RHODEN ALTERS EXPECTATIONS FOR THE 2026 GOVERNOR’S RACE WHILE JOHNSON BUILDS A STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION

SOUTH DAKOTA (Joshua Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden hasn’t said whether he’s running to keep his office next year, but his actions during the first few months of his administration suggest he could reshuffle expectations for the race if he decides to join it.

“Whether we can win is certainly a consideration, and truth be told, I’ve been receiving encouragement from people all across South Dakota to run,” Rhoden told South Dakota Searchlight.

Since succeeding Kristi Noem a few months ago, Rhoden’s put a contentious pipeline debate partially to rest, sought to smooth out Noem’s contentious relationships with Native American tribes and the media, convinced the Legislature to pass a property tax relief bill and launched an “Open for Opportunity” tour that has him meeting with the state’s business leaders and shaking hands across South Dakota.

“I’m humbled by all the support, but we are not ready to make an announcement until this tour is over,” he said.

Rhoden, who’s serving out the remainder of Noem’s second term, is off to a “good start” if he hopes to win the Republican Party’s 2026 gubernatorial nomination, according to Mike Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.

But Rhoden is not the only hopeful with a tailwind.

Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, long rumored as a candidate for governor, raised more than $1 million in the first quarter of this year. That leaves him with $6.8 million in his various campaign accounts. Rhoden had about $90,000 in his committee account at the end of 2024.

Johnson has a few other important things going for him, said Pat Powers, who writes the right-leaning South Dakota War College blog.

“You will not outwork Dusty on the campaign trail,” Powers said. “And I’m not kidding when I say that he’s got an unmatched campaign team.”

Powers said Johnson is likely running for governor. Johnson’s office acknowledged his interest.

“He’s committed to his day job representing South Dakota in the U.S. House, but is considering a run for governor,” a Johnson campaign spokesperson said. “He expects to make that decision over the summer or fall.”

The race could include other competition. Powers mentioned Aberdeen businessman and boldly pro-Trump Republican Toby Doeden and Republican state House Speaker Rep. Jon Hansen, of Dell Rapids as potential entrants in the 2026 race. Attorney General Marty Jackley is another name in the mix. Jackley ran unsuccessfully against Noem for the Republican nomination for governor in 2018.

Powers said Rhoden’s West River appeal — he’s a boots-and-hat-wearing rancher from Union Center — “makes it tougher for Marty,” who grew up in Sturgis and has farm and ranch land near Vale and Pierre. Without Rhoden, Jackley could’ve staked out a position as the only West River bona fide candidate, Powers said.

Republican Jake Schoenbeck, co-host of the Dakota Town Hall political podcast, said Rhoden’s West River appeal could be enough to box out Jackley.

“I just don’t see a path for Marty when Rhoden is already the governor,” Schoenbeck said.

Jackley told South Dakota Searchlight he is receiving encouragement to run for governor “from people who want a conservative in the race.”

“But right now I’m focused on keeping our streets safe and protecting tax payer dollars,” Jackley said.

Because Rhoden’s actions as the state’s chief executive are covered consistently by the media, Schoenbeck said, Rhoden’s name recognition will only grow from now until the election. That could be the equivalent of millions of dollars in free advertising.

“And people will see him as governor,” Schoenbeck said. “They will be able to picture him in the office, and see him addressing South Dakota issues.”

Both Powers and Schoenbeck said Johnson looms large east of the Missouri River, particularly in the state’s most populous city of Sioux Falls.

Rhoden’s lieutenant governor, Tony Venhuizen, grew up in the small East River town of Armour and lives in Sioux Falls, where he’s well-connected and could help Rhoden raise campaign funds.

Powers said Venhuizen was instrumental in the campaigns and the fundraising for his father-in-law, former Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

“But you know, Dusty also has a long relationship with many of those top donors,” Powers said.

Daugaard, Johnson’s former boss, endorsed Johnson for governor in Oct. 2024.

“I think he plans to run for governor, and I’m four-square behind him,” Daugaard told South Dakota Searchlight at the time. That was prior to Noem joining the Trump administration and Venhuizen becoming lieutenant governor.

State Rep. Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, is a friend of both Johnson and Venhuizen. He also worked on Johnson’s first campaign for a seat on South Dakota’s commission of utility regulators. Mortenson sees Johnson as the candidate best positioned to run for governor.

