Gov. Kristi Noem, Sen. John Thune win their South Dakota GOP primaries

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Sen. John Thune are projected Tuesday to win their respective GOP primaries, according to the Associated Press.

Noem easily won renomination, with the wire service calling the primary in her favor with more than 75% of the vote after 8:30 p.m. local time. Noem is considered to be a potential contender in the 2024 presidential election.

Her opponent, former state House Speaker Steve Haugaard, accused Noem of not backing Republican causes and targeting members of her own party.

Thune, who has faced criticism from Trump for not supporting efforts to overturn the 2020 election, secured his party renomination against two other opponents with the Associated Press declaring him the winner less than two hours after the polls closed. Shortly after 8 p.m. local time, Thune received more than 70% of the ballots counted. He is a member of Senate Republican leadership. 

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson secured the Republican nomination for South Dakota's at-large congressional district on Tuesday despite a strong challenge from state Rep. Taffy Howard, an Air Force veteran who has supported former President Donald Trump's claims about fraud in the 2020 election. 

The House primary focused heavily on the former president. Howard attacked Johnson for voting to certify President Joe Biden's electoral college win and supporting the House Jan. 6 committee. DC Drain the Swamp PAC released an ad calling Johnson a "swamper" who "denies that the Communists stole the election from President Trump," according to Roll Call.

Ultimately, the AP called the race in favor of Johnson, with more than 60% of the votes and nearly two-thirds of ballots counted. He is likely to be reelected in the red state where more than 61% of residents voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020.