Whether it was standing with landowners to defend God given Constitutional private property rights, pushing back against overreach during COVID, defeating the radical Amendment G abortion measure, protecting our culture from the leftist woke agenda, or preserving the most basic freedoms we hold dear—I’ve always approached the job the same way: lead with conservative convictions, listen to the people, and then fight hard for them everyday.

I don’t see leadership as simply managing state government—it’s also about defending our way of life.

I’ve seen what happens when regular people don’t have someone willing to take on tough fights. Too often, politicians wait until it’s “safe” to stand up for the people. In the Legislature and beyond, I have led from the front, for the sake of the people of our state and the conservative values that make South Dakota great.

But this campaign isn’t just about the many great things we have already done together—it’s about what we are going to do next.

As governor, I’ll focus on making it easier to raise a family here: I will keep fighting to lower taxes, keep government transparent, accountable, and corruption free, protect your freedoms, keep woke out of our institutions, and make sure South Dakota stays a place where hard work is rewarded and the people—not bureaucrats or Washington DC—are in charge.

My wife and I are raising six kids here. I’m all in on making sure South Dakota is the best state in the country to work, start a business, and—most importantly—to raise a family.

That’s what our campaign is about: protecting what makes this state special and making it stronger for (word limit)

Community Endorsement:

I’ve worked closely with Jon Hansen in Pierre, and have watched him as a father, husband, and a fighter for the conservative movement. There is nobody better in South Dakota to carry the torch of the pro family movement and be our next governor.

-Rep. Scott Odenbach, House Majority Leader

Learn more about Representative Hansen by visiting his:

Campaign Website  – Facebook Page – Campaign Finance Reports

Dusty Johnson – R

What are your top 2 priorities if elected?
What is the proper role of Government?

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
In what ways do you stand out from  your competitor(s)?

The best governor is one who can dream big and deliver results, and that’s true with my campaign. We’ve laid out bold ideas detailing how we can make this state better, and I also have a proven track record of getting things done. As Chief of Staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard, I helped cut $127 million in state spending. In the private sector, I created jobs. As Congressman, I worked with President Trump to secure the border, eliminate woke from our military, and cut taxes.

I believe the next 20 years in South Dakota can be the best years we’ve ever had, but in several key areas, we’re falling behind. We need strong leadership and vision to build the best South Dakota. Now is the time to dream big—to grow, to build, and to believe in a bright future for South Dakota. It’s going to take hard work, a real plan, South Dakota commonsense, and solid conservative leadership.

We’ll get to work on Day 1. I intend to put students first and be laser-focused on improving student achievement. We should make college and tech schools affordable for South Dakota families, giving every hardworking student a chance to build their life here in South Dakota.

Our state’s parole system is failing. My Safer South Dakota plan will hold offenders accountable and aim to reduce the state’s drug overdose deaths through targeted prevention and accountability. As I speak with law enforcement and victims, it’s clear South Dakota can do better.

I want my kids, and kids across the state, to choose South Dakota as the place to build their future. They deserve a South Dakota that doesn’t settle, a state whose leaders aspire to more than just steadiness. I have the energy and vision to get the job done.

Let’s get to work.

Community Endorsement:

(community endorsement not submitted yet)

Learn more about Congressman Johnson by visiting his:

Campaign Website  –  Facebook Page  –  Campaign Finance Reports

Toby Doeden – R

What are your top 2 priorities if elected?
What is the proper role of Government?

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
In what ways do you stand out from  your competitor(s)?

I am the only candidate in this race that is not a career politician. While my opponents were in Pierre increasing taxes and bloating the state budget, I was working to pull my family out of poverty and turn the pennies I was born with into a thriving face-to-face small business empire right here in South Dakota.

My campaign is not chasing headlines or holding grand ballroom fundraisers for the donor-class. I am focused on the substantive issues that all South Dakotans are facing. I have traveled this state extensively and talked directly to the people who live, work, and raise their families in South Dakota. Overwhelmingly, people say education outcomes are falling short, public safety has been ignored, and South Dakota has become increasingly unaffordable. Meanwhile, our state budget has ballooned year after year with nothing to show for it.

This will end under the Doeden Administration.

For the first time in a generation, we will cut state spending and hold our departments accountable. My Affordability Plan will address phasing out and ultimately eliminating unfair and oppressive taxes that are crushing residents, like property taxes and the grocery tax. We will bring law and order to our communities and fix our broken corrections system. Finally, we will at last bring parents, teachers and students to the table when it comes to education, not just administrators and bureaucrats.

South Dakota needs a Governor that will march into Pierre and put the people at the wheel. We need a political outsider that will fight to put conservative principles and fiscal sanity back in charge.

I am that fighter.

I owe zero political favors. I am self-funding my campaign so that on day one of serving as your Governor, I will never have to answer a single call from a donor. I am risking everything I have worked for over the last thirty years because I owe everything I have to this state. I want my grandchildren and yours to grow up in the same amazing state that we did, not a place that is unrecognizable. I will be beholden only to the people and no other candidate can truthfully say the same.

South Dakota is the greatest state in our country and the people of this great state deserve a Governor who will put South Dakota First.

Community Endorsement:

(community endorsement not submitted yet)

Learn more about Mr. Doeden by visiting his:

Campaign Website  –  Facebook Page  –  Campaign Finance Reports

Dan Ahlers – D

What are your top 2 priorities if elected?
What is the proper role of Government?

(video response not received yet)

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
In what ways do you stand out from  your competitor(s)?

(written response not received yet)

Community Endorsement:

(community endorsement not submitted yet)

Learn more about Dan by visiting his:

Campaign Website  –  Facebook Page  –  Campaign Finance Reports