{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreig7wou5cundd3p2k7acyfeotwe2rarctnchzcqu2pvlddquioyln4",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:vfsgowsaqlgt6a7c23ux6ze2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlv76b77rwg2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreias2k66bgz5zjbahj2p56vnjqt4qtzmqlihhpbdhp223tep2rc5gm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 55993
  },
  "description": "An examination of key races in this year's election. \"If property rights are important to people, they're not going to forget.\" ",
  "path": "/south-dakota-senate-primary-rematches-election/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-15T11:11:42.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.sdnewswatch.org",
  "tags": [
    "Find out which district you live in",
    "the list of candidates",
    "Subscribe",
    "Showing our math: The numbers behind the latest pollIn the final story of this week’s series examining the results of our new poll, we look back at the main takeaways and explain the methodology.South Dakota News WatchAlexander Rifaat",
    "front-runner",
    "Donate",
    "South Dakota Election Voter GuideEverything South Dakota voters need to know about statewide contests in the primary and general elections.South Dakota News WatchAlexander Rifaat",
    "poll sponsored by South Dakota News Watch",
    "250+ years of American civics and newsNonpartisan events in Vermillion, Watertown, Sioux Falls and Custer State Park include a discussion about civic responsibilities and how to find fact-based news and information.South Dakota News WatchSD News Watch",
    "Share your thoughts on this story",
    "sdnewswatch.org"
  ],
  "textContent": "PIERRE, S.D. – Some Republican primary voters in South Dakota may be forgiven for getting a case of deja vu when they head to the polls on June 2.\n\nBesides the hotly contested governor's race and the two other statewide contests taking place, some state Senate districts are seeing a rematch of GOP primary opponents from 2024.\n\n> \"If property rights are important to people, they're not going to forget.\" – Sen. Mykala Voita\n\nWhile those who lost two years ago hope higher turnout in this election cycle will work in their favor, those who were successful in 2024 and running for reelection are confident voters will remember the circumstances that got them elected in the first place.\n\nHere are factors driving these rematches and a look at whether a candidate's endorsement in the Republican gubernatorial contest could play a role in the outcome of their own race.\n\n## Take me back\n\nTwo of the state Senate rematches pit a former incumbent looking to reclaim their seat versus an opponent who was successful in ousting them, in part, due to concerns over property rights.\n\nIn District 18, which encompasses Yankton, state Sen. Lauren Nelson told News Watch voters she talked to still remember her opponent, former state Sen. Jean Hunhoff, voting in favor of Senate Bill 201 in the 2024 state legislative session.\n\nThe South Dakota Legislature is comprised of 105 lawmakers from 35 legislative districts, each of which has one senator and two representatives. Find out which district you live in and also the list of candidates.\n\nThe legislation was ostensibly meant to put in place restrictions for a potential pipeline. But detractors cried foul over the bill, arguing it reduced local control as it allowed South Dakota's Public Utilities Commission to override county ordinances they deemed to be \"unreasonably restrictive.\"\n\nThe bill was ultimately repealed via a referendum, Referred Law 21 (RL 21), in November that year, with 59% voting against the adoption of SB 201.\n\n****Get South Dakota news and information**** in a free email on weekdays. Cancel any time.\n\n\n                            Subscribe\n                        \n\n\"When I talk to people, it goes back to two years ago and SB 201,\" Nelson told News Watch. \"People still have that in the back of their heads. They remember those legislators who voted for SB 201 and precipitated the RL 21 movement we had to go through.\"\n\nNelson, who defeated Hunhoff by fewer than 100 votes in the 2024 primary, hopes that issue, along with her voting record the past two years in Pierre, will get her over the line this year.\n\n\"I'm just focused on what I need to do,\" Nelson said. \"Whatever happens on June 2 happens.\"\n\nHunhoff did not respond to a request for an interview.\n\n## 'They're not going to forget'\n\nIn District 21, which includes Winner, Burke and Platte, state Sen. Mykala Voita is squaring off against former state Sen. Erin Tobin, whom she beat by 48 votes in 2024.