Congressman Dusty Johnson announced today that he will seek the Republican nomination to be the 35th Governor of South Dakota.
Johnson, 48, is in his fourth term as a South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he is the chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus.
He would be just the second U.S. House member to be elected governor, following Kristi Noem, who was the first. Two other former U.S. House members ran for governor unsuccessfully: Freeman Knowles, who served in the U.S. House as a Populist in 1897-99 and later ran for Governor as a Socialist in 1904 and 1906; and Clint Roberts, who served one term in the U.S. House in 1981-83 and then ran for Governor in 1986, narrowly losing the Republican primary to George S. Mickelson.
Johnson lives in Mitchell with his wife, Jacquelyn, and three sons; he would be the second governor elected from Mitchell, following Carl Gunderson, who served from 1925-27. Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Dakota and his master’s in public administration from Kansas University. He would be the 11th USD graduate to serve as governor, and the first Kansas Jayhawk.
A Pierre native, Johnson would join Mike Rounds as a the second graduate of T.F. Riggs High School, or “Pierre Governor,” to serve as Governor. Johnson’s grandfather, Bill Johnson, was a longtime association executive director and his grandmother, Joan Johnson, served for years as treasurer of the South Dakota Republican Party. Dusty has also been active for decades in the Republican Party, including longtime leadership of the Teenage Republicans (SD TARs).
Johnson’s service in state government includes a two-year stint, from 2003-04, as a policy advisor to Governor Rounds. In 2004, he sought the Republican nomination for public utilities commission after another candidate, Rep. Carol Pitts of Brookings, ended her candidacy due to a National Guard deployment. Johnson won the nomination without opposition and defeated Democrat Jim Burg, a three-term incumbent, that fall. He was reelected in 2010 but resigned shortly thereafter to serve as chief of staff to Governor Dennis Daugaard, a role he held from 2011-14. Johnson would be the first governor to have served either as public utilities commissioner or as chief of staff to a previous governor.
In 2018, Johnson sought the Republican nomination for U.S. House, prevailing over Secretary of State Shantel Krebs and State Senator Neal Tapio, and winning in the fall against Democrat Tim Bjorkman, a retired circuit court judge. Johnson repelled primary challenges from state legislators Liz May in 2020 and Taffy Howard in 2022, in both years winning reelection without Democratic opposition. In 2024, Johnson did not face a primary challenge, and was handily reelected against Democrat Sheryl Johnson.
Johnson joins a Republican gubernatorial field that already includes House Speaker Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden. The current gubernatorial field also includes Democrat Robert Arnold and independent Terry Gleason. Governor Larry Rhoden has not announced if he will seek a full gubernatorial term in 2026. Another possible candidate, Attorney General Marty Jackley, announced last week that he will instead seek the U.S. House seat currently held by Johnson.
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