Fact brief: Are lieutenant governor picks always announced after the nominee is selected?

No

Gubernatorial running mates in South Dakota are not always chosen after the nominee is selected.

Republican nominee Jon Hansen chose Karla Lems as his running mate on April 24, 2025, over a year before the primary on June 2.

Gov. Larry Rhoden announced that Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen would stay on as his running mate when he announced his re-election campaign on Nov. 18.

In 1994, former Gov. Bill Janklow tapped Carole Hillard prior to the primary. Janklow went on to beat Walter Miller in the primary, and Hillard became the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor of South Dakota.

In May 2025, Rhoden signed into law a bill that requires governor candidates to nominate a candidate for lieutenant governor by 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of August on election years. In 2026, Aug. 11 is the deadline for governor hopefuls to choose running mates.

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Sources

South Dakota Legislature House Bill 1164

SDPB Gov. Larry Rhoden officially announces campaign

Larry Rhoden campaign website

John Hansen website

South Dakota Secretary of State

Keloland News A look back at 40 years of South Dakota governor elections

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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.

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