The first Democratic candidate has created a campaign committee to run for Governor in 2026.
Robert Arnold, a 19-year-old student at Dakota State University, announced his candidacy in the State Capitol rotunda last week. Arnold, who served as a legislative page in 2023 and as a Democratic legislative intern in 2025, is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
The South Dakota Constitution requires the governor to be 21 years old; presumably Arnold would reach that age prior to the next gubernatorial term in January 2027. If elected, he would be by far the youngest governor in South Dakota history. That distinction is currently held by Richard F. Kneip, who took office in 1971 a few days before with 38th birthday. Arnold would also be the first tribal member to serve as governor. Kneip is the last Democrat to be elected governor, when we was elected to his final term in 1974.
In addition to Arnold, another candidate filed paperwork in recent weeks. Terry Gleason of Chamberlain filed to run as an independent, as reported by South Dakota War College. Arnold and Gleason join a gubernatorial field that currently includes Republicans Jon Hansen and Toby Doeden and will likely include other prominent Republicans such as incumbent Governor Larry Rhoden, Congressman Dusty Johnson, or Attorney General Marty Jackley.
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