Ballotpedia is tracking 403 elections across seven states in July 2026, including two statewide elections, 19 special elections to fill vacancies, and two recall elections.

The Republican gubernatorial primary runoff in South Dakota is scheduled for July 28, 2026, between Larry Rhoden and Toby Doeden. The runoff occurs after Kristi Noem departed to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on Jan. 25, 2025, allowing Rhoden, the former lieutenant governor, to assume the governorship.

Arizona will hold a statewide primary on July 21, 2026, including special primaries for Justice of the Peace Precinct 6, Constable Precinct 9, and Board of Supervisors District 5 in Pima County. A special election for Georgia U.S. House District 13 is also set for July 28. In Oregon, a recall election for Mayor Lena Richardson in Shady Cove is scheduled for July 7, while a recall election targeting six Waldport city council members will take place on July 14.

In the June 2 South Dakota Republican gubernatorial primary, Doeden received 31% of the vote, Rhoden received 25%, Dusty Johnson garnered 23%, and Jon Hansen received 21%. State law, enacted in 1985, requires a gubernatorial candidate to receive at least 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

South Dakota House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach said he would likely vote for Rhoden. Odenbach stated that Doeden's supporters "divided and destroyed conservatives" in the legislature over the previous two sessions to undermine Hansen's campaign. South Dakota State Representative Taylor Rae Rehfeldt said Johnson supporters would likely support Rhoden. "I can't speak for anybody else, but what I can say is that Dusty supporters believe in practical, commonsense leadership," Rehfeldt said. "I can tell you with certainty, they will lean toward Larry Rhoden because he has the ability to govern."

Ballotpedia is tracking 325 municipal elections in five states in July 2026, including 18 special municipal elections. Doeden is a car dealership and rental property owner.

Why It Matters

The South Dakota Republican gubernatorial primary runoff is one of four such runoffs in Republican primaries across four states scheduled for 2026, including Georgia, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Since 2018, 11 gubernatorial primary runoffs have occurred or are scheduled, with nine already completed. Two of these runoffs were Democratic, eight were Republican, and one was Libertarian. In five of the nine completed runoffs, the candidate who received more votes in the primary won, while in four cases, the candidate with fewer primary votes won the runoff.