Friday, 04 July 2025

House Republican Expected To Announce Gubernatorial Bid


Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) is widely expected to announce he’s running for South Dakota governor on Monday.

Johnson has served as the state’s lone House representative since 2019.

Johnson is the latest congressional Republican to mount a bid for a higher office.

POLITICO shared additional details:

He’s been a key player in major deals on Capitol Hill in recent years as the head of the Main Street Caucus of Republicans.

Johnson, long expected to mount a bid for higher office, will make the announcement in Sioux Falls.

ADVERTISEMENT

Johnson is the eighth House Republican to announce a run for higher office in 2026. Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, Randy Feenstra of Iowa, John James of Michigan and John Rose of Tennessee are also seeking governor’s offices; Reps. Andy Barr of Kentucky and Buddy Carter of Georgia have announced Senate runs.

Critics have called Johnson “anti-Trump” and a “Liz Cheney ally.”

“I’m hearing that Liz Cheney ally Dusty Johnson @RepDustyJohnson, a current GOP Congressman from South Dakota, is announcing his run for Governor of South Dakota,” investigative journalist Laura Loomer said last month.

“Anti-Trump, Liz Cheney-aligned Congressman Dusty Johnson is expected to (finally) announce his Governor bid on Monday,” another X user commented.

According to Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman, Johnson’s expected announcement comes as no surprise.

Meanwhile, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is expected to run for the state’s at-large congressional seat in the midterm elections.

Per South Dakota Searchlight:

With just under a year to go before the 2026 primary election, Republican political dominoes have begun to fall in South Dakota.

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson said Friday that he’ll make a “political announcement” Monday — widely expected to be a run for governor.

Earlier Friday, state Attorney General Marty Jackley said he’s “preparing to run” for the seat Johnson will apparently vacate.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jackley made his announcement to KELOLAND News in a story published Friday morning, saying “the fight is in Washington.”

“From fentanyl and methamphetamine pouring across the southern border to public corruption and wasteful spending in Washington, I want to work with President Trump to find solutions,” Jackley said in a KELO video.

In a later interview with South Dakota Searchlight, Jackley said he’ll run as a “straightforward, very limited-government type of conservative” while opposing abortion and supporting gun rights. He also said he’ll run on his “record of action,” which he said includes “not just advocating but winning in the courts” on numerous issues while serving as attorney general.


Source link