This is the third installment in a four-part series profiling the four candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor of South Dakota.
PIERRE, S.D. – When listening to U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson speak, his vernacular usually includes one sentence identifying a "problem" followed by a sentence on how he would "solve" it.
Naturally then, it made sense for Johnson to be a part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans in Congress whose stated mission is to change the culture of "obstructionism" in Washington.
So why is Johnson looking to swap tackling the multitude of national problems in exchange for coming home to run for governor and confront a number of issues in South Dakota?
"Ultimately, this is about leadership," Johnson told News Watch in a telephone interview from his campaign office in Sioux Falls (we were unable to meet in person due to a scheduling conflict).
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Johnson said South Dakota's rising prison recidivism rate and decreasing education scores in particular are troubling and indicate the state has not had the sort of leadership needed to solve those problems.
"We are absolutely capable of fixing both of those things. But it's going to require greater-than-average energy and vision," he said.
Johnson said he fits the bill, and a plurality of potential South Dakota Republican primary voters seem to agree, according to a poll commissioned by News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy released last month.
The survey of registered Republicans found Johnson ahead by a healthy margin in the four-way race to secure the GOP nomination for governor, which also includes current Gov. Larry Rhoden, state House Speaker Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden.
At 34% of support from GOP primary voters, Johnson was close to the 35% needed to avoid a runoff. If no candidate reaches that number in the June 2 primary ballot, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff eight weeks later, on July 28.
Whoever wins the Republican contest will then take on Democrat Dan Ahlers of Dell Rapids in the general election in November.
Home sweet home
If Johnson were to win the governorship and head to Pierre, he would be coming home, literally.
Johnson was born in Pierre and raised between there and Fort Pierre across the river.
"As a young person, I understood the role of assistance programs. But I also understood if government does too much for people it breeds dependence and not independence." – Dusty Johnson, candidate for South Dakota governor
"Sometimes we were on one side of the river. Other times we were on the other side," he said.
Johnson, widely considered to represent the moderate wing of the Republican party, said growing up in tough economic conditions instilled in him a belief that government can be a force of good, with limitations.
"As a young person, I understood the role of assistance programs. But I also understood if government does too much for people it breeds dependence and not independence," Johnson said.
"Since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated about how do we hit that goldilocks spot."
That fascination in the mechanics of government eventually led Johnson to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he got his bachelor's degree in political science.
After adding a master's degree from the University of Kansas and serving as an adviser to former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, Johnson was elected to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission and later resigned to serve as chief of staff to Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
From there, Johnson jumped to the private sector in 2014, joining the engineering consulting firm Vantage Point Solutions in Mitchell, where he now lives with his wife, Jacquelyn, and their three sons.
Johnson took the plunge in 2018 and successfully won South Dakota's sole U.S. House seat, succeeding Kristi Noem, who, in what Johnson hopes to emulate, made the switch from serving in Washington to the governor's mansion in Pierre.
Mr. Johnson goes to Washington
Johnson said his record in Washington shows he has successfully been able to solve many problems important to the conservative agenda.
He was named "the most effective House Republican" in Congress on agriculture issues for two straight legislative sessions by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking. That same organization last year also named Johnson the most effective House member on Native American affairs and third most effective on transportation issues.
Johnson said one of the accomplishments in Washington he is most proud of is the recently passed Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, commonly known as the Farm Bill.
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The legislation provides financial and educational support for farmers and ranchers and institutes a number of measures to safeguard them from "unfair" trade practices of foreign countries.
Johnson worked to remove a measure that he said could have negatively impacted the use and training of hunting dogs.
However, one controversial measure of the bill, which Johnson supported, would have given pesticide companies some protection from "failure-to-warn" lawsuits. Several lawsuits have popped up in recent years linking certain pesticides to cancer.
That provision was successfully removed after an effort led by House Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
Johnson defended his support for the measure and said it was being misrepresented.
"If you go and read the text, this is about making sure states use actual science to generate labels for the proper and safe use of pesticides rather than political science," Johnson said.
"The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has a robust, evidence-based, science-driven existing process."
Johnson compared the pesticides issue to the labelling of food products.
"We have one nutrition label for food that reduces confusion in the marketplace. We just want to make sure that every state does not have their own label that is unconnected to science," Johnson said.
"If we let every single state have a nutrition label, for every box of Cheerios, it would be incomprehensible to consumers."
Solving problems
Johnson said his years representing South Dakota has best positioned him to tackle several of the pressing issues facing the Mount Rushmore State.
Turning back to recidivism, Johnson has laid out a plan that calls for a task force with representatives from law enforcement, the judicial branch and parole boards to look at ways to improve supervision of offenders and reform the commutation and clemency process.
Johnson hit out at Rhoden for presiding over South Dakota jumping to a 50% recidivism rate and said officials are openly expressing their dissatisfaction with the governor.
"This is why you're seeing in our largest cities mayors, police chiefs, sheriffs, state attorneys, in a pretty uncharacteristic way, willing to publicly criticize the governor," Johnson said.
South Dakota's Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Johnson.
Alexander Rifaat
On education, Johnson also criticized Rhoden for not prioritizing greater funding for K-12 schooling. While Rhoden had proposed keeping education funding flat for fiscal year 2027, South Dakota legislators and Rhoden agreed to compromise, which raised funding for the so-called "big three" — education, state employee salaries, and medicare providers — by 1.4%.
Johnson said he wants to set up a task force to examine how states such as Mississippi were able to implement rapid growth in their test scores.
"The governor has been pretty public with these failures, but I'm the only one who's actually come out with a comprehensive plan," Johnson said.
Heading into the final few days of the race, Johnson is optimistic of his chances.
"I feel good about the race we have run. I've talked about the future of South Dakota and how the next 20 years can be the best 20 years," Johnson said. "People understand that we have a great state, but there are some key things we need to do better."
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact politics and statehouse reporter Alexander Rifaat: 605-736-4396/alexander.rifaat@sdnewswatch.org.
