Larry Rhoden Wins South Dakota Governor’s Race with 64.26% of Vote

Republican Larry Rhoden Wins South Dakota Governor’s Race

Incumbent Republican Larry Rhoden defeated Democratic candidate Dan Ahlers in the South Dakota gubernatorial election held on Tuesday.

Rhoden received 64.26% of the vote while Ahlers secured 35.74%, giving Rhoden a margin of 28.52 percentage points, or 48,186 votes, according to the projected results.

The Associated Press declared Rhoden the winner.

This will be Rhoden’s first full term as governor; he assumed the office in 2025 after serving as lieutenant governor when former Gov. Kristi Noem joined the Trump administration as Homeland Security secretary.

Rhoden will be sworn in as South Dakota’s next governor on January 5, 2027.