“It’s not just the millions he raised,” Mortenson said. “It’s the thousands of South Dakotans who gave him the funds and support him strongly. There is a big sense out there that we need to get South Dakota moving again, and no one has a better track record of getting things done than Dusty.”

Johnson’s political brand

In 2022, Johnson bested Taffy Howard, now a state senator from Rapid City, when she challenged him in a primary for U.S. Representative and earned 41% support.

Howard is still no fan of Johnson’s. His politics, she said, will adjust to “whichever way the wind is blowing” so he can stay in office.

“And right now, that means going along to get along with Trump,” Howard said.

Card, the USD political scientist, said Johnson wants to appear further to the right on the political spectrum, to thwart a right-wing primary challenger.

“He has gone MAGA,” Card said, pointing to Johnson’s introduction of legislation authorizing the president to buy back the Panama Canal, shortly after Trump brought up the idea.

Card said Johnson may be coming off as inauthentic not only to Trump supporters, but also to the people who previously understood him to be a bipartisan, moderate Republican. It’s a point Shoenbeck echoed.

“That’s not something I would have expected two years ago – not something I would have expected of him,” Schoenbeck said.

Rhoden does not have the same kind of problems as Johnson regarding perceptions of his political identity, Schoenbeck said.

Johnson disagrees with Card’s and Schoenbeck’s assessments.

“When you actually look at the legislation that we’ve introduced, and when you look at the legislative successes we’ve had, which, again, by the numbers, are substantial, you see that that is the profile of a serious lawmaker,” Johnson said.

Johnson ranked 14th most effective among 222 Republican U.S. House members during the 117th Congress, and 58th of 228 during the 118th, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking, which is a project of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.

The Trump card

Trump’s endorsement, should it come, could determine the outcome of the primary election. The president, who now employs Noem in his cabinet, endorsed Noem after the 2018 primary and ahead of the 2022 primary.

The endorsement is Rhoden’s to lose given he loyally served as Noem’s lieutenant governor, Schoenbeck said.

“Trump supporters listen to Trump. And if Noem goes to Trump and asks him to endorse Rhoden, why wouldn’t he do it?” he said. “And why wouldn’t she do that for Rhoden?”

Johnson is cultivating a relationship with Trump, including with a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in January. But he could have a tougher time winning Trump’s endorsement. He voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. He also voted to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, though he later voted against creating the House select committee that ultimately did the investigation. Johnson voted against ejecting Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney – a Trump target of scorn – from House leadership.

Toby Doeden identifies as a pro-Trump Republican. He formed an exploratory committee to consider a Republican U.S. House primary challenge against Johnson last year, while criticizing Johnson as a “career politician” and a liberal. Doeden later decided against running and instead focused on influencing state politics through his political action committee, Dakota First Action.

Doeden told South Dakota Searchlight he and his family are praying about whether he should enter the governor’s race. He said Rhoden is another establishment candidate not delivering Trump’s agenda. Doeden “cannot imagine a situation where the political donors allow both Dusty and Larry to run.”

“President Trump likes winners and leaders who can deliver, something Rhoden clearly lacks the ability to do,” Doeden said.

That stands in contrast to Rhoden’s record since becoming governor, which includes delivering on numerous Republican priorities. During the 2025 legislative session, Rhoden signed bills holding down property tax increases, allowing concealed pistols in bars and on public college campuses, restricting transgender people’s access to restrooms in schools and state buildings, requiring age verification for adult websites, and mandating appeal processes for obscenity decisions by libraries. He also tightened residency rules for voting and signed a bill banning eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines.

The new grassroots

South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Jim Eschenbaum said he was surprised when Rhoden signed the bill banning carbon sequestration pipelines from using eminent domain. Doing so was a top priority for a faction of the party.

The pipeline ban followed strong grassroots opposition to Summit Carbon Solutions’ $9 billion CO2 transport project.

“I think Governor Rhoden did very well this legislative session,” Eschenbaum said. But he said there is still plenty of time between now and the primary election on June 2, 2026.

Eschenbaum told South Dakota Searchlight that many Republicans he speaks with are critical of Johnson. A name they like is state House Speaker Jon Hansen.

Hansen would sometimes be introduced as “our governor” during rallies in opposition of Summit’s pipeline. He told South Dakota Searchlight that he plans to “make an announcement sometime in the near future.”

