Elected South Dakota’s 34th governor in 2024.
Early Years: Born in 1971 and grew up on the family ranch and farm in rural Hamlin County, South Dakota.
Education: Governor Rhoden graduated from the Sunshine Bible Academy in 1977.
Career: After high school, he served in the South Dakota National Guard from 1978 to 1985. He later led the Board of Directors for the area Cenex before serving in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2001 to 2008, spending four years as majority leader. After being term-limited, Rhoden was elected to the state senate. In 2018, former Governor Kristi Noem announced that Rhoden would be her running mate as lieutenant governor.
Follow the governor on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more on her official website.
Nickname: The Mount Rushmore State
Capital: Pierre
Population: 858,649
Size: The state covers 78,116 square miles
Economic drivers: Service industries (retail, finance, health care), agriculture, tourism.
Did you know? In 1991, the state opened the George S. Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile rail trail in the Black Hills.
