Rhoden has served in office since 2001 and became governor after Noem was picked to lead DHS last year. Rhoden has leaned into his political experience, with his campaign touting the governor as a “public servant” with a demonstrated history of leadership.

Doeden, in comparison, touts his lack of prior political experience and endorsement from Turning Point Action. He says he was compelled to run because of Rhoden’s hesitancy to immediately oppose eminent domain for carbon pipelines and a planned $650 million prison project to replace the state’s 144-year-old penitentiary, according to Dakota News Now.

​“I was very saddened to see who he surrounded himself with,” said Doeden. “And I was very saddened that he continued to want to build this Ritz-Carlton prison. You know, this isn’t what the people of South Dakota want.”

Despite serving alongside Rhoden as lieutenant governor and dominating South Dakota Republican politics for years, Noem has been a nonfactor for much of the campaign. The Washington Examiner reached out to Noem for comment.

Noem served as South Dakota’s governor from 2019 to 2026 and before that represented the state’s at-large congressional district for eight years in the House. Her absence follows a tumultuous exit as DHS chief earlier this year amid a series of personal and professional scandals. Those include revelations about her now-separated husband’s cross-dressing fetish and the approval of a controversial $220 million DHS ad campaign that prominently featured Noem.

The scandals resulted in Trump firing Noem. Rather than remain at DHS, Noem was appointed special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, the administration’s cartel-fighting initiatives in the Western Hemisphere.

When exiting the Cabinet, Noem was floated as a potential primary challenger to Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD). Noem opted not to run for the seat, and her political involvement in South Dakota appears minimal.

Last week, Noem offered a soft endorsement of Rhoden by sharing a Facebook post made by her son-in-law backing the governor.

“Could not have said it better,” Noem said when sharing the post.

Even so, the campaign has unfolded without Noem playing a meaningful role.

Instead, the race has focused on policy debates including property taxes. Rhoden has promised to cut property taxes, but has not gone as far as Doeden’s pledge to eliminate them outright.

Attack ads have accused Doeden of being “too reckless for South Dakota,” and for allegedly voting for former President Barack Obama, a claim Doeden maintains is false. Rhoden, meanwhile, has faced ads alleging he supported raising over 400 taxes and fees.

Specific details on how candidates were funding their campaigns remain obscure, though Doeden has donated $4 million of his own money to his campaign.

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Ian Fury, who serves as Rhoden’s campaign manager, said there are several major issues distinguishing the candidates.

“He is the only one in this race who made his living in agriculture, which is crucial in a state where agriculture is by far our biggest industry,” Fury told the Washington Examiner. “He’s the only one who served our nation in uniform, which matters given that the governor is commander in chief of the National Guard. And he’s the only one who’s actually done the job of governor, delivering results by leading with civility and integrity, two words that are (unfortunately) foreign to Mr. Doeden.”