“I, together with a lot of great conservatives, have been fighting for an even better South Dakota where you and your family come first – not big money special interests and corporate welfare lobbyists,” Hansen said in a statement.

Amanda Radke is farmer, rancher, and influencer amongst the state party’s grassroots. She hosts The Heart of Rural America podcast and writes The Radke Report blog. Hansen’s efforts to defeat the 2024 abortion-rights ballot measure and ban carbon pipelines from using eminent domain, she said, have made him “a powerhouse and in the trenches of the conservative grassroots movement.”

“Should he decide to run and enter this arena, he would bring a powerful coalition of everyday South Dakota citizens,” Radke said.

Dan Ahlers is the executive director of the Democratic Party in the state. He said South Dakota can expect a contested primary election for Democrats as well, but did not divulge any names.

“We have a couple people that are looking at the governor’s race,” Ahlers said. “We could have contested races for all three of those top statewide races.”

 

TRIBAL DATA CONTROL COULD RESHAPE SOUTH DAKOTA’S ECONOMY AND SERVICES

SOUTH DAKOTA (Todd Epp / Northern Plains News) – South Dakota’s nine tribal nations are working to control their own stories, languages, and data.

According to the National Congress of American Indians, this movement could change how businesses, healthcare, and government work across the state. As tribes claim ownership of their information, all South Dakotans could see changes—like better rural healthcare, new business partnerships, and more efficient government services.

What It Means

Tribal data sovereignty affects everyone. NCAI reports that when tribes control their economic data, they can find business partners and create jobs in nearby towns.

“Data is central to unlocking who we are as (Indigenous) people. It is central to our healing. We must take a stand for our freedom and our sovereignty,” said Dr. Sammy Matsaw, Jr., at the April 2024 Indigenous Data Sovereignty Summit, as reported by the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network.

Better data sharing between tribal and state agencies can also reduce duplication and save taxpayer money. The Network for Public Health Law says that strong data governance and trust are key to effective partnerships, and states should honor tribal data sovereignty in all data-sharing agreements.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has found that tribal-state data partnerships can improve data quality and community trust, benefiting Native and non-Native residents.

Standing Rock’s Landmark Decision

In 2022, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe confronted the Lakota Language Consortium, a nonprofit that had copyrighted Lakota language materials.

“No matter how it was collected, where it was collected when it was collected, our language belongs to us. Our stories belong to us. Our songs belong to us,” Ray Taken Alive, a Lakota language teacher, told the tribal council, according to NBC News. The tribe then banned the consortium and passed a resolution claiming ownership of language materials, setting a precedent for other tribes.

How Data Affects Healthcare

Tribal data sovereignty could improve healthcare for everyone in rural South Dakota. When tribes control their health data, they can better plan and expand care for both Native and non-Native patients, according to U.S. IDSN.

For example, the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Department of Public Safety receives up to 166,000 calls a year. Still, according to data from Sen. Mike Rounds’ office and U.S. IDSN, it has only 33 patrol officers. Better data could help tribes document these needs and obtain more resources.

The Network for Public Health Law emphasizes that tribal nations are sovereign jurisdictions with the right to govern their public health data. States should honor tribal data sovereignty in all data-sharing agreements.

Emerging Technologies and Data Risks

Innovative technology like artificial intelligence and cloud computing is changing how tribal data is used. These tools can help preserve language and culture but also bring risks. Experts discussed these issues at a panel, “AI, Data Sovereignty, and Tribal Issues,” held on March 5 at the University of Oklahoma’s OU Tulsa campus.

“Do not assume the training models will get your tribe’s information right. Your tribe may lose control over its data,” Dr. Matthew Beattie, a faculty member at the OU Polytechnic Institute, told the panel. “It’s important to remember that you can use AI while still maintaining control over your data.”

Warren Queton, a Kiowa Tribe legislator, added at the same panel, “Data governance has become the next frontier. Tribes need to take action to protect our data sovereignty.”

Organizations like Tribal Ready are helping tribes build their own secure data infrastructure and train tribal data managers so that data is stored and managed within the tribe’s own systems, not by outside parties.

Principles and Best Practices

According to NCAI and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance, Indigenous data sovereignty means tribes have the right to control how their data is collected, stored, and used. The CARE Principles—Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics—are now a global standard for ethical data use.

They emphasize that data should benefit Indigenous communities, respect their authority, and be managed responsibly and ethically. The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty, launched by NCAI and the American Indian Policy Institute, provides resources and guidance for tribes on digital and data sovereignty.

