A favorite finishes third, big money loses and policy pays off: lessons from a wild campaign

By: Seth Tupper

Outlets: South Dakota Searchlight

Published: July 30, 2026

Words: 876

Last Updated: 3 days, 22 hours ago

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Rarely has there been a campaign in this state offering more novelty, surprises and intrigue than this year’s race for the Republican nomination for governor, which ended Tuesday with South Dakota’s first statewide runoff election.

The campaign got an early jolt when Gov. Kristi Noem resigned a year and a half ago to accept a job in President Donald Trump’s administration. Her lieutenant governor, Larry Rhoden, automatically became governor for the rest of what …

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