Knobe Will Decide on Run for Governor by Christmas

Freshly 79 years old, independent Rick Knobe is still thinking out loud about running for Governor:

I haven’t communicated my progress on the decision to run for governor. I’ve spent a lot of time with docs, getting tested for various things. So far, no major problems detected. I have one more test in the middle of this month. Assuming that goes well, I can make a decision with a clean and clear conscience.

…I’m convinced people are looking for change in South Dakota, including many members of the majority party. Yes, not every Republican is enamored with Trump and the four governor candidates loyal to him. Sadly, those Republicans are staying silent.

Over 40 years of one-party control has NOT been good for any of us. We do some things well. But in many areas, we are either mediocre or less.

I promise a final decision before Christmas [Rick Knobe, “As Former Sioux Falls Mayor Rick Knobe Marks His 79th Birthday, He Continues to Consider a Run for Governor,” South Dakota Standard, 2025.12.06].

Knobe has held one political office, mayor of Sioux Falls, serving two five-year terms from 1974 to 1984. When he chose not to stand for reëlection in 1984, Knobe suggested he might someday run for Legislature, but he didn’t try that until 2020, when he ran an unsuccessful independent campaign for District 25 Senate.

I don’t know how many former mayors have run for Governor, but I can only find one former mayor among the 34 people who have served in the office. William J. Bulow, South Dakota’s first Democratic Governor, was mayor of Beresford from 1912 to 1913, interrupting a 25-year stint as city attorney from 1902 to 1927. He then served two two-year terms as Governor and two terms as U.S. Senator.

Since I first noted with pleasure Knobe’s consideration of a run in early September, Native activist and disaffected Democrat Allison Renville from Sisseton has declared her independent candidacy for Governor. No big-name Democrat has entered the field to challenge first-time candidate and student Robert Arnold. Governor Larry Rhoden has made his bid for reëlection official, but Congressman Dusty Johnson remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination over the plodding Rhoden and two angry wingnuts.

Christmas is a good time for Knobe and all other potential candidates to decide, as petitioning for governor and other elected offices begins January 1. Partisan candidates have until March 25 to file their petitions with the Secretary of State; independents like Knobe get until April 29 to collect their necessary 3,502 signatures.