20-Year-Old South Dakota Resident Won't Be On Governor Ballot

Looks like election history will have to wait until after the 2026 South Dakota governor race.

A young student at Dakota State University named Robert Arnold was hoping to make a run for South Dakota's highest political office. But for now, he'll have to put his dream on hold.

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Our news partners at Dakota News Now are reporting that Robert Arnold did not get enough signatures to be on the ballot.

arnoldforsd.com, Dakota News Now (with permission), Canva

Pierre resident Robert Arnold had 1,407 signatures, but based on the sample results, only 1,119 were deemed valid.

Who is Robert Arnold of South Dakota?

Robert Arnold is an Oglala Lakota and enrolled with the Pine Ridge Reservation. A win in the South Dakota Governor's Race would have made him the first Native American Governor in the state's history. That was not all the history in front of Robert could make. According to Dakota News Now, he only needed to collect 1,231 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Robert would have been the youngest candidate for Governor in U.S. history.

Robert Arnold intended to run on the Democratic ticket. At the time of this post, South Incumbent Larry Rhoden, Dakota US Congressman Dusty Johnson, local businessman Toby Doeden, and South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen have officially entered the South Dakota governor's race under the Republican ticket. Legislator and Businessman Dan Ahlers is currently running under the Democratic ticket.

By the way, there are 197 days until the South Dakota General Election, which is scheduled for November 3rd, 2026.

10 Things You Should Never Do in South Dakota

Go anywhere in the U.S. and you'll find traditions and customs that only exist in that part of the country. South Dakota is no different, and there are definitely some "do's and don'ts" when it comes to living here.

Be careful trying any of these things in the Mount Rushmore State.