CONGRESSMAN DUSTY JOHNSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR
SIOUX FALLS, SD (South Dakota News Watch / Bert Pfankuch) – U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson formally entered the 2026 race for South Dakota governor Monday, promising to bring a positive leadership style to efforts to strengthen families, better educate children and drive new economic growth.
The 48-year-old Republican, who grew up in Pierre, has served in Congress since 2019. He announced at an event in Sioux Falls and was expected to repeat the announcement in Rapid City later in the day.
“I love this state and I think the next 20 years for South Dakota could be the best years in our history. But I don’t think it’s inevitable,” Johnson told News Watch in an interview prior to the announcement. “To realize that future, we’ve got to have a real plan, we need real leadership, and I’m excited to build that plan and that team.”
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026, but the Republican primary on June 2 is where Johnson will encounter the stiffest challenge. Two GOP candidates have already announced – state Speaker of the House Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden – and it’s possible that incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden might also seek to keep his job.
Rhoden became governor in January when former Gov. Kristi Noem left to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Robert Arnold, a 19-year-old college student at Dakota State University, is the only Democrat to announce his candidacy so far.
Johnson said he won’t be surprised if the primary campaign becomes a bitter affair.
“We’re in a pretty ugly political era, I think we all know that, and it’s not too hard to imagine that we’ve got campaigns that will trade off fear and anger,” Johnson said. “Those aren’t my politics, which are about addition and multiplication, not division and subtraction, because I don’t think the politics of division or anger are going to give South Dakota what it needs over the next 20 years.”
Prior to his announcement, Johnson provided written answers to questions posed by News Watch about what his administration would look like. Here are his responses:
If elected governor, what will be your top priorities?
Putting students first. I intend to be laser-focused on improving student achievement, supporting our public schools, and will also work to empower parents to make the best decisions about their children’s education. We should make college and tech schools affordable for South Dakota families, giving every hardworking student a chance to build their life here in South Dakota.
Building safer communities. Our towns are safer by the brave men and women who serve as police officers, deputies, and sheriffs. They deserve our unwavering support. I’ll work with law enforcement to get fentanyl and methamphetamine off our streets.
Supporting agriculture’s next generation. We need an ag economy that is focused on the future and that supports landowner decisions. It’s imperative we protect private property rights, including the private property right to build on your own land. The success of South Dakota’s ag producers today will be the strength of rural America for decades to come.
Rooting out waste and maintaining limited government. Our state government should be efficient, effective, responsive, and transparent. Government should be constrained to a few key areas, and one of them is building and maintaining infrastructure. South Dakotans deserve safe roads and bridges, and deserve efficient processes that allow them to get driver’s licenses and camping reservations.
Lifting up families. Being a father to my three sons is the greatest job title I’ve ever had, and South Dakota should be doing more to support families. I believe we can make South Dakota the best state in the nation to raise kids.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the state right now?
We all know South Dakota is a great place to live and we can’t afford to take that for granted. Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas – in fact, it’s the opposite. We need a leader with the energy, and an actual plan, to drive our commonsense values forward.
We need to make sure our students are graduating from high school prepared and confident to take on the challenges ahead.
We need to make sure our farmers and ranchers are able to pass down their operations to the next generation – or to an entity with similar values so that ownership of our land stays local.
When we say that South Dakota is a great place to start your business, it needs to be true. It’s not about saying yes to every company, but it’s about saying yes to the right ones that propel our state forward. Economic growth is a rising tide that can lift all boats when harnessed correctly.
If elected, what are fundamental issues on which you hope or believe you can make lasting change?
Our state has experienced success because of key decisions that helped transform our economy – from our banking industry, the founding of world-class hospital systems, to biofuels. It’s time to go out and find the next big thing.
Taxpayers want to know how their money is being spent. I’m committed to leading a transparent state government that works lean and efficiently to deliver essential services to all South Dakotans. I believe we can transform how state government works.
I hope that if I have the opportunity to continue serving the people of South Dakota as their next governor, that I would leave that office knowing that I served with integrity. I might not always see eye-to-eye with someone, but there’s no doubt I will have treated him or her with respect—and there’s something to be said about that.
NEW LAWS TAKE EFFECT JULY 1ST
It’s July 1, 2025, and that means new laws go into effect in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The laws range from new rules regarding cell phones and driving in Iowa to banning sanctuary cities in South Dakota.
