South Dakota
Gov. Larry Rhoden to launch 2026 South Dakota governor bid at Rapid City event
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden talks about taking over from Kristi Noem
Larry Rhoden speaks about his experience with his transition as the new South Dakota governor.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden wants to keep his job as the state’s executive leader for another four years.
Rhoden, the 34th governor of South Dakota, is slated to make a “special announcement” at the Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City on Nov. 18, according to a listing on Eventbrite.
State Sen. Arch Beal, a Sioux Falls Republican and co-chair of the Strong, Safe & Free PAC, a political action committee aligned with Rhoden, told the Argus Leader in a Nov. 18 phone call that Rhoden plans make his West River announcement in the City of Presidents.
“As far as I can say, he’s running,” Beal said.
Rhoden has been a long-rumored entrant to the state’s gubernatorial election in 2026. He will be the latest and likely last Republican to join next year’s GOP primary contest after Dusty Johnson, South Dakota’s lone representative in the U.S. House; Aberdeen businessman and conservative activist Toby Doeden; and State House Speaker Jon Hansen.
Chamberlain independent Terry Gleason and 20-year-old Democrat Robert Arnold, of Pierre, have also started campaigns for the governor’s seat.
Rhoden launched a campaign website through his formal gubernatorial committee in August, which allowed online visitors to make donations of $10, $25, $50, $100 or other amounts to his campaign.
The South Dakota governor has remained reticent in the past to show his hand in terms of his campaign efforts. Asked by the Argus Leader in August if the creation of his campaign website, which is paid for by his gubernatorial committee, indicated he would run to retain his executive office, he said the public is free to “interpret” the campaign page as they see fit.
Ian Fury, Rhoden’s campaign spokesperson, acknowledged the Tuesday event in a Nov. 12 phone call with the Argus Leader. He declined to confirm whether the governor would address his entrance to the governor race.
Mike Derby, a Republican state representative based in Black Hawk and chair of Rhoden’s supporter PAC, would not outright confirm Rhoden’s intent to announce his run for governor.
Asked if Rhoden planned to make public his gubernatorial ambitions at the Rapid City event, Derby said, “I think it would be worth your while [to go].”
Rhoden was previously critical of the idea of announcing a campaign bid in 2025. Also asked by the Argus Leader in August when he would make his announcement, Rhoden said he would not declare his candidacy until at least after the state’s special legislative session on Sept. 23, when the Legislature voted on legislation to construct a new men’s prison in Sioux Falls.
Rhoden previously served as the 39th lieutenant governor of South Dakota under former Gov. Kristi Noem from Jan. 5, 2019 to Jan. 2025.
Rhoden succeeded to his current post on Jan. 25 midway through Noem’s second term as governor after she resigned to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
A lifelong South Dakotan, Rhoden currently lives in Union Center, a small rural community in Meade County, where he runs a ranching operation.
Prior to serving as Noem’s lieutenant governor, Rhoden served four terms as a state representative in the South Dakota legislature from 2001 to 2008.
Rhoden then switched chambers to the South Dakota Senate, in which he held a seat from 2009 to 2014.
His legislative winning streak was ended in 2014, however, after former two-term governor and now-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds overcame Rhoden in that year’s Republican primary.
Rhoden returned to the South Dakota legislature in 2017, after winning his district’s seat in the state House, of which he was named Majority Whip. He planned to run again in 2018, but he withdrew from the race after being chosen as Noem’s running mate, according to previous Argus Leader reporting.
According to his biography page on the governor’s office website, Rhoden served six years in the South Dakota National Guard after graduating high school.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 10, 2026
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing
16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 10 drawing
03-27-43-45-49, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South Dakota
Trading property tax for sales tax: Legislature moves forward with parts of homeowner relief package
PIERRE — Two pieces of a property tax reduction package prepared by South Dakota’s legislative leadership and the executive branch are moving forward, but one bill failed during votes on Monday as lawmakers began the final week of the annual legislative session.
The House of Representatives voted
42-27
in support of
Senate Bill 245
, which would pull future revenue from a scheduled sales tax increase from 4.2% to 4.5% next year into a relief fund for homeowner property taxes, and use nearly $56 million in one-time money to seed the fund before the sales tax increase.
