2026 South Dakota gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 South Dakota gubernatorial election

←  2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden Republican

The 2026 South Dakota gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of South Dakota. The incumbent is Republican Larry Rhoden, who was elevated to the governorship in 2025 after his predecessor, Kristi Noem (who was already ineligible to run in the 2026 election due to term-limits), resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Rhoden had previously been serving as lieutenant governor under Noem since the two took office in 2019. Rhoden has yet to announce whether he intends to run for a full term in office though has already publicly expressed interest in doing so. ^[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Publicly expressed interest

• Dusty Johnson, U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district (2019–present) ^[2]
• Larry Rhoden, incumbent governor (2025–present) ^[3]

Potential

• Marty Jackley, South Dakota Attorney General (2009–2019, 2023–present) and candidate for governor in 2018 ^[4]

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mike Rounds	Dusty Johnson	Undecided
Kaplan	June 12, 2023	?	?	25%	25%	50%

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [5]	Solid R	January 23, 2025
Inside Elections [6]	Solid R	February 6, 2025

See also

• 2026 United States gubernatorial elections

References

1. "Rhoden takes step to possibly run for Governor". KELOLAND.com. February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
2. Heemstra, Jody (February 20, 2025). "Dusty Johnson expects to run for Governor of South Dakota in 2026, but don't expect a formal announcement anytime soon". KPLO-FM . Retrieved February 20, 2025.
3. Yost, Rae (February 7, 2025). "Rhoden takes step to possibly run for Governor". KELO-TV . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
4. Tupper, Seth; Haiar, Joshua (November 12, 2024). "Trump picks South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to run Homeland Security". South Dakota Searchlight . Retrieved January 31, 2025.
5. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
6. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.