ANALYSIS | Trump, Noem could shape 2026 race for governor
Pollster: Endorsement would go far with South Dakota Republicans
If Republican President-elect Donald J. Trump decides to throw his weight behind a candidate in South Dakota’s 2026 gubernatorial primary, his chosen one will have a major advantage over their opponents.
That’s according to a national polling agency looking ahead at the likely candidates in the 2026 Republican primary election. The poll points to Trump’s rising levels of support across the country, particularly in red states like South Dakota. Here, the president-elect carried the largest percentage of the state that he had in his three runs for the nation’s highest office, with a little over 63 percent of the vote.
The national polling agency behind a memo obtained by The Dakota Scout, Co/efficient, conducted a poll showing Attorney General Marty Jackley running slightly ahead of Congressman Dusty Johnson, 28-25 percent.
NEWS: Advance in broadband coverage brings rural South Dakota out of digital darkness
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