GOP chair seeks to block challenge to Rep. Dusty Johnson

Republican insiders worry rogue candidacy could give race to Democrats

South Dakota Republican Chairman John Wiik is pulling out all the stops to derail a challenge to U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson by a would-be contender from Rapid City.

Justin McNeal originally sought to challenge Johnson in the Republican primary election on June 4, collecting more than 2,700 signatures to make the ballot. But a random review of those signatures by the Secretary of State’s Office found that he missed the threshold by 38 signatures, primarily because the random review found too many signatories were independents and not registered Republicans.

That put Johnson in the clear from a potential primary challenge. In 2022, Johnson, who won his seat in 2018, beat back a challenge from former state Rep. Taffy Howard, whose campaign garnered just over 40 percent of the Republican vote.

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