The Senate supported
House Bill 1323
, which would reduce the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on a local government’s decision to levy property taxes beyond limits set by the state. The Senate passed the bill 19-15.
Both bills have to return to the opposite chamber for consideration of amendments.
The Senate rejected
House Bill 1253
, which would cap annual assessment growth for owner-occupied homes and commercial properties at 5% annually and reset assessments back to market value every five years. The bill failed with a 9-24 vote.
The bills are part of a broader,
five-bill legislative package
targeted at property tax relief.
Another bill
in the package, which would allow counties to implement a half-percent sales tax with proceeds going to homeowner property tax credits, is awaiting the governor’s signature after he proposed it and it received both chambers’ approval.
The legislative budget committee is scheduled to consider a fifth piece of legislation in the package on Tuesday.
The bill
would reduce maximum property tax levies for school districts.
Sales tax bill overcomes concerns about future budget needs
SB 245 would capture revenue from the impending sales tax increase to deposit into a “homeowner property tax reduction fund” meant to reduce property taxes levied by school districts. The Legislature and then-Gov. Kristi Noem reduced the state sales tax rate three years ago but scheduled the reduction to sunset in 2027.
House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, told lawmakers on Monday that the bill would be an “investment in the people,” because it’ll give South Dakota homeowners more money to spend as they choose. Hansen, the bill’s sponsor and a candidate for governor, said that would lead to more spending and, therefore, more sales tax revenue. The state relies on sales taxes, while counties and schools rely on property taxes, and cities receive revenue from property taxes and sales taxes.
Some opponents said the legislation would favor wealthier, property-owning South Dakotans rather than lower-income renters.
(Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, worried that automatically diverting future state revenue to reduce homeowner property taxes would come at the cost of other priorities, such as annual funding increases for state employees, Medicaid providers and public schools — which are known as the “big three” budget priorities. Lawmakers often
aim
to increase funding for the groups by 3% or inflation, whichever is less. An inflationary increase this legislative session would be 2.5%, according to the state Department of Education.
“We are just clawing to get 1.4% for the big three,” Weisgram said. “I don’t think any of us are proud of that.”
Hansen said the decision “is not an either-or” situation.
“We can help the property taxpayers in the state who desperately, desperately need it,” Hansen said, “and then I trust fully that this state is going to continue to grow and that we are going to be able to meet the needs of our core obligations of this state.”
The bill was introduced as an amendment to placeholder legislation last week, and it will head to the Senate for approval. The Senate narrowly rejected a
similar proposal
earlier this legislative session.
Senate approves lower signature threshold to force election on excess taxes
The version of House Bill 1323 that passed the Senate would set the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on an excess tax levy (often called an “opt-out”) for a local government at 2,500 or 5% of registered voters within its jurisdiction, whichever is less. The current threshold to refer decisions by a local government is 5% of registered voters in the district, without a 2,500 signature cap.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said it will still be difficult to refer decisions by a local government to voters.
“You’re talking dozens and dozens of volunteers, weeks of organized effort,” Howard said. “There’s not a lot of people that have been through that and can even organize that kind of effort. So it’s not a trivial bar.”
Because the bill was amended since it last appeared in the House, it’ll now go to the House for approval.
HB 1253 intended to provide South Dakota homeowners and commercial property owners predictable increases in their property assessments, which factor into property taxes they pay, over five year periods.
But opponents said the change would shift the property tax burden onto farmers and ranchers and surprise homeowners every five years when assessments would be re-based on market value, which could lead to double-digit increases in assessments.
This story was originally published on
SouthDakotaSearchlight.com.
______________________________________________________
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.
South Dakota
Political Pulse: South Dakota Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff on data centers, property taxes and more
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – State Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff joined Political Pulse over the weekend.
Mehlhaff weighed in on property tax proposals, data centers, and effort to repeal the death penalty and speculation that Kristi Noem could run for Senate.
The interviewed was taped on Saturday.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Virginia7 days agoGiants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on the Real Locations in These Magical and Mysterious Novels