PIERRE, S.D. — Governor Larry Rhoden will not participate in a one-on-one debate against Republican gubernatorial runoff opponent Toby Doeden before South Dakota voters choose their party’s nominee later next month.
The Rhoden for South Dakota campaign made the announcement amid growing pressure from South Dakota news outlets and the Aberdeen businessman’s campaign to participate in additional public forums ahead of the July 28 runoff election. The historic matchup marks the first time in South Dakota history that a gubernatorial primary has triggered a runoff, which is required under state law if no candidate reaches 35% of the total vote.
Doeden, an outsider businessman who heavily self-funded his campaign, secured the top spot in the June 2 primary with 31% of the vote. Rhoden, the incumbent governor who assumed office in January 2025 following Kristi Noem’s appointment to the Trump administration, followed in second place with 25%.
With early absentee voting already underway across the state, the Rhoden campaign’s refusal to take the debate stage leaves the initial pre-primary forums as the only head-to-head broadcasts of the cycle. The high-stakes July runoff will directly determine the Republican nominee who faces Democrat Dan Ahlers in the November general election
