Lance Russell speaks to voters in Sturgis during a 2018 campaign for attorney general. (Courtesy of Lance Russell)
A county prosecutor who served a dozen years in the Legislature aims to fill the seat of state attorney general.
Republican Lance Russell announced his candidacy Tuesday for the seat current Attorney General Marty Jackley will leave behind to run for U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. South Dakota’s current U.S. representative, Dusty Johnson, announced a long-rumored 2026 bid for governor on Monday.
Russell, 55, lives in Hot Springs and serves as the state’s attorney for Fall River and Oglala Lakota counties.
As the 2026 races heat up, stay up-to-date with our free newsletter.
“I am running to work as our next attorney general to ensure safer communities and open government for all South Dakotans,” Russell said in a press release.
Republicans choose their attorney general candidate by a vote of state convention delegates. Russell sought the nomination in 2018 but fell to Jason Ravnsborg in a second ballot, 37% to 63%.
Ravnsborg won the general election. His term was cut short by a legislative impeachment and removal after he struck and killed a man with his vehicle. Then-Gov. Kristi Noem appointed former Pennington County State’s Attorney Mark Vargo to serve the remainder of Ravnsborg’s term, and Jackley ran uncontested in the 2022 general election to return to the post he’d previously held.
Russell holds a law degree from the University of South Dakota and a master of laws degree in natural resources and environmental law from the University of Denver. In addition to his work as a state’s attorney, he has a private practice and serves as a city attorney for several communities in the southern Black Hills.