Recent Progress

In November, following the April 2024 Indigenous Data Sovereignty Summit in Tucson, Arizona, U.S. IDSN released a brief with five strategies for tribal data control. These include setting core values, a framework for action, a U.S. IDGov strategy, a data standard, and reaffirming current approaches.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis notes that more tribes are adopting their own codes and policies for data governance and that tribal digital sovereignty is now recognized as an act of self-determination.

The Bottom Line

As South Dakota’s tribes take steps to manage their own data, the effects are likely to be felt across the state. From healthcare and business to government services, data ownership, and sharing decisions are shaping new ways for communities to work together. How these changes play out will help define the next chapter for both tribal nations and South Dakota.

 

PLASTER CRACKS, GOOSE DROPPINGS, AND AN UN-FLAMING FOUNTAIN; THE SOUTH DAKOTA CAPITOL CONUNDRUM

PIERRE, S.D.(Makenzie Huber / South Dakota Searchlight) – Majority Leader Scott Odenbach waved his hand behind him, gesturing to the lawmakers’ lobby just a few paces beyond his desk on the House floor.

“I would ask anyone in this room to walk right out the doors here and see the plaster crumbling and running down the walls,” the Spearfish Republican said in late February.

He was speaking in support of a bill to restore, maintain and repair South Dakota’s Capitol building. Lawmakers approved $3 million, growing the pool of funds set aside during the past six years for Capitol building and grounds projects to nearly $12 million. About $9 million remains unspent.

Signs of disrepair from age and neglect are scattered throughout the 115-year-old building, from that chipping plaster to cracked paint and water damage. There are also concerns about Capitol Lake, fed by a well once thought to be a sinkhole risk and adorned with a Flaming Fountain that no longer flames.

As the list of projects grows, the state official in charge of maintaining the complex is considering a full renovation of the building and trying to solve the puzzle of the lake’s future.

Board approves $1.2 million restoration and renovation study

The citizen board that oversees Capitol restoration projects approved a plan Wednesday to divide $3 million among three projects:

Up to $500,000 on plaster repair and paint in public spaces.

$1.3 million to restore the Capitol dome.

$1.2 million to map out a plan for a full restoration and renovation of the rest of the Capitol building.

The plaster and paint needs are immediate, but Commissioner of the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration Darin Seeley said walls torn down to address potential infrastructure repairs might make painting more than necessary now a waste of taxpayer dollars.

A 2023 study by the bureau found plumbing, heating and cooling, and electrical code violations throughout the building due to its age — some piping is original to the building’s 1910 construction. The estimated cost to fix those issues at the time was $75 million.

“As appreciative as I am of the $3 million appropriation, it’s really important we don’t spend $3 million just to spend $3 million and then tear it back apart,” Seeley told members of the Capitol Complex Restoration and Beautification Commission.

The bureau wants to restore the Capitol dome to give South Dakotans an “introduction” to what a full restoration would look like, Seeley said. That could help with fundraising efforts if the state decides to pursue a full restoration and renovation.

The structural changes and further renovations Seeley envisions will likely require private sector dollars, Fort Pierre Republican Rep. Will Mortenson told South Dakota Searchlight, which is “an entirely different conversation.”

The $3 million Mortenson pushed for this year is intended to fix the “glaring needs” inside the Capitol.

The dome work will include repairing damaged plaster, repainting the walls, replacing lights on an arch near the grand staircase and installing lights on the dome ledges to highlight the decoration and detail inside.

The legislative budget committee sent a letter of intent to Seeley in March, requesting an annual report until the newly appropriated $3 million is spent. The report will detail each project, its rationale, cost and timeline.

Plaster repair will begin this year, while dome restoration work on site will begin next April after the end of legislative session.

Capitol Lake improvements no longer an ‘emergency’

Doubt surfaced among some lawmakers this session about the need for more money when taxpayers have yet to see many results from past funding.

About three-fourths of the $12 million in funding is devoted to the grounds, and for Capitol Lake, which is fed by an uncapped, free-flowing well more than 1,300 feet deep. The well was drilled in 1910 by Peter Norbeck, who led the Norbeck Drilling Company before serving as South Dakota governor and a U.S. senator. The well produces not only water around 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the lake but also natural gas, which was diverted to light and heat the Capitol for decades before it caused an explosion in 1958.

