South Dakota holds first statewide gubernatorial runoff as GOP nomination remains unresolved
South Dakota held its first statewide gubernatorial runoff July 28, sending Gov. Larry Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden into a second Republican nominating contest after no candidate reached the state’s required 35% threshold in the June 2 primary.
The runoff determined the next procedural step in the Republican race for governor: its winner becomes the party’s nominee for the Nov. 3 general election. However, the approved source packet does not include an official canvass, certified vote totals or a verified results report identifying the winner.
The South Dakota Secretary of State’s 2026 election calendar lists the June 2 primary, July 28 runoff and Nov. 3 general election as separate election dates. The runoff was therefore not the general election or the final election for governor; it was a second-stage nomination contest within the Republican primary process.
Why a second election was required
South Dakota law required a gubernatorial runoff in this multi-candidate primary when no candidate received at least 35% of the vote. The June 2 results did not produce a candidate who met that threshold, triggering the July contest between the two candidates who advanced.
Reporting after the primary identified Doeden and Rhoden as the runoff candidates. SoDak Governors reported preliminary primary totals of 41,712 votes for Doeden and 34,321 for Rhoden. Those figures describe the initial primary, not the July runoff, and they should not be treated as final runoff results.
The available reporting characterized the July election as South Dakota’s first statewide gubernatorial runoff. That distinction reflects the statewide office at stake and the operation of the state’s current nomination process, rather than a routine November contest between party nominees.
What was at stake for voters and candidates
Rhoden entered the runoff as governor, while Doeden was identified by the Associated Press as a businessman. Their contest was for the Republican nomination, with the eventual nominee moving on to the statewide general-election ballot in November.
About 676,000 voters were registered in South Dakota as of June 1, according to the Associated Press. The approved materials do not provide certified turnout for either the June primary or the July runoff, so they do not establish how many registered voters cast ballots or whether participation changed between the two elections.
The race also illustrates the practical effect of the 35% nomination rule. A candidate can lead in a multi-candidate primary but still face a runoff if the threshold is not met. In this case, the primary did not conclusively select the Republican nominee, requiring voters to return for a separate statewide election less than two months later.
Next documented step is the November election
The next election date on the Secretary of State’s 2026 calendar is Nov. 3, when the Republican runoff winner is scheduled to appear in the general election. The calendar also contains voter-registration and absentee-voting information for the election cycle, though the approved packet does not provide those individual deadline dates.
Because official final runoff results were not surfaced in the materials provided for this report, the identity of the Republican nominee and any vote margin remain unreported here. Those details should be confirmed against a Secretary of State canvass or another verified final-results report before publication of a follow-up on the outcome.
Sources
- 2026 Election Information, South Dakota Secretary of State
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in South Dakota’s state primary runoff, Associated Press
- Doeden and Rhoden to face off in first-ever gubernatorial runoff, SoDak Governors