Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Ahlers will share the Freedom Stage with incumbent Republican Governor Larry Rhoden Saturday at 1 p.m. at the State Fair in Huron:
Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden and Democratic candidate Dan Ahlers are scheduled to explain their views on agriculture at 1 p.m. CT on the State Fair Freedom Stage in Huron.
South Dakota Farmers Union is hosting the event and plans to show it on YouTube. Farmers Union is based in Huron and provided the questions in advance to Ahlers and Rhoden [Bob Mercer, “It Will Be Ahlers Versus Rhoden Facing Off Saturday at State Fair,” KELO-TV, 2026.09.04].
Rhoden’s benefactress Kristi Noem dodged Farmers Union debates for years after her poor performance at the 2010 State Fair against Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (whom Noem still went on to unseat). Democrats have been much more willing to take the Freedom Stage and and other platforms to face their opponents and the voters. It’s nice to see Rhoden can at least distance himself from the woman who made his gubernatoriate possible and revive a State Fair tradition of giving South Dakotans a chance to size up their candidates face to face on the same stage.
Mercer notes Saturday’s event will be the second of three scheduled joint appearances featuring Ahlers and Rhoden:
The State Fair event will be the second time that Ahlers and Rhoden have spoken to the same audience during the 2026 campaign. They previously addressed the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association in Rapid City. They are scheduled for a September 28 debate hosted by South Dakota Public Broadcasting and South Dakota News Watch [Mercer, 2026.09.04].
The Huron forecast for Saturday’s debate: sunny, 87°F, south-southeast breeze at 13 mph.
Gosh I’m just sure that Rhoden will say that Trump has been the best for farmers in all of history. Won’t he?