Larry Rhoden says he’s running Governor because he’s a nice guy:
“Part of what made, makes me feel the best equipped to be governor at such a time as this is some of the, just the times we live in and kind of the toxic environment that seems to want to keep boiling up and even in the legislature,” Rhoden said.
He sees this trend continuing as primary opponents compete for votes.
“The Republican party covers a pretty wide spectrum, but it’s become very divisive and the rhetoric has gotten out of hand, and I really think that that’ll be kind of prevalent on the campaign trail, I think, as well,” Rhoden said.
Still, the current and perhaps future governor foresees a chance at returning to more cordial politics.
“We’d resolve those conflicts and understand that we’re not going to get 100% of what we want, but we’d work for the betterment of the state and make that our central focus,” Rhoden said, referring to a previous time. “And I think we can get back to that, and I think I’m the right guy to help us do it” [Dan Santella, “Rhoden Enters SD Gov Race: ‘I’m the Right Guy’,” KELO-TV, 2025.11.17].
Larry Rhoden, cordial and non-toxic? This guy?
However, [2024 SDGOP RNC delegate Andreas] Lauschke claimed Larry Rhoden had a more boisterous reaction at the Fort Pierre rodeo center on May 2. Lauschke said he witnessed the lieutenant governor having what he described as “an absolute fit” after failing to claim a delegate spot, and that he was directly confronted by Larry Rhoden after the regional election.
“He came to me and yelled at me,” Lauschke said. “He was huffing and puffing and gruffing, yelling at me with language that I should probably not repeat. It was very visible, and [a] delegate and alternate saw it when he was in Fort Pierre” [Dominik Dausch, “SD Delegate Suggests RNC Nomination Contributed to Reggie Rhoden’s Disorderly Conduct,” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2024.09.25].
Cordial and non-toxic—the guy who threatened to punch a Democratic operative in the gut? The guy who made sure both of his sons got state jobs right after he became Lieutenant Governor? The guy who attended a Veto Day booze party (cordial, perhaps, but toxic) and then covered for two senators who showed up drunk at the Capitol? The guy who got all hot over the suggestion that the 2017 Legislature was breaking a promise to dedicate sales tax to increase teacher pay and said teachers should be glad the Legislature wasn’t taking more money away from them?
Larry Rhoden is going to have trouble branding himself as the gentle conciliator, not just because he doesn’t have it, but because his still amazingly squeaky-clean and eternally chipper primary opponent Congressman Dusty Johnson does.
Rhoden is just another reactionary cracker masquerading as a unifier in a state where the SDGOP is dissolving with its own acid.
Let’s also not forget his reaction to the USD’s professor post about Charlie Kirk. I’m pretty sure the comment rhoden had wasn’t contributing to “the betterment of the state”.