The new rules include…
In Iowa:
Fireworks in Iowa on the Fourth of July: A new fireworks law, Senate File 303, prevents cities and counties in Iowa from prohibiting or limiting fireworks use on July 3, 4, and December 31. State laws regulating the use of fireworks still apply, such as the ban on fireworks sales to minors and the use of “display” fireworks without local permission. However, further local restrictions can not occur during these three days
Gender identity protections: Reynolds signed Senate File 418 into law in February, removing gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The bill, the first measure signed from this session, removes protections against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and education for transgender individuals on the basis of their gender identity. It also removes Iowans’ ability to change their sex as designated on their birth certificate after receiving gender-affirming medical treatment, and modifies definitions of “sex” and “gender” in Iowa law, and changes language in the law banning material related to gender identity for K-6 students to refer to “gender theory.”
Hands-free cellphones: Senate File 22, signed into law in April, bans the handheld use of cellphones and other electronic devices while driving when not in voice-activated or handsfree modes. The measure has been supported by law enforcement officials and families of people involved in car accidents that said the state’s current distracted driving laws do not allow for effective enforcement. Warnings will begin for violations of the law July 1, with penalties beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Nursing home oversight: House File 309 changed a 2024 law that allows nursing homes to provide additional context and evidence before the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing makes a decision to issue a citation when reviewing claims of substandard care and placing residents in immediate jeopardy of serious injury or death. Democrats brought forward multiple amendments to add other proposals they said would improve nursing home oversight in the state that were not granted subcommittee hearings that were not added to the bill.
Open beverage containers: House File 181, signed into law in March, extends Iowa’s ban on open containers of alcoholic beverages in the passenger compartments of vehicles to drinks containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Workforce training contract requirements: Senate File 603 makes changes to the state Registered Apprenticeship Act, barring state agencies and local governments from mandating requirements related to apprenticeship training for contractors outside of legal requirements. Local entities would also not be allowed implement other “restrictions, qualifications, or requirements” on contractors, subcontractors, developers and apprentices.
Accreditation retaliation: House File 295 would bar national accrediting agencies from taking negative actions against state universities for complying with, or refusing to disobey, state law. If authorized by the attorney general, universities with cause would have the option to file a civil suit against the accreditor. It was signed by Reynolds May 6.
Cellphones in school: Reynolds signed House File 782 into law in April, a bill requiring public K-12 school districts set a policy on cell phones that, at minimum, bans their use during instructional periods beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The measure contains exemptions, including for students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan that involves accommodations using a cellphone or other device. Parents can also ask school districts to allow their child keep access to their phone during class periods if they establish a “legitimate” reason related to the student’s mental or physical health.
Career education: Career planning is required for fifth- and sixth-grade curriculum alongside expanded career education in seventh and eighth grades under House File 316. The Iowa Department of Education is also required to develop a list of industry recognized credentials and create a seal for schools to put on student transcripts and other documents if they have earned a professional credential while in the K-12 school system.
Charter school boards: House File 785 would require all members of a charter school board to be U.S. residents, and that only one member of the board can live outside Iowa.
Concussion diagnoses: House File 471 would expand the definition of “licensed health care provider” who can direct a student to be removed from extracurriculars because they show signs of brain damage or concussions. The definition is expanded to include people with a doctorate in psychology who have specialty training in neuropsychology or concussion management.
Court-ordered college payments: Senate File 513 will bar courts from ordering parties involved in the dissolution of a marriage to pay a postsecondary education subsidy for dependents. Reynolds signed the legislation May 6.
National Guard financial aid: House Files 117 and 118, both signed by the governor in early May, expand National Guard scholarship programs, with HF 117 establishing a new program for non-traditional degree seekers and HF 118 making changes to the National Guard Service Scholarship program.
Threat assessment teams: Senate File 583 authorizes K-12 school districts, private schools and charter schools to create threat assessment teams consisting of school officials, law enforcement, mental health and social services workers. These teams, tasked with preventing school shootings and other violence, are allowed to share “reasonably necessary” information about students when their behavior could pose a safety risk to other students or school staff.
Tuition freeze: House File 440 would require state universities to study the impacts of keeping tuition for students at what they paid their first undergraduate year. Universities would also need to establish at least one three-year degree program and institute work plus programs, where students can work part time and have their tuition paid for by a qualified employer. Reynolds signed the legislation May 6.
Year-round academic calendar: House File 392 would allows school districts to apply to implement year-round school calendars for ninth through 12th grade.
Firearm age limits: House File 924 lowers the age limit for carrying a firearm from age 21 to 18, a measure lawmakers said was needed in response to court rulings that found state age limits for people over 18 were unconstitutional.
