WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Dustin Michael “Dusty” Johnson (R-S.D.) has announced that he will run for governor of South Dakota during the general election to that office in 2026, implying that he will not seek another term in the House of Representatives.
Johnson, 48, represents the whole of South Dakota as part of its “at-large” congressional district. While in Congress, he has been a member of the “Problem Solvers Caucus” and taken positions contrary to the majority of the Republican Conference, such as voting to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, and supporting then-Rep. Liz Cheney’s continuance as the House Republican Conference chair in 2022.
Johnson’s entry makes the primary competitive—the speaker of the South Dakota House of Representatives, Jon Hansen, has announced a campaign, and incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden (R-S.D.) may also run.
He spoke of general opportunities in South Dakota as his objectives, including cutting public spending, championing “conservative values,” supporting President Donald Trump, and “standing up to China,” against whom South Dakota’s farmers compete for agricultural sales.
South Dakota is a heavily Republican state, meaning that the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary is the clear favorite to win the general election. No Democrat has served as the governor of South Dakota since 1979.
Holders of South Dakota’s at-large congressional seat, which is effectively a statewide office, have often used the position to run for higher political office later. The incumbent U.S. Senate majority leader, Sen. John R. Thune (R-S.D.), also held the state’s at-large House seat from 1997 to 2003, after which he was elected to the Senate from the state.
Similarly, Johnson’s predecessor in the House was Kristi Noem, who served there for eight years before being elected twice to the governorship, which she held before her present incumbency as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Rhoden, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Noem as the permanent governor for the remainder of her term, has not yet announced whether he will run in 2026.
The pathway to higher office from at-large House seats also exists in North Dakota. In 2024, U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) was elected governor of North Dakota after nearly five years of service in the House.
