Race overview
South Dakota House District 13 has a contested race in the 2026 general election, with Republican incumbents Jack Kolbeck and John Hughes in the candidate field. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
This is a same-party contest: Both candidates are Republicans, and both enter the election as current officeholders. That means party designation and incumbency do not distinguish one candidate from the other. The central choice is between two candidates who share the same party label and the same incumbent status.
Neither candidate has a documented policy position in this race. As a result, there is not yet a stated issue difference that can be used to compare where Kolbeck and Hughes stand on legislation, state spending or other matters handled by the South Dakota House.
Jack Kolbeck
Jack Kolbeck is a Republican incumbent running in House District 13. His incumbent designation means he enters the 2026 contest as a current officeholder rather than a first-time challenger.
Kolbeck has the same party designation as Hughes, so the ballot’s party label will not create a distinction between them. Kolbeck also has no documented policy positions in the race, leaving no stated platform to compare with Hughes on specific issues.
The facts defining Kolbeck’s candidacy at this stage are his Republican affiliation, his incumbent status and his place in the contested Nov. 3 general election. Any issue-based comparison will depend on positions stated during the campaign.
John Hughes
John Hughes is a Republican incumbent running in House District 13. His incumbent designation means he also enters the 2026 contest as a current officeholder rather than a first-time challenger.
Hughes has the same party designation as Kolbeck, so the ballot’s party label will not create a distinction between them. Hughes also has no documented policy positions in the race, leaving no stated platform to compare with Kolbeck on specific issues.
The facts defining Hughes’s candidacy at this stage are his Republican affiliation, his incumbent status and his place in the contested Nov. 3 general election. Any issue-based comparison will depend on positions stated during the campaign.
What makes the race contested
The District 13 race is contested because it includes two candidates rather than an uncontested candidacy. Its unusual defining feature is not a Republican-versus-Democratic division but the presence of two Republican incumbents in the same general-election race.
That shared political affiliation limits what voters can learn from party labels alone. Both candidates carry the Republican designation, and both have experience as current officeholders. With no documented policy positions for either candidate, the race does not yet present a stated disagreement over a bill, budget question or other public policy matter.
The next meaningful developments will be procedural and campaign-related: whether the candidate field changes, whether either candidate sets out issue positions, and how the District 13 contest appears as the general election approaches. The election itself remains scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