Drones: Senate File 491 further restricts remote-piloted aircrafts from flying over farmsteads in Iowa. The bill would prohibit drones, without landowner permission, to fly within 400 feet of farm animals, farm equipment or structures. Reynolds approved the bill May 6.
Natural disaster assistance: Senate File 619 retroactively appropriates $13.6 million from the Iowa Economic Emergency Fund for fiscal year 2025, backfilling the response efforts following severe flooding and tornados in the summer of 2024. A majority of the funding, $11.6 million, goes to the Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program and $2 million to the Nuisance Property and Abandoned Building Fund, in addition to extending tax exclusions for developers building new houses in disaster-impacted areas.
Other components of the bill include allowing the Iowa Department of Management access to 10% of the state’s Economic Emergency Fund when the governor issues a disaster proclamation and the creation of a new loan program for “ongoing risk mitigation” projects.
Roofs on docks: House File 710, signed into law May 6, allows hard dock roofs over boat slips and hoists on Iowa lakes. The law fixes an issue impacting dock owners in Carter Lake, which has shores in both Iowa and Nebraska.
Pharmacy Benefit Managers: Senate File 383 imposes restrictions and regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, that negotiate prescription drug prices between manufacturers, health insurance companies and pharmacies.
U.S. citizenship test: Iowa high schoolers will be required to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization civics test to graduate beginning in the 2026-2027 school year under Senate File 369. The measure requires students to earn at least 60% to pass, with those who fail allowed to retake the test as many times as necessary to earn a passing grade.
Information from the Iowa Capital Dispatch was used in the Iowa laws listed above.
Nebraska
Taxes on gaming machines: Following a law passed last year, the state will begin imposing a 5% tax on gaming machines, unless they’re operated by a fraternal benefit society or a veterans organization. Those funds must be used by the Charitable Gaming Division for enforcement as well as to maintain its central server.
Property tax increases: Also on Tuesday, the state law passed last year also goes into effect on July 1, limiting how much cities can increase property taxes each year goes into effect, and increases the amount of available relief via property tax credits from $750 million to $780 million.
Tax credit changes:
The annual Nebraska Department of Revenue non-refundable tax credit limitation for charitable “pregnancy help” organzations shifts to $500,000. On July 1, 2026, and thereafter, it will increase to $1 million annually.
The limit for approved tax credits for elligible organizations supporting those with intellectual and developmental disabilities changes to $1 million. That limit is scheduled to increase to $1.5 million in July 2026 and $2 million in the state fiscal years thereafter.
The cap on state dispersements for the Caregiver Tax Credit will move to $1.5 million and remain in place for two years. In the fiscal years that follow, it’s scheduled to raise to $2.5 million.
South Dakota
Improper governmental conduct: Senate Bill 62 establishes mandatory reporting requirements related to improper governmental conduct and crime, and Senate Bill 63 establishes protections for state employees who report improper governmental conduct and crime.
The bills were introduced by Attorney General Marty Jackley, and the Governor’s Office worked with the Attorney General’s Office throughout the legislative process.
“This legislation will better protect taxpayers and hold government accountable,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley.
Gov. Rhoden signed Executive Order 2025-04, promoting government accountability by establishing a secure reporting system for state employees and supervisors, along with statewide training and policies.
Sanctuary cities: Senate Bill 7, the first bill Gov. Rhoden signed after taking office, bans sanctuary cities in South Dakota and provides protections for law enforcement officers carrying out immigration enforcement actions.
“We must do everything we can to keep our people safe, including removing criminal illegal aliens from this country. Signing SB 7 was an important step in keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free,” said Gov. Rhoden.
Firearms on college campuses: Senate Bill 100 will allow college students to conceal carry firearms on campus if they have an enhanced permit.
“There is a lot of concern that we’ll see in coming time that it is unfounded and that we can get along just right, honoring and respecting our Second Amendment rights the way they were intended,” said Gov. Rhoden.
When asked about the concern of individuals having more opportunity to conceal carry, Rhoden compared it to the concerns brought up when the state passed constitutional carry back in 2019.
Eminent Domain: House Bill 1052, which prohibits the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines, was signed by Gov. Rhoden back in March.
The bill passed the Senate 23-12 on Tuesday, March 4.
In January, it cleared the House with a 49-19 vote.
The move marked a major victory for landowners who have spent several years battling Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed use of eminent domain for its 2,500-mile carbon capture pipeline that would run through Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota.
