South Dakota GOP gubernatorial race heads 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 is still in contention, depending on the results 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 involved in state legislative leadership for 16 years. He has focused on continuing Noem's policies aimed at making South Dakota a business-friendly state. Rhoden has expressed opposition to abortion and supports Second Amendment rights. He noted that former President Donald Trump has not publicly endorsed any candidate in the primary, suggesting that Trump prefers to endorse candidates he believes will win. Doeden, who is largely self-funded, has positioned himself as a conservative outsider, while Hansen has been described as the establishment conservative candidate.