\n\nSpeaking to News Watch, Voita echoed Nelson's sentiments that SB 201 is still a factor in this year's primary.\n\n\"I absolutely think it's relevant (SB 201). When they played that hand with that bill, they showed where their loyalties lied,\" Voita said. \"If property rights are important to people, they're not going to forget.\"\n\nState Sen. Mykala Voita and former state Sen. Erin Tobin debate April 20 in Colome. (Photo: Mykala Voita for District 21 Facebook page)Th\n\nAs with Hunhoff, Tobin voted in favor of SB 201.\n\nVoita argued the vote, similar to the debate over data centers, has showcased a divide in the South Dakota Republican Party between those who favor business interests and those seeking to preserve the state's rural character and tradition for limited government.\n\n\"I'm not here to entice big corporations. I'm here to pull government back to its main role, which is securing our rights,\" Voita said.\n\nTobin declined a request for an interview.\n\n## The gubernatorial factor\n\nWhile the two other state Senate rematches are not as clear-cut as a former lawmaker looking to reclaim their seat after a controversial vote, they do encapsulate the division Voita alludes to within the GOP that's playing out in the primary race for governor.\n\nIn District 3, which encompasses Aberdeen, state Sen. Carl Perry is seeking reelection and will meet Katie Washnok, whom he defeated in the 2024 GOP primary election.\n\nWashnok said her defeat two years ago was down to a lack of people going to the polls and that the governor's race will drive up those numbers this year.\n\nShowing our math: The numbers behind the latest pollIn the final story of this week’s series examining the results of our new poll, we look back at the main takeaways and explain the methodology.South Dakota News WatchAlexander Rifaat\n\n\"This cycle will be better because of the voter turnout. I think voters will be more engaged,\" Washnok told News Watch.\n\nWashnok is backing front-runner U.S. House Rep. Dusty Johnson, viewed as representing the more moderate wing of the party, in the GOP gubernatorial race.\n\n\"He's never shied away from a question and I've asked him some pretty hard questions over the years,\" Washnok said. \"To me, he was the only candidate that came out of the gate with a solid vision for South Dakota that I was excited about and could totally get behind.\"\n\n****Partner with South Dakota News Watch**** and support fact-based news and information.\n\n\n                            Donate\n                        \n\nMeanwhile, Perry told News Watch he is for \"anybody but Dusty\" but wasn't sure yet if he would endorse either state House Speaker Jon Hansen, Gov. Larry Rhoden or Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden.\n\n\"The three other candidates all have their merits. Jon has good experience and is a good guy. I just wish he was better funded. People say that Larry is not well spoken, but I can tell you he's a good thinker and a good man. And Toby has a lot of enthusiasm for his campaign,\" Perry said.\n\nWhile Perry tiptoed around endorsing a candidate, other anti-Johnson state Senate candidates, including Nelson and Voita, are coalescing around Hansen, who has seen his support steadily rise in recent weeks.\n\nHunhoff and Tobin have not weighed in on the governor's race with an endorsement.\n\nFrom left, South Dakota Republican gubernatorial candidates Toby Doeden, Jon Hansen, Dusty Johnson and Larry Rhoden.\n\nIn District 17, which includes Vermillion, Jeffery Church, who is in a rematch against state Sen. Sydney Davis, told News Watch he is backing Hansen, citing his record on property rights and his role in defeating Amendment G in 2024, which would have established abortion rights in South Dakota.\n\nDavis, who beat Church in 2024 by more than 30 percentage points and was one of several lawmakers last year to endorse Johnson, told News Watch she has had \"zero comments\" from constituents regarding her vote to approve the controversial SB 201.\n\n## Voter turnout up in the air\n\nMichael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota, agreed that voter turnout will be significantly higher this year compared to 2024 but said it's unclear how it will impact the state Senate results.\n\nCard told News Watch, using District 3 as an example, he could see a scenario where the candidate's preference for governor could help, or hurt, their case.\n\n\"If the percentages in the governor's race stay the way that they are, that may greatly benefit Katie Washnok in terms of getting more support because Dusty has got a 2-to-1 lead,\" Card said. \"And on the other hand, if Carl Perry is saying 'anybody but Dusty,' that may not help him that much unless somebody is making big strides.