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State of South Dakota
Larry Rhoden
Governor of South Dakota (R incumbent · 2026 reelection · former Lt Gov · ascended Feb 2025)
Republican
Campaign Website →
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
67
/ 100
D
Raw: 36 of 54 dynamic max
· 27 of 49 answered
State tier49 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
20/ 70
🏛️ State First
16/ 30
National Rank
#4,060 of 8,966 · top 45.3% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
June 2, 2026
Primary · Seat up at next election
— until
Official Profile
R incumbent Governor of South Dakota (since Feb 2025). Ascended from Lt Gov when Kristi Noem became U.S. DHS Secretary. Seeking 2026 elective term.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Rhoden has spoken out publicly against abortion throughout his legislative and executive career; his overall conservative record earned the American Conservative Union's highest ranking in 2017, reflecting a consistent pro-life posture.
- WikipediaEncyclopedia
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate has voted for or sponsored state legislation moving toward abortion abolition (e.g., heartbeat ban, total ban) — not merely restrictions
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes state funding for embryonic stem-cell research and supports state IVF embryo-protection laws
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes state physician-assisted suicide laws and opposes state Medicaid death-panel rationing
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has never accepted abortion-industry PAC funding for state-legislative or statewide-office campaigns
TRUE (+2)
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Rhoden has publicly spoken out against same-sex marriage, aligning with the one-man-one-woman definition of marriage the rubric upholds.
- WikipediaEncyclopedia
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage / civil unions / domestic partnerships, and supports state non-recognition resolutions where federally permitted
FALSE (0)
Candidate has voted for state legislation affirming biological sex (bathroom/locker access, sports participation, minor gender-procedure bans)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports state no-fault divorce reform and pro-marriage policy (covenant marriage option, waiting periods, etc.)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in state-funded schools, state agencies, and state corporate-partnership programs
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state school-choice (vouchers, ESAs, charter expansion) and supports state homeschool freedom statutes
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law requiring parental notification + consent on minors' medical, mental-health, and gender interventions (incl. school counseling referrals)
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law restricting CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology curricula in K-12
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has voted for state age-verification laws on pornographic content and state criminal penalties for sexualizing minors
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state RFRA-style protections for faith-based adoption + foster agencies; opposes state-mandated SS-couple placement
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has voted for state conscience-exemption laws (state RFRA, medical-professional carve-outs, business-owner protections)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-level pronoun mandates + state 'hate speech' laws restricting Christian conviction
Not yet verified
Candidate supports state public-square Christian display protections + state legislative prayer + state Sunday-closure laws
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays/curricula/holidays in state institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law protecting cash as legal tender, opposing state-level CBDC pilot programs, and protecting crypto-as-property status
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
FALSE (0)
Candidate has voted for state balanced-budget compliance + opposed state borrowing for non-capital expenditures
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state usury caps + state predatory-lending protections + state charitable-deduction parity
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state pension/treasury divestment from ESG-aligned funds (e.g., BlackRock) + state anti-monopoly enforcement against financial cartels
FALSE (0)
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state hand-count requirements / opposed electronic voting machines
FALSE (0)
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at registration
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has voted to restrict state early-voting windows + tighten state absentee qualifications to verified medical/military
FALSE (0)
Candidate has voted against state mass mail-in voting expansion, against state drop-box deployment, and against legalizing ballot harvesting
FALSE (0)
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted to ban state acceptance of private election grants ('Zuckerbucks') + state penalties for foreign interference
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted for state-funded border-security measures (e.g., TX Operation Lone Star analog, AZ wall expansion)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted for state laws requiring local cooperation with ICE deportation enforcement
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted to preempt or punish sanctuary-city policies + ban state cities from declaring sanctuary status
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted for state E-Verify mandate (beyond federal floor) for state employers + state-benefit eligibility verification
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted to restrict foreign ownership of state farmland (e.g., China-buyer prohibitions)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
As a state legislator Rhoden sponsored a South Dakota legislative finding affirming that the Founding Fathers 'abjured all legislative and executive authority to regulate gun ownership and usage to individual citizens,' and backed bills to arm school volunteers — a constitutional-carry-aligned posture rejecting government restriction of the right to bear arms.
- WikipediaEncyclopedia
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate (state) has voted against state red-flag laws, mag-capacity limits, AWBs, and registries (or voted to repeal where enacted)
FALSE (0)
Candidate (state) has voted for state constitutional-carry statute
FALSE (0)
Candidate (state) has voted against state universal-background-check schemes
TRUE (+2)
Candidate (state) has voted to enact / strengthen state Castle Doctrine + stand-your-ground statute
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
Not yet verified
Candidate supports victim restitution and proportional punishment of evildoers
Not yet verified
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has voted for or sponsored 10th-Amendment nullification or anti-commandeering measures
Not yet verified
Official has declined unconstitutional federal mandates or federal strings on the state
Not yet verified
Official has resisted federal overreach on guns, life, education, or religious liberty
Not yet verified
Official affirms state sovereignty against unconstitutional federal action
Not yet verified
Official has opposed federal capture of state elections, data, or land
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
1 Center2 Official
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
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