What Went Down In The June 7 Primaries

The incumbent Republicans in both South Dakota’s governor’s race and its at-large district should cruise to renomination, but these two primaries are still worth keeping an eye on since both incumbents face challengers from their right:

• Governor: Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is likely to win her primary today, but she first has to dispatch state Rep. Steven Haugaard, who has tried to run to her right. He’s attacked her for not moving fast enough to pass a law that bans transgender girls from participating in high school sports, and he’s taken Noem to task for flights she’s taken on a state-owned plane to political events, which is subject to a complaint that’s before the South Dakota Government Accountability. But the attacks don’t seem to have landed. Noem, the Trump-endorsed incumbent, led Haugaard 61 percent to 17 percent in a recent survey from South Dakota State University.
• At-Large District: Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson faces state Rep. Taffy Howard, who has criticized Johnson’s vote to certify the 2020 presidential election results. But Johnson has vastly outraised Howard, and he led Howard in that same SDSU poll, 53 percent to 17 percent.