\"\n\nCard said Hansen has the best chance to challenge Johnson, but it remains to be seen whether he can carry the momentum and take those state Senate candidates supporting him along the way to victory.\n\nSouth Dakota Election Voter GuideEverything South Dakota voters need to know about statewide contests in the primary and general elections.South Dakota News WatchAlexander Rifaat\n\nIn addition to the governor's race, Card said another potential factor in the state Senate races could be recent property tax legislation, specifically Senate Bill 96, which gives counties the option to impose a half-cent sales tax increase in exchange for lowering property taxes.\n\nIn a poll sponsored by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota released last month, nearly half of respondents disapproved of the new bill, which was championed by Rhoden.\n\n\"SB 96 is really the one to campaign on if property taxes are the main issue,\" Card said.\n\nOn that bill, Voita, Nelson and Davis voted no, while Perry voted yes.\n\n## Other key Senate races\n\nBesides the rematches taking place, the 2026 state Senate primary election contain a number of other tightly contested races.\n\nIn **District 2** , which includes Brandon, just east of Sioux Falls, state House Reps. David Kull and John Sjaarda are battling to succeed retiring state Sen. Steve Kolbeck.\n\nSenate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr of **District 11** , which encompasses parts of Sioux Falls, is being challenged by attorney Graham Oey.\n\nIn Senate **District 24** , which includes Pierre, state Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff faces not one but two primary challengers. Mehlhaff was the sole senator to vote \"no\" on Senate Bill 135 in the 2026 legislative session, which was billed the \"Data Center Bill of Rights for Citizens\" and promoted by Hansen and Karr.\n\nSenate Majority Whip Randy Diebert of Spearfish, representing **District 31** , also has a primary opponent.\n\nDiebert, who recently received the inaugural Champion of Local Control Award by the South Dakota Municipal League, told News Watch he is optimistic about the outcome of his race.\n\n\"I'm hoping they know how engaged I am. When I'm not in Pierre, I've come back to help solve local issues,\" Diebert said.\n\n250+ years of American civics and newsNonpartisan events in Vermillion, Watertown, Sioux Falls and Custer State Park include a discussion about civic responsibilities and how to find fact-based news and information.South Dakota News WatchSD News Watch\n\nMeanwhile, **District 26** , which includes Presho, Chamberlain and the Rosebud Indian Reservation, might have the most intriguing of all races. Not only is state Sen. Tamara Grove facing a GOP primary challenger in Rebecca Reimer, on the Democratic side, former state Sen. Shawn Bordeaux, who lost to Grove in the 2024 general election, is attempting a comeback in what is the only competitive Democratic state Senate primary. Bordeaux will face Troy Lunderman.\n\nSpeaking to News Watch, Grove is confident of her chances both in the primary and in the general election.\n\n\"I said I was going to work for the tribes, and I have, while at the same time saying I will work for those not in Indian Country, which I have, \" Grove said. \"I feel good about it.\"\n\nIn the governor's race, while she initially backed Doeden, Grove told News Watch she is leaning toward endorsing Hansen, citing his support for placing restrictions on potential data centers.\n\n\"If the primary were held today, my vote would go to Jon Hansen and Karla Lems (for lieutenant governor) because I know I can trust them to not force data centers or impose eminent domain,\" Grove said.\n\nDemocratic state Sen. Erik Muckey of District 15, which includes downtown Sioux Falls, believes his party has a strong chance to take back District 26 this year.\n\n\"There are large numbers of Democratic voters across the district and a full slate of Democratic House candidates on both sides of the district. With an extremely negative Republican primary rolling out attacks on Democratic voters, a hard-working Democratic campaign that reaches voters across the district can win,\" Muckey told News Watch.\n\n_**Correction on May 15, 2026:** An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Sen. Tamara Grove's last name. _\n\nShare your thoughts on this story\n\n_**South Dakota News Watch** is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at _sdnewswatch.org_.**Contact politics and statehouse reporter Alexander Rifaat:** 605-736-4396/__alexander.rifaat@sdnewswatch.org_ _._",
  "title": "Back to the future? SD Senate primaries see a slew of rematches",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-15T19:20:54.548Z"
}