South Dakota News Watch · Michael Klinski · September 8, 2026
Yes. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden can run for another four-year term in 2030 if he wins election during the 2026 midterms. Both a governor and lieutenant governor cannot be elected to more than two consecutive elected terms, starting with the 1974 election, according to the state Constitution. Rhoden was promoted to governor from lieutenant governor on Jan. 27, 2025, after Gov. Kristi Noem became the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Because the constitutional limit applies to being elected governor, Rhoden's 2026 election would be his first elected term as governor. Bill Janklow served four total terms as governor, but they were not consecutive. The first two terms were from 1979-1987 and the second was from 1995-2003. The last person to become governor without being elected to the position was Walter Miller, who was George S. Mickelson's lieutenant governor when Mickelson and seven others died in a 1993 plane crash. ℹ️ This fact brief responds to claims such as this one .
Sources South Dakota Constitution, Qualification, election and term of governor. South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Rhoden sworn in as South Dakota governor South Dakota Searchlight, South Dakota governor wins Rupublican nominate to seek his own term KELO-TV, Remembering Gov. Mickelson on 30-year anniversary of plane crash About fact briefs Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by South Dakota News Watch as part of the Gigafact network. Submit a question for us to answer on the tipline . Share your thoughts on this story South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org . Contact freelance reporter Michael Klinski: michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org.