The gas flowed reliably enough for years afterward to light a flame atop the flowing water that came to be known as the Flaming Fountain. But by 2008, the gas sputtered. A 2019 report by a team from South Dakota Mines said the underground pocket of natural gas was probably almost depleted, and that the well’s steel casing could be corroded and in danger of a sinkhole-inducing collapse that would make it difficult to stem the flow of water.

After that, state officials began planning to replace the lake’s water source.

Seeley told South Dakota Searchlight the state has until July 2027 to spend about $3.9 million in legislatively appropriated funds on lake improvements, due to a spending deadline in state law. A $2 million lake grant from the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources remains unspent as well. The grant is intended to help establish an alternative water source for the lake, and to conserve water by pumping it from the lake to water the Capitol complex green space. The plan would conserve more than 8 million gallons to water 40 acres.

About $3 million has been spent on the lake so far. The money was used to study the well, plan an alternative water source and dredge the lake. The dredging cost about $2.6 million, according to a contract with Morris Construction Enterprise.

The bureau is waiting to spend the remaining lake funds because it discovered that the situation with the well isn’t as urgent as feared, Seeley said. Engineering and design firm Snyder and Associates tested the water quality and inspected the bottom of the well via camera last year.

“We don’t have an emergency,” Seeley said. “I don’t want to waste money, so we’re stepping back to consider the bigger picture.”

The well as it currently stands is not a viable long-term water source for the lake, Seeley said. The report said that although the well is in “relatively good condition,” it is constructed of “unverified and obsolete materials,” isn’t in compliance with modern design standards and “likely surpassed its expected design life.”

Replacement options include restoring the existing well and controlling the water flow, drilling a new well on the site and using a reverse osmosis system to improve the lake’s water quality, or piping water from the nearby Missouri River.

Because the warm well water keeps the lake from freezing over, thousands of Canada geese — the unofficial Capitol mascot — inhabit and leave droppings in and around the lake year-round, leading to poor water quality. Stormwater runoff compounds the problem, according to Snyder and Associates, which helped dredge the lake in 2023. Some new water sources, such as transporting Missouri River water, would allow the lake to freeze over in the winter, removing the geese and droppings for part of the year.

The return of a Flaming Fountain is questionable. The options to replace the lake’s water source don’t involve finding a new source of natural gas in the old location. While a new Flaming Fountain of some form is proposed for the Capitol Lake conceptual design, “the flame as it was known cannot return,” a bureau spokesman said in an email.

Lakota Code Talker Memorial has a ‘whole bunch’ of fundraising left

Mortenson carried bills to improve the Capitol Lake and the Capitol building during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions. He expected the 2023 funding would not only go toward replacing the lake’s water source but toward sitework for a Sioux Code Talker Memorial to honor “some of South Dakota’s most worthy heroes.”

The Sioux Code Talker Memorial is a planned site at Capitol Lake to honor Lakota, Dakota and Nakota code talkers who served in World Wars I and II. More than two hundred tribal members from South Dakota served in the military, using their native language to communicate during battle without enemy forces cracking the code.

The memorial will include a wall of names for Oceti Sakowin code talkers and two bronze sculptures created by Sioux Falls-based sculptor Darwin Wolf. The memorial’s donation drive is open on the South Dakota Community Foundation website. Robert Dunsmore, tribal service officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a member of the code talker fundraising committee, said the group has “a whole bunch” of fundraising left.

The Bureau of Human Resources and Administration will “have a role to play” in ensuring “access to the approved site” when the fundraising is ready, a department spokesman said in a statement.

Money for Capitol projects

2019: The Legislature allowed the Bureau of Administration to spend $200,000 in private funding to study the Flaming Fountain (which no longer burns) at Capitol Lake.

2022: The Legislature appropriated $500,000 in general funds and $3 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to the Bureau of Administration to develop a master plan for Capitol Lake, to plug the existing well and improve the lake water quality.

2023: The Legislature appropriated $3.2 million in general funds and $2 million in “other fund” expenditure authority to the Bureau of Administration to secure the existing well, replace the Capitol Lake water source, preserve existing memorials and accommodate “additional memorials and improvements.” The “other fund” authority was to secure a $2 million state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources grant for Capitol Lake improvements.

2025: The Legislature appropriated $3 million in general funds to the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration for the restoration, maintenance and repair of the state Capitol, focusing on public areas and legislative chambers.