Kristi Noem’s star appeared to be flaming out not too long ago. After a contentious first term, the governor of South Dakota decided against running for president, and attention in the media shifted to other topics.
However, if the 2024 primary is partially a test for Noem to be the next running mate for former President Donald Trump, Noem’s national status appears to have been revived. She has suddenly gained prominence in the veepstakes.
A $5 million national advertising campaign is being undertaken by Noem, supported by Covid aid, in an aim to raise her reputation while also luring additional workers to South Dakota. She frequently appears on Fox News. The fact that she is avoiding any of the problems of a presidential candidacy of her own, including pressure to perform in a debate and tough questions regarding Jan. 6 and Trump’s indictments, is possibly the most crucial factor.
Instead, the governor will support Trump as she presents him in Rapid City, South Dakota, at a GOP fundraiser that is sold out. She would use the occasion to support the former president, as CNN originally reported, according to a source familiar with the plans who spoke to POLITICO on Thursday night.
She’s played her cards correctly, according to Republican strategist Dave Carney, a seasoned New Hampshire resident. She speaks clearly. She has a lot of energy and may be a compelling presidential candidate.
In all likelihood, Noem will hang her running mate’s shingle on her door. When asked by Fox News last month about the possibility of joining the Trump campaign, she responded, “Of course, I would consider it.” Her government-funded advertisements aren’t just running in D.C. markets; last month, during the initial primary debate in Milwaukee, they helped put her on televisions in GOP voters’ homes.
Noem is friendly with the former president and has access to him directly. The former president asked Corey Lewandowski, who served as Trump’s first campaign manager and has occasionally advised Noem, to fly with him on Friday to Rapid City, according to POLITICO. After allegations that Lewandowski made unwanted sexual attempts against a lady at a charity event in 2021, Noem removed him from his consultancy position. After being accused of misdemeanor violence, he reached a settlement with Las Vegas prosecutors in which he was spared from having to confess guilt.
At the time, a Noem representative stated that Lewandowski would “not be advising the governor with regard to the campaign or official office.” But he was seen with Noem last year at a Republican Governors Association conference in Nashville. (A Trump official did not immediately reply to a POLITICO question regarding Lewandowski’s Friday trip with Trump; a Noem spokesperson did not address her political advisors.)
Ron DeSantis of Florida, another prominent conservative Covid governor, has long eclipsed Noem, who rose to fame in the GOP by keeping her state open throughout the pandemic. However, Noem decided that waiting was the wisest course of action, whereas DeSantis staked that Trump could be beaten.
Noem recently stated on Fox News that none of the candidates can win as long as Trump is still in the race. And those are the simple realities. If you can’t win, why even try?
After several months, both DeSantis’ reputation and his chances of winning the GOP nomination have declined. Lewandowski contends that Noem is in a fortunate position. According to Lewandowski, an “overzealous volunteer” for Noem, “I think it shows an enormous level of sophistication,” he told POLITICO.
Noem’s actions haven’t gone unnoticed in her native South Dakota, where both her supporters and enemies have always seen her as a politician with ambitions outside the state.