Bitter GOP primary for South Dakota governor heads to runoff as Toby Doeden advances

Businessman and self-described political outsider Toby Doeden will advance to a runoff for the Republican nomination for South Dakota governor, CBS News has projected, after a competitive and frequently contentious primary that includes the sitting governor, a congressman and a state legislative leader. A July 28 runoff election is necessary because no candidate in Tuesday's GOP primary is on track to win 35% of the vote. Three other candidates are vying for the second runoff spot, including Gov. Larry Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor who was elevated to the state's top job when President Trump picked former Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security last year. Also running: U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen. The eventual nominee will face Democratic former state Sen. Dan Ahlers, who ran unopposed for his party's nomination. Democrats have not controlled the South Dakota governor's mansion since the 1970s, and this year's race is expected to strongly favor the Republican candidate. Doeden owns car dealerships , rental properties and other investments in South Dakota, and has lent his campaign roughly $4 million. On the campaign trail, he has pledged to phase out property taxes and slash spending, and has railed against "career establishment politicians," arguing the state's economy is not performing as well as it should . The primary had grown bitter in its final months. …