South Dakota GOP Gubernatorial Race Advances to Runoff

Toby Doeden, a Republican businessman, will advance to a runoff in the South Dakota gubernatorial race scheduled for July. The second contender for the runoff remains undecided as of Wednesday night. Incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden still has a chance to participate in the runoff, depending on the outcomes involving U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson and South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen. Rhoden, who previously served as lieutenant governor under Kristi Noem, has a background in ranching and has been active in state legislative leadership for 16 years. He aims to continue Noem's agenda of promoting South Dakota as an affordable and business-friendly state. Rhoden has expressed opposition to abortion and supports Second Amendment rights. He noted that former President Donald Trump did not endorse any candidate in the primary, suggesting that Trump prefers to endorse candidates with a higher likelihood of winning. Doeden, who is largely self-funded, campaigned as a political outsider and conservative alternative, while Hansen is viewed as the establishment conservative candidate.