As a candidate for South Dakota House District 6, Horsted claims “practical” conservative leadership — while chairing a referendum drive against a tax bill Governor Rhoden and Republican leaders promoted as part of the largest property-tax cut in state history.
In the final weeks before South Dakota’s June 2, 2026 Republican primary, voters in House District 6 deserve to know exactly where the candidates stand on core party priorities. One candidate, Ned Horsted — CEO and co-founder of 605 Cannabis and a longtime cannabis industry advocate — is running as a Republican while simultaneously chairing a coalition dedicated to referring a major tax-relief bill passed by Republican legislative majorities and signed into law by Governor Larry Rhoden to a public vote with the aim of overturning it.¹
The bill in question is Senate Bill 245, which redirects approximately $110 million annually from a scheduled statewide sales tax increase (returning from 4.2% to 4.5% in 2027) into a “homeowner property tax reduction fund.” It provides direct relief to owner-occupied homes and, together with SB 96, has been described by Governor Rhoden and Republican leaders as delivering the largest property tax cut in South Dakota history.²
Horsted’s response? He chairs South Dakotans for Fair Taxes, the official referendum committee formed to gather signatures and refer SB 245 to the November ballot with the aim of overturning it. The group launched its petition drive in late April 2026, just months after the bill’s passage.³
Coalition Partners and Republican Priorities
The coalition Horsted leads includes the South Dakota AFL-CIO, the state’s largest labor union federation; Bread for the World SD, a progressive faith-based anti-hunger organization; and Dakota Rural Action, a grassroots rural organizing group on whose board Horsted himself serves.⁴
These partners have framed SB 245 not as relief, but as a “permanent wealth transfer from the state’s working families to the most affluent homeowners” that ignores renters (roughly one-third of South Dakotans). Horsted echoes the rhetoric, calling the GOP bill unfair, regressive, and a shift that burdens everyone to benefit homeowners.⁵
This is not abstract opposition. Horsted is the public face and chair of the effort — devoting visible time and energy to a high-profile statewide campaign against a bill backed by Republican Governor Rhoden, House and Senate leadership, and the core GOP platform of property tax relief.⁶
Governor Rhoden has repeatedly hailed the legislation as a major win, stating that SB 96 and SB 245 together represent the largest property tax cut in state history and deliver real results for South Dakota homeowners.⁷ KBHB Radio and other outlets reported Rhoden describing the package as a “major win” and “these bills topped them all.”⁸
Out of Touch with Party Leadership and Governor’s Agenda
Governor Rhoden and Republican lawmakers positioned SB 245 (alongside other tax measures) as a signature achievement delivering real, ongoing relief to homeowners struggling with rising property taxes. Horsted’s referendum drive directly undercuts that priority at the exact moment GOP primary voters are choosing their nominees.⁹
Meanwhile, Horsted’s own House campaign website and social media presence are minimal. His platform emphasizes “practical instead of performative” leadership and tax reform — yet his most prominent recent activity is organizing with labor unions and rural activist groups to refer the Republican tax relief measure to voters for potential repeal.¹⁰
Republican leaders and the Governor have emphasized the broad benefits of the relief package, with Rhoden noting it provides substantial savings for typical homes and represents a historic accomplishment.¹¹ Horsted, by contrast, is leading the charge alongside his coalition partners to send the sales tax increase to voters without the accompanying property tax relief.¹²
In a deep-red district where the Republican primary is the election, voters have every right to question whether a 605 Cannabis CEO who spends his time chairing this referendum effort truly represents Republican values — or is advancing an agenda at odds with Governor Rhoden, legislative Republicans, and the conservative base.¹³
The June 2 primary is four weeks away. South Dakota Republicans should know exactly who they are nominating.
Footnotes
¹ Joshua Haiar, Opponents Seek Public Vote on SD Law Using Higher Sales Taxes to Drop Property Taxes, South Dakota Searchlight (Apr. 30, 2026), https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/04/30/opponents-seek-public-vote-on-sd-law-using-higher-sales-taxes-to-drop-property-taxes/ (last visited May 5, 2026); Ballotpedia, Ned Horsted, https://ballotpedia.org/Ned_Horsted (last visited May 5, 2026).
² S.D. Legis. Bill Tracker, S.B. 245, 2026 Leg., Reg. Sess. (S.D. 2026), https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/27158 (last visited May 5, 2026); Governor’s Office, Governor Rhoden to Sign Property Tax Cut Bills (Mar. 12, 2026), https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=27a2dbce1be73ed07e05ea85624bcba7 (last visited May 5, 2026).
³ S.D. Dep’t of Revenue, Statement of Organization for South Dakotans for Fair Taxes (Apr. 27, 2026), https://sdcfr.sdsos.gov/Document.aspx?DocumentID=101605&type=doc (last visited May 5, 2026); Dakota Rural Action, Citizen Groups Reject Unfair Tax Shift, Launch Referendum (Apr. 29, 2026), https://www.dakotarural.org/citizen-groups-reject-unfair-tax-shift-launch-referendum/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁴ Id.; KBHB Radio, Coalition Launches Campaign to Send Sales Tax Increase to the Voters (May 1, 2026), https://kbhbradio.com/coalition-launches-campaign-to-send-sales-tax-increase-to-the-voters/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁵ Joshua Haiar, supra note 1; SDPB, Campaign Asks Voters if Scheduled Tax Increase Should Go to Property Tax Relief (May 1, 2026), https://www.sdpb.org/politics/2026-05-01/campaign-asks-voters-if-scheduled-tax-increase-should-go-to-property-tax-relief (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁶ KOTA-TV, Referendum Launched Against SD SB 245 Sales Tax Plan (May 3, 2026), https://www.kotatv.com/2026/05/03/opponents-seek-public-vote-sd-law-using-higher-sales-taxes-drop-property-taxes/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁷ Governor’s Office, supra note 2; KOTA-TV, “These Bills Topped Them All” Rhoden Signs What He Says Is Largest Property Tax Cut Into Law (Mar. 13, 2026), https://www.kotatv.com/2026/03/13/these-bills-topped-them-all-rhoden-signs-what-he-says-is-largest-property-tax-cut-into-law/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁸ KBHB Radio, supra note 4; Brookings Radio, Gov. Rhoden Advises Counties on Implementation of Property Tax Relief Program, https://www.brookingsradio.com/gov-rhoden-advises-counties-on-implementation-of-property-tax-relief-program/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
⁹ South Dakota Searchlight, Trading Property Tax for Sales Tax (Mar. 9, 2026), https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/03/09/trading-property-tax-for-sales-tax-legislature-moves-forward-with-parts-of-homeowner-relief-package/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
¹⁰ Ned Horsted for SD House Dist. 6, https://www.nedhorsted.com/ (last visited May 5, 2026); Ballotpedia, South Dakota House of Representatives District 6, https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_House_of_Representatives_District_6 (last visited May 5, 2026).
¹¹ KOTA-TV, supra note 7; Governor’s Office, supra note 2.
¹² KOTA-TV, supra note 6; SDPB, supra note 5.
¹³ 605 Cannabis, About Us, https://605cannabis.com/about-us (last visited May 5, 2026); Dakota Rural Action Board, https://www.dakotarural.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors/ (last visited May 5, 2026).
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