2026 midterms · South Dakota
South Dakota Governor
Governor · primary Jun 2, 2026 · runoff Jun 23, 2026 · general election Nov 3, 2026 · rated solid republican
- candidates
- 3
- Democrats
- 1
- Republicans
- 2
candidates advanced
Dan Ahlers (D), Toby Doeden (R) and Larry Rhoden (R) advanced from the primary held on Jun 2, 2026 (runoff Jun 23, 2026). The general election is on Nov 3, 2026.
The candidates
Three candidates recorded as advancing from the primary. One incumbent and two challengers.
Status is the FEC’s: an incumbent holds the seat, a challenger runs against one, and an open seat has no incumbent running. The lab records a primary’s result once it is official; candidates who did not advance are no longer listed.
Democrats
Challenger · advanced from the primary · 76 statements classified
Republicans
Challenger · advanced from the primary · 849 statements classified
Incumbent · advanced from the primary · 303 statements classified · official profile
Notes
Rated solid r. Cook Political Report ratings, entered by the lab (last updated by the lab on Jun 24, 2026); a forecaster’s judgement about the general election, not the lab’s.
What they say
The candidates’ statements differ most on credit claiming: from 4.0% to 42%. All three candidates have 10 or more classified statements.
An AI model reads each statement and marks the kinds of statement it contains; each bar is the share of a candidate’s statements with that label. Incumbent members of Congress are measured on everything they publish in office, everyone else on posts on X. A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.
How do the candidates’ statements compare?
Share of each candidate’s statements with each label; grey tick: median of ranked governor candidates
Personal attacks
Median 2.1% · axis 0–50%
- Ahlers D1.3%
- Doeden R8.1%
- Rhoden R0.7%
Policy criticism
Median 12% · axis 0–50%
- Ahlers D7.9%
- Doeden R8.2%
- Rhoden R1.3%
Policy discussion
Median 47% · axis 0–50%
- Ahlers D20%
- Doeden R22%
- Rhoden R34%
Bipartisanship
Median 2.0% · axis 0–50%
- Ahlers D5.3%
- Doeden R0.7%
- Rhoden R2.0%
Credit claiming
Median 16% · axis 0–50%
- Ahlers D4.0%
- Doeden R8.7%
- Rhoden R42%
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Statements | Personal attacks | Policy criticism | Policy discussion | Bipartisanship | Credit claiming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Ahlers | D | 76 | 1.3% | 7.9% | 20% | 5.3% | 4.0% |
| Toby Doeden | R | 849 | 8.1% | 8.2% | 22% | 0.7% | 8.7% |
| Larry Rhoden | R | 303 | 0.7% | 1.3% | 34% | 2.0% | 42% |
| Median, ranked governor candidates | 2.1% | 12% | 47% | 2.0% | 16% |
The five kinds of statement
Personal attacks. Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.
Policy criticism. Objects to a specific policy, law or court ruling with fact-based arguments, without personal attacks or emotional appeals.
Policy discussion. Discusses a specific public policy or policy area (health care, taxes, defense, …).
Bipartisanship. Emphasises working across the aisle, compromise or common ground between the parties.
Credit claiming. Claims credit for passing legislation, securing funding or grants, or other accomplishments in office.
Candidates with fewer than 10 classified statements are left out. The grey tick is the median of the ranked governor candidates (50 or more statements), for scale.
Money
Candidates for governor report to their state, not to the Federal Election Commission; no figures for them are on file here.
How much has each candidate raised?
Total receipts reported to the FEC, with cash on hand
No campaign-finance figures are on file for this race’s candidates.