South Dakota Republicans, please, tell me you’re not this stupid:
A new KELOLAND Media Group/Emerson College poll has a new leader in the Republican primary race for South Dakota governor.
Businessman Toby Doeden now holds a 3% advantage over second-place U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson. Doeden has 26% of the polled voters to Johnson’s 23%. The two switched places from the poll released on March 11 when Johnson had the lead with 28% followed by Doeden with 18%.
Businessman Toby Doeden now holds a 3% advantage over second-place U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson. Doeden has 26% of the polled voters to Johnson’s 23%. The two switched places from the poll released on March 11 when Johnson had the lead with 28% followed by Doeden with 18%.
In this latest poll, Gov. Larry Rhoden was at 19% followed by state Rep. Jon Hansen with 16%. These are gains from the Rhoden’s 17% in March and Hansen’s 14% in March.
Of the sampled 452 registered Republican voters, 432 answered they were likely (either very likely or somewhat likely) to vote in the June 2 primary election.
The poll was conducted May 18-19 by Emerson College [Rae Yost, “Doeden Surpasses Johnson in Latest KELOLAND/Emerson Poll,” KELO-TV, 2026.05.21].
The Republican primary is a job search. Republicans, you’re hiring a man for a public service job, the state’s chief executive position. Four men are applying for the job. Three of those applicants have worked as public servants in a variety of elected offices. One is currently doing the job after spending six years as Lieutenant Governor. Between the PUC and Congress, one worked as chief of staff to a Governor. One currently leads the House of Representatives.
And you’re going to pick the car salesman? The one who’s using his fat personal checkbook to buy the office? The one with no record of policymaking or public service?
South Dakota Republicans have been this stupid before. Back in 2010, they picked noisy, pretty, but achievementless Kristi Noem to go to Congress instead of well-versed, well-liked, and better qualified Chris Nelson and cranky but not stupid Dr. R. Blake Curd. (Think how much better our world would be if we’d sent Chris Nelson to Congress and left Kristi on the back bench collecting farm subsidies and keeping hubby Bryon off the Internet.)
But Toby Doeden? over Dusty Johnson? Come on—Doeden’s not even pretty. More importantly, he is the least informed, least policy detailed, and least personable candidate on the primary ballot (and “least personable” is a hard title to win in a battle with Jon Hansen and Larry Rhoden.) All picking Doeden in the primary does is increase the chances that Democratic candidate Dan Ahlers could win in November.
Whatever funk you’re in, poll-responding Republicans, snap out of it. Dusty Johnson is the most qualified candidate for the job you’re hiring for in the gubernatorial primary. Toby Doeden is the least qualified. Make a rational decision, and pick Dusty Johnson to do the job he is objectively qualified for.
The only reason Dusty wants the job is to up his resume so he can eventually run for one of the senate seats. Seems to be just a recycling of the same ol’, same ol’ GOP candidates. Hasn’t Dusty accumulated about the same record as Noem before him, occupy the seat, tow the party line and come home with more name recognition for a gubernatorial run? You make it sounds like an Ahlers governorship would collapse South Dakota. I’m just not too keen on Dusty bringing D.C. to SD.
Toby Doeden, slum landlord, consumer of TIFs and PPP loans (while calling all other politicians hogs at the trough), who says, and probably believes that he can eliminate property taxes AND sales taxes and get a booming economy out of that (maybe for him, since people will need more slums to rent, but he may see a drop in auto sales)…
If the SD GOP chooses him, they deserve everything they get.
How are 66 county seats and their bureaucracies either conservative or sustainable? They’re not; but, it is the way Republican cronyism and patronage built barricades to democracy by providing benefits of the public dole to those who say they deplore big gubmint in a state that hates poor people.
The Wanblee district should be in Oglala Lakota County then Jackson should be rolled into Haakon, Jones, Stanley and Lyman Counties. Mellette, Bennett, Todd, Gregory and Tripp should be one county. Dewey, Ziebach and Corson should be a county. Butte, Harding and Perkins should be one. Lawrence and Meade should be one, Fall River and Custer should be one.
Expect Mr. Doeden to announce for county consolidation very soon.
@KALSHI – If someone bets a dollar that DJ will win, and he does, they’ll get their dollar back and one penny more. *That’s a pretty hefty favorite. +101
– Should that someone wager a dollar that Toby wins and he does that person will get their dollar back and 52 pennies.
– Larry Rhoden? You’ll get your buck back plus eight dollars more AND .40 cents @ +840
– Jon Hansen is at +1240.
Dusty will beat the car salesman. Who has ever trusted the guy who sold them their car? Dare I say that Dusty is a closet liberal? He at least won’t sink South Dakota totally.
Dusty’s a Christian and Christians are liberal by family education.
Don’t believe me?
Ask Jesus …
Watching these Earth haters pounding the lard out of each other is nothing but pure bliss.
O T there will be moar magats losing their minds when they learn case against Kilmsar Abrego Garcia was dropped for vindictive prosecution.
Preach, Lar. You know grudznick is in lockstep with you and I still hold true to our pinky swear. 33!
Doughboy is what SD deserves at this point.
When a majority of people deny reality and in fact rail against it every chance they get…
Get ready for Gov. Doeden. Bow down bitches!!
Earth haters want a police state, Libertarians want anarchy and Democrats just want a good ol’ fashioned representative democracy with all the warts of a constitutional republic so the faster all the deplorables taser themselves in the testicles until their myocardia infarct the better.
Trump notoriously under-polled as even his supporters who lined up to vote for him refused to acknowledge that vote.
I have been arguing Doeden’s numbers were light and still say they are.
Governance by grievance is on its way to SD.
Remember Minnesota’s Governor Jesse Ventura? Voters there didn’t like either the Republican (Norm Colman. then a sitting U.S. senator) or the Democrat (Skip Humphrey, seen as nothing more than a legacy). Who was left? A hard turn into the weird. Never be surprised at what voters do.