Searchlight Report

After a bruising South Dakota primary season in which 16 incumbent Republican legislators lost and four Republicans battled for the governor nomination, the party is at a crossroads. South Dakota’s House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, was voted by his peers into his leadership position in 2024, after major turnover in the lawmaking body that year. Odenbach spoke with Searchlight Reporter Joshua Haiar about what this year’s primary results mean for the party and the state. 

Odenbach also responded to a recent Searchlight Report episode featuring Republican political commentator Pat Powers of the South Dakota War College blog, in which Powers said the populist movement in the Republican Party is in decline.

Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota joins Searchlight Report to talk about his friendship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a request for more information about a Wounded Knee Massacre medals review, his support of "clandestine" efforts to investigate Postal Service problems, and the future of water pipeline projects in the state.

Republican political commentator Pat Powers joins Searchlight Report once again — this time to give his takes on Tuesday’s runoff election for the Republican nomination for governor. Powers has been writing about South Dakota campaigns for more than 20 years on his South Dakota War College blog.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden won 71% of the vote Tuesday and will continue campaigning to keep his job until the November election. He’ll face Democratic nominee Dan Ahlers, a former state legislator, in the Nov. 3 general election. 

South Dakota’s first statewide runoff election is Tuesday. Leading up to the polls opening, Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien takes listeners back to the beginning of the campaigns for the Republican nomination for governor, through debates and polling and to the final days leading up to Election Day.

After a close four-way race, political outsider Toby Doeden received 31% of the vote in June, and Gov. Larry Rhoden finished second with 25% of the vote. Because neither candidate secured 35% of the vote, a state law pushed the two into a runoff election.

To learn more about the candidates, check out profiles on Toby Doeden and Gov. Larry Rhoden, past Searchlight report interviews with Doeden and Rhoden, and South Dakota Searchlight’s voter guide.

Reporter and Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien climbed nearly 100 feet up into the South Dakota State Capitol dome with artists from the restoration firm Conrad Schmitt — project foreman Philip Atilano and Alyssa Johnson, one of the painters on Atilano’s crew. 

They’re restoring decorative paint in the Capitol to its original glory — after some decades-old touch-up work they say was done with a Sharpie — and adding some flourishes of their own.

After three years, $14 million in funding from state lawmakers and $2 million from donors, the museum at South Dakota’s Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre opened its doors again to the public this week. The renovations include upgraded museum exhibits and additional space for the State Historical Society to continue collecting for decades to come. The South Dakota Historical Society Foundation is still hoping to raise another $2 million for more new exhibits.

Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien got a first-look tour with Museum Director David Grabitske and Curator of Collections Katy Schmidt to learn more about the new ways visitors can interact with South Dakota history — including a “masterwork of Native American art” that is now more prominently displayed, and a collection of traditional Native American clothing that had a remarkable journey to the museum.

While many people are looking ahead to next week’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, including a fireworks display with President Trump at Mount Rushmore, many Native Americans on the Great Plains have been focused on a different anniversary this week: the 150th commemoration of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, it was a major Native American victory during the United States’ encroachment on their land after gold was discovered in the Black Hills — an area that now includes Mount Rushmore.

In this episode, Searchlight Report Host Meghan O’Brien and numerous sources break down how the two anniversaries and the fireworks spark diverse emotions in different people.

This episode has been updated to clarify Trina Lone Hill's position in tribal government.

Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the 4,000-member South Dakota Retailers Association, wants to “make state government boring again.” He joins Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien to explain why, and to talk about how another major turnover in South Dakota’s Legislature — including the recent ousting of 16 incumbents — could help make it happen.

Republican political commentator Pat Powers has been writing about South Dakota campaigns for more than 20 years on his South Dakota War College blog. He joins Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien to break down what he calls “the fatal error” in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. 

After four Republicans sought their party’s nomination, none succeeded in getting the 35% needed to win outright. Instead, the top two candidates — Gov. Larry Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden — will face each other in the state’s first runoff election for a statewide office.

Advance voting for the runoff is underway, voter registration is open until July 13 and the runoff election is July 28. The winner will face Democrat Dan Ahlers in November.

To learn more about the top two Republican candidates, check out our prior episodes on Rhoden and Doeden.

Longtime South Dakota journalist and Searchlight commentary writer Kevin Woster joins Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien to discuss the race for South Dakota’s Republican nomination for governor. The race is headed for South Dakota’s first-ever top two runoff in a statewide contest. No candidate reached the 35% of voters needed to secure a win Tuesday night.

Advance voting for the runoff will begin June 10. Voter registration is open until July 13. The runoff election is July 28. The winner will face Democrat Dan Ahlers in November.

To learn more about the top two Republican candidates, check out our prior episodes on Gov. Larry Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden. You can read Woster's commentary on the four-candidate race now at southdakotasearchlight.com.