South Dakota Governor Wins GOP Primary Runoff Against Bitcoin Advocate

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has secured his party's nomination for re-election after defeating primary challenger Toby Doeden in a runoff election. The Associated Press called the race for Rhoden within minutes of final polls closing, with him receiving 70.5% of the vote compared to Doeden's 29.5%. This marked the first time South Dakota voters were asked to settle a gubernatorial nomination through a primary runoff.

The head-to-head contest followed a four-way June primary in which Doeden finished first with 30.6% of the vote and Rhoden placed second with 25.2%, leaving both short of the 35% needed to secure the nomination outright. Doeden, who has been building a public profile as a Bitcoin evangelist, advocated for the state's investment council to invest in the cryptocurrency and even called for South Dakota to establish a state Bitcoin reserve.

Property taxes were also a defining issue in the campaign, with Doeden campaigning on eliminating them entirely. Rhoden countered that this would leave local governments and schools with a major funding shortfall, highlighting his own tax relief measures from earlier this year as an alternative.