South Dakota’s Historic Gubernatorial Primary Runoff: Rhoden’s Victory

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South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden successfully overcame a primary challenge from Toby Doeden, a businessman known for his advocacy of Bitcoin, on Tuesday. This marked the first gubernatorial primary runoff in the state’s history. Rhoden will proceed to the November general election.

The Associated Press announced Rhoden’s victory shortly after polls closed. At that point, Rhoden had secured 70.5% of the vote, while Doeden received 29.5%, with about 25% of the expected votes counted.

South Dakota implemented a primary runoff system for cases when no candidate for governor, U.S. Senate, or U.S. House achieves at least 35% of the primary vote. This election was the first time voters needed to decide a gubernatorial nomination through such a runoff.

The runoff followed a four-way primary in June where Doeden led with 30.6%, and Rhoden came second with 25.2%. Both fell short of the 35% required for a clear nomination. Rhoden assumed the governorship in 2025, succeeding Kristi Noem, while Doeden entered the political scene as a newcomer.

Doeden built a reputation for his dedication to Bitcoin. Starting his cryptocurrency investment around 2020, he shifted nearly all his company’s cash reserves into Bitcoin. On his podcast, according to South Dakota Searchlight, Doeden expressed his commitment to Bitcoin, aiming to buy it daily.

Doeden proposed legislation allowing the South Dakota Investment Council to invest in Bitcoin and called for a state Bitcoin reserve, although state officials opposed this idea.

Rhoden will face former Democratic state Sen. Dan Ahlers in November. South Dakota has not elected a Democratic governor since 1974. Property taxes dominated the campaign’s issues. Doeden aimed to eliminate property taxes, but Rhoden’s campaign criticized the plan, suggesting it could harm local funding.

Rhoden’s previous tax relief measures were promoted as significant property tax cuts. Doeden criticized Rhoden as part of the political establishment in South Dakota, while Rhoden emphasized his legislative experience as an advantage.

Despite former President Donald Trump not endorsing any candidate in the runoff, Doeden campaigned as a strong Trump supporter, pledging to advance Trump’s ‘America First agenda’.