SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — One year from South Dakota’s gubernatorial primary in 2026, the race is beginning to take shape.
“I’ve been there advocating for the people, for their rights, for their families, for their freedoms, and I don’t back down,” Republican Jon Hansen of the Dell Rapids area said May 28.
Hansen, who serves as speaker of the House of Representatives in Pierre, has officially thrown his name in the ring.
Structure damage, split trees left behind after storm
“As we go out and we spread the message about putting the people first in South Dakota again, the reception is just overwhelmingly positive,” Hansen said. “We’re really happy to see it.”
The 39-year-old lawyer, who formally announced his candidacy in late April, says voters want relief from property taxes.
“The people of the state want to see their government trimmed down, trim the fat,” Hansen said. “They see what’s going on in Washington with DOGE, and they want a South Dakota DOGE, and that’s something that we’ve committed to doing.”
Toby Doeden of Aberdeen, chair of the conservative political action committee Dakota First Action, has also filed paperwork to run for the governor’s office. He has not responded to interview requests from KELOLAND News to talk with him about his gubernatorial plans. His website describes him as “a proven conservative,” and Doeden Investment Group’s website lists him as its president.
As far as who might join Doeden and Hansen, some bigger names in South Dakota politics are potentially in the mix. For one, there’s the current occupant of the governor’s office: 66-year-old Republican Larry Rhoden. He rose to the position following former Gov. Kristi Noem’s departure to become secretary of the Department of Homeland Security with the federal government.
“I think campaigns are too long and too expensive, and I think people get really tired of them,” Rhoden said May 29. “So, I’ve really focused on just doing a good job and getting around the state and meeting people. So, we’re not going to make any announcements anytime soon.”
The man whom Noem defeated in South Dakota’s Republican gubernatorial primary in 2018, 54-year-old Marty Jackley of Pierre who is currently the state’s attorney general, is also on the record as a potential candidate.
“I’m considering it, but right now I’m focused on doing the job that South Dakotans elected me to do, and that is to be the best attorney general I can be to keep our streets and communities safe,” Jackley said May 27.
Another possible candidate is the man who has held South Dakota’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington since 2019: 48-year-old Republican Dusty Johnson of Mitchell.
“Certainly getting a lot of encouragement across the state to run for governor,” Johnson said April 22. “I’m not worried about that right now. I do give it a little bit of consideration every once in a while, but day in and day out, I really need to be focused on my day job.”
No Democratic candidates have yet announced their candidacy for South Dakota governor. After the primary election of June 2, 2026, the general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
