Last updated on 2026-07-24
Governor Larry Rhoden finished last in Brookings County’s gubernatorial primary vote:
| Dusty Johnson | 29.3% |
| Toby Doeden | 27.1% |
| Jon Hansen | 22.1% |
| Larry Rhoden | 21.4% |
Behind Jon Hansen? Ouch—that’s gotta sting.
But Governor Rhoden is working to reverse his fortunes with Brookings’s discerning voters. Sure, Brookings is filled with educated, sensible, good-hearted people with a keen bent toward practical policy-making, but Rhoden knows the surest way to Brookings’s heart—eat at Nick’s!
The Rhodens visited Nick’s Hamburger Shop after the Doeden campaign falsely accused Rhoden of supporting lab-grown meat. But I bet Larry would have stopped at Nick’s regardless of the latest lies from Doeden’s mouth.
Lab grown meat, state income tax, and women’s rights.
What are some of the other third rail issues SD politicos don’t dare touch?
Rhoden East would likely be a better governor than Larry Rhoden ;-).
If Doeden loses and claims the election was rigged, any chance a sizeable chunk refuse to vote in the general election?
grudznick read the title to mean that Mr. Governor Rhoden is out east, at Nick’s. One can gobble many of those small greasy burgers.
I’m typing this with my Nick’s cap on. That’s it.
Porter, I would add ANY of Trump’s stumbles, failures, or shortcomings to your list. Do not speak ill of Dear Leader.
The People’s Republic of Brookings is not just home to South Dakota’s fattest blogger.
Brookings owns a research park, the hospital, a nursing home, the liquor store, the water, the sewer system, the garbage collection, the phone company, the power company, an entertainment venue, the golf course, a new rec center and is host to South Dakota’s largest public university, a federally subsidized cheese and dairy industry and a rebranded medical products manufacturer that poisoned parts of town with forever chemicals.
Daktronics is a thriving progressive technocracy while Brookings Utilities and the town’s administration is a right wing mob so go figure.
Recall one of South Dakota’s Earth hating former governors called Georgia’s two Democratic US Senators, Communists from the state that controls much of the means of production.
But, today there is much jubilation about Target opening on the outskirts of Brookings but also significant sadness about the fire that took the 145 year-old Brost Building plus several businesses and apartments downtown.