Complaining about governor’s use of office for campaigning might backfire on opponents
January 24, 2026
Gov. Larry Rhoden, right, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, center, speak to members of the media after a town hall
Gov. Larry Rhoden, right, and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, center, speak to members of the media after a town hall
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley listens to the governor’s budget address on Dec. 2, 2025, at the Capitol in
State senators and representatives meet in a conference committee with a full audience on March 6, 2024, at the South
Students work on schoolwork at Harrisburg School District’s Journey Elementary School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Dec. 5, 2024.
Campaign signs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in November 2024. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) I don’t have a
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk leaves the stage holding a chainsaw after speaking at the Conservative Political Action
Shelves are stacked with boxes of food on Nov. 3, 2025, at Feeding South Dakota’s Rapid City distribution center. (Seth
South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson testifies before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 11, 2025, at
Members of the South Dakota Legislature’s Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force meet in Sioux Falls on June 25, 2025. (Photo
A marijuana plant at the Dakota Herb grow operation near Tea, South Dakota. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) A
South Dakota State Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree, R-Madison, speaks to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Feb. 5, 2024,
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrew Enriquez, right, public affairs specialist, 113th Wing, District of Columbia National Guard, and U.S.
Members of the Comprehensive Property Tax Task Force meet in Sioux Falls on June 25, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
(Photo by Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images) The beauty of South Dakota’s public school system is that each school district
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks at Dakotafest in Mitchell on Aug. 20, 2025. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
Hundreds of people fill the Southeast Technical College auditorium in Sioux Falls for a Public Utilities Commission hearing about a
State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on Jan. 17, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
Gov. Larry Rhoden speaks to reporters from a podium on July 28, 2025, at the Public Safety Administration Building in
From left, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Gov. Larry Rhoden, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden, and state House Speaker Jon Hansen. (South
A Sioux Falls resident votes in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at St. Lambert’s Catholic Church. (Makenzie Huber/South
Election workers count absentee ballots for Minnehaha County on Nov. 5, 2024, in the county administration building. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota
Rep. Logan Manhart, R-Aberdeen, speaks in the South Dakota House of Representatives on Feb. 21, 2025, at the state Capitol
Robert Arnold announces his campaign for governor in June 2025 at the state Capitol in Pierre. (Courtesy of Robert Arnold)
Signs stand at the entryway to a Sept. 26, 2024, public forum hosted by Neighbors Opposed to Prison Expansion, which
Toby Doeden announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor of South Dakota during an event on May 28,
State Reps. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, and Karla Lems, R-Canton, speak to the press after they announced their campaign for
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her 2025 State of the State address to lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre
From left, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, Gov. Larry Rhoden, Attorney General Marty Jackley, Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden and state House