Rhoden Wins South Dakota Governor Race
Republican incumbent Larry Rhoden defeated Democrat Dan Ahlers, while voters rejected Medicaid expansion repeal.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Should South Dakota keep Medicaid expansion in place?
Republican Larry Rhoden won the South Dakota governor's race with 63 percent of the vote over Democrat Dan Ahlers, who received 37 percent. Voters rejected Amendment I, which would have repealed Medicaid expansion, by 56 percent to 44 percent.
Why it matters
The results keep Republican control of the state's top executive office while signaling voter resistance to rolling back Medicaid expansion. Ballot outcomes on constitutional amendments also reflect how South Dakota voters weighed changes to the state's rules for amending its own constitution.
The governor race returns show Rhoden at 63 percent against Ahlers at 37 percent, a margin that is not directly compared to prior South Dakota gubernatorial results in the available data. The District 3 state House contest remains unresolved and may proceed to a recount.
The players
Larry Rhoden
Rhoden is the Republican incumbent governor of South Dakota who took office after Kristi Noem's departure and was seeking a full term.
Dan Ahlers
Ahlers is a Democratic candidate who ran against Rhoden in the South Dakota governor race.
Mike Rounds
Rounds is a Republican U.S. senator from South Dakota who won re-election in this cycle.
The details
Heather Baxter won the Secretary of State race with 58 percent of the vote over Terrance Davis, who received 36 percent, and Mike Rounds won the U.S. Senate race with 61 percent against Brian Bengs at 39 percent. In Brown County, a referendum on the county gross receipts and use tax failed with 44 percent support.
Timeline
• Election results were published on November 4, 2026.
Need to Know
Voters declined to repeal Medicaid expansion in Amendment I, leaving intact the coverage that South Dakota voters first approved through a 2022 ballot measure. The outcome positions the election as a check on legislative efforts to revisit that expansion.
Medicaid expansion remains in effect in South Dakota after voters rejected Amendment I, so current coverage rules do not change from this vote. The failed Amendment L means constitutional amendments still need only a simple majority to pass.
The takeaway
Voters in South Dakota backed the incumbent governor and rejected both a Medicaid rollback and a higher threshold for constitutional change. Readers following state policy should watch how the legislature responds to these clear signals from the ballot box.
Further reading
For more on the state's voting history, see Elections coverage for South Dakota.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dakota Broadcasting.
Live Poll
Should South Dakota keep Medicaid expansion in place?
