One of the best parts of the Doeden/Rhoden runoff is hearing Ian Fury criticize Trumpism. Fury played Trump style during his minionship under Kristi Noem. But now as Governor Larry Rhoden’s campaign spokesman, Fury has to rage against the Trump tactics deployed by loudmouth businessman Toby Doeden. Consider how Fury has to justify his boss’s refusal to debate Doeden one on one before the runoff:
Doeden accepted the debate invitation on Wednesday. On Friday, the Rhoden campaign told [KELO-TV News] he would refuse any additional debates with Doeden.
“Governor Rhoden has debated Toby Doeden three times and won’t be doing so a fourth time,” Rhoden campaign spokesman Ian Fury said in an emailed statement. “Toby spent the last three debates making outrageous, false claims, and it takes more time to respond to the lies than it takes Toby to make them” [Eric Mayer and Anna Peters, “Rhoden Declining to Debate Doeden,” KELO-TV, 2026.06.12].
Thanks, Ian! You enunciate here the exact reason that I’ve tried not to spend every waking moment of the past several years trying to parse and debunk every ounce of bullshit that’s come out of your mouth, and Kristi’s, and Donald’s himself’s: you Trumpists lie without restraint, and undoing the damage you do with your chronic ideological deceit takes far too much time and effort that is better spent laying out good policy.
Rhoden is still wrong to decline to debate Doeden. The primary debates were four-man affairs; Rhoden needs to take the stage with Doeden so South Dakotans can see the stark contrast between Doeden’s radicalism and Rhoden’s sober statesmanship. But I sympathize with Rhoden’s and Fury’s point that trying to have a civil conversation with a madman in the room can be tiresome and fruitless.