Larry Rhoden: Rancher, welder and three-decade politician makes his case to earn SD’s trust
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Larry Rhoden's pitch is basically: I've been here the whole time. Rancher, welder, thirty years grinding through the legislature before Kristi Noem left for Washington and handed him the governor's chair. There's something almost old-fashioned about that resume in an era when candidates parachute in from cable news green rooms with a book deal and a hashtag.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, elevated after Kristi Noem resigned, is seeking a full term in the July 28 GOP runoff. A new profile traces his ranch roots, faith and decades in politics.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Larry Rhoden's pitch is basically: I've been here the whole time. Rancher, welder, thirty years grinding through the legislature before Kristi Noem left for Washington and handed him the governor's chair. There's something almost old-fashioned about that resume in an era when candidates parachute in from cable news green rooms with a book deal and a hashtag. South Dakota voters get to decide if that counts for something on July 28, and it should.
We're wary of the assumption, common in national coverage of these smaller races, that an accidental governor needs to apologize for the job or audition for it like he's new. Rhoden isn't new. He's been legislating on water rights, ag policy and rural infrastructure since a lot of his critics were in grade school. That's not a talking point, it's a paper trail, and it's the kind of paper trail voters can actually check.
The welder detail matters more than it sounds. It signals a governor who has done physical work for a living, not just talked about people who do. In a state built on ranching and agriculture, that's not sentimental filler, it's relevant experience for the job of representing people whose livelihoods depend on weather, markets and land policy actually working.
None of this guarantees Rhoden wins the runoff, and it shouldn't. Voters deserve to weigh his record against whoever else is on the ballot, on its merits. But the framing of this race as some kind of legitimacy test for a guy who's spent three decades in South Dakota politics feels backwards. If anything, the burden should be on his opponents to explain why three decades of showing up isn